ListWise

Monday, May 28, 2007

Tub Is Ready

I painted the outside of the tub today and attached the newly {Shwing!} nickel plated feet.



I glued the tub to the ceiling to get it out of the way and make it easier to work on. I used more of the 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive Caulk to stick it up there. Boy, this 3M 5200 is incredibly strong stuff. Even through the cardboard it’s holding the tub up there. I hope I can get the tub down when the time comes.



This tub came out of the downstairs rental bathroom that was in the 2 story addition I removed. The tub is dated 1922 but the toilet was dated 1926, so I’m not sure exactly when the addition was built. Either they had an old tub, or the toilet was replaced very early on.

The visible side in the picture will be against the wall once it’s installed. The other side, that you can’t see in the picture, had never been painted, which is cool. I should be able to get a good long lasting paint job on the bare cast iron. I sanded the whole thing down and then washed it. After that I applied a few coats of flat black Rustoleum.



I painted the upstairs tub the same way. I like the contrast between the white enamel on the inside and the flat black on the outside. Also, the nickel feet really stand out against the black. I didn’t nickel plate the feet on the upstairs tub because I’m really a cheap bastard. You wouldn’t know it the way I’m spending money on the downstairs bathroom, but really I am. On the upstairs tub I just painted them with a sliver paint. The main reason I plated the feet for the downstairs tub was because of the design of the shower, otherwise they would have gotten the silver paint as well. These feet will see a lot more water, so I’m hoping the plating will protect them some.



Here it is after I got it off the ceiling and with the feet attached. The inside of the tub is in mostly very good condition, with the exception of the area just under the faucet. It looks like some lazy ass landlord didn’t fix a leaky faucet for like 40 years or something. (Me yelling at the window while shaking my fist, “Damn you lazy bastards! Damn you to hell!”). It’s not rust, so much as the enamel is worn down. There is noticeable discoloration. Once I get it hooked up to water I’m going to see how well it cleans up with some Bar Keepers Friend and a little grunt work.



If that doesn’t work I will sand that area a bit and paint it with some white enamel spray paint. Someone told me once that this is a good way to fix minor problems like this. There is a special paint to use, but I don’t know what it is. I think Sacto Diane mentioned it on one of the forums once. I’ll need to search her out. I’ve been told that even a good resurfacing will only last about 5 years, so I’m trying to stave off that as long as possible.

And fiiiinally (Say that with as much exasperation as is possible) I finished working under the house. My goal is to not crawl under the house for 12 months straight. That will be a record. After I finished all of the drains for the tub, the last thing to do was finish the exhaust for the dryer. Right where that dryer vent is there was a “after market” hatch added to the house. It wasn’t done well and has been broken since the day I bought the place. I think it was added by a plumber or electrician in the last 20 years or so.



There are 2 other real access hatches to get under the house, but because of the rats nest of pipes and wires under the house from the apartment days, it was impossible to get from Point A to Point B while under the house. Anyway, I had a few pieces of the original bead board skirting that I found under the addition I removed, so I got rid of the crappy hatch and just boarded it over with the beadboard.

You’ll notice the ham loaf just had to be in the picture. I swear, I think he understands the concept of photography.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful and sharp looking tub. Many times toilets sat in warehouses for a few years before being installed. That may be why your toilet is newer than the tub. My dads cellar had a 1908 Trenton potery toilet with wooden tank dated 1908 and his home wasn't built until 1912 or something like that.

StuccoHouse said...

The tub looks excellent! Yoru favorite plaumbing website has a selection of porcelain repair products. Hope I am not banned forever from your blog for mentioning this ;-)

Greg said...

Thanks, both of you, and....

(shaking fist at screen) Damn you StuccoHouse for mentioning that infernal place!

Anonymous said...

"Glued to the ceiling," eh? I'm impressed with the tensile strength of your Kettle Chips, uh, ceiling tile!

(!!!)

;->

Greg said...

Oh yea, those Kettle Chip boxes are known for being extra strong. Frito Lay boxes would never hold up.

Anonymous said...

ham loaf! i got a dog name of meat loaf! because she just bogarted one off the kitchen counter. jeez.

Ginechka said...

I discovered your website this weekend and its provided lots of entertainment.....I want to know how you picked up a tub to glue it to the ceiling? Also, what gave you that idea? Why doesn't it pull down the ceiling? Aren't you afraid of it falling down and that being the end of you? Or, are these just stupid questions for people who know what they're doing?

Greg said...

Gail,

Welcome! All very good questions, each of which I'm sure deserves and answer...

Ginechka said...

Upon further review of your photos I decided to try some of that fabulous glue.......... that pesky meowing cat is now safely hanging from the bathroom ceiling (along with his water bowl), I now can go back to sleep! Grrrrrrrrrrr!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful - I really like the nickel on black. Good luck with the cleaning . I bet you can make it almost disappear with the right combination of toxic cleansers and a toothbrush.

Bones said...

Yeah, the tub looks sharp! Just think about how fine it'll be to soak in it, surrounded by beer and candles, after the bathroom's done.

And, uh, that would be Mr. Mortimer Hamloaf, right?

Gary said...

You still have some cans of "Grunt Work" left. I thought you sold those on Ebay! Some beeswax polish should deflect the water from thos feet or some Rustoleum High Gloss spray varnish.

Anonymous said...

For the tub stain, try Kaboom. We've been planning to remodel the bath for the three years we've lived here, so why bother fix the leaky faucet? besides that, the cats think it is their personal drinking fountain...anyway, once a week, it gets whitened back to normal with a shot of kaboom. Don't know what's in the stuff, but it works.

Anonymous said...

The tub looks great. I like the contrast of the black, white and nickel finishes, too. Thanks for the tip about Bar Keepers Friend. Do you use the original, liquid or the lime & rust remover? Maybe you could do a face-off with Kaboom if you're game.

I'm still worried about the tub legs rusting. Plated finishes are never perfect. They're actually microscopically porous, which means water will be in contact with the cast iron and rust will slowly grow. Or at least stain your tiles. Some of those porcelain spacers would keep them high and dry.

K said...

That looks awesome! You're making me wish I got my tub feet nickel plated - bad Greg, bad!

Our sink has a spot under where the hot water tap used to be that the enamel is worn a little thin. Don't know what to do about that either. Nothing, I guess.

As for the cat, I swear my Alistair understands photography also. He seems so pleased when I'm taking his picture, and he poses so prettily. Henry, on the other hand, never looks at the camera and always moves at inopportune moments. Also, Alistair looks offended when I take pictures of pets other than him. :)

Greg said...

After closer inspection, and after trying to clean it a little with the Bar Keepers Friend Soft Scrub, I don't think this is rust. It’s more like the enamel has worn away and the cast iron is showing through. This is what it sounds like Kristin is experiencing as well. If that’s the case, then all of the kaboom and Bar Keepers Friend in the world won’t help.

I have ordered a can of an enamel repair product. I forget the name at the moment. I ordered it off the DEABath.com site. For what it’s worth, the guy on the phone said their restoration man uses it a lot with good results, so we’ll see. I should have it in a week or so, so check for a blog entry on it.

The plan is to put each foot on a second 2-inch hex tile to keep it off the floor. Also, I’m going to spray them with several coats of clear lacquer, I think. Gary suggested varnish or beeswax, but the wax doesn’t seem right with all of the water. I don’t use a lot of varnish, so I wouldn’t know where to begin there. I have used clear lacquer quite a bit. I’m going to need to see how well it does in wet environments.

Anonymous said...

I've been Googling solutions to brown stains on tubs that appear after trying to clean said tubs with bleach. The stain, from what my Google friends tell me, comes from iron that precipitates out of the bath water. Best solution so far is to apply hydrogen peroxide. My initial test shows it works very well. You might try that on the under-spigot stain on your clawfoot tub. No need to rub. Just get it wet with hydrogen peroxide.

Anonymous said...

Greg, I hope you will reconsider your plan of propping up your tub's legs on extra little risers made of 2" tiles.

What if a big guy jumps into the tub too quickly? You know who I'm talking about! What if the sudden movement makes the tub shift and fall off those little risers? That won't be a pleasant moment, I am sure.

On the other hand, it might provide an amusing family story to pass on down through the generations.

I'm just saying ... think twice.