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.