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Choose a claw foot bathtub for the vintage bathroom look
If you're looking to give your bathroom a traditional look - or a look which
borders on the vintage - you can't go far wrong than choosing a claw foot
bathtub. These bathtubs, with the well-known heavy and solid look and the
essential stout feet, are perfect for giving your bathroom the look of a bygone
era. It's a look which is all the rage today, and goes totally against the
modern look of shiny chrome and smooth ceramics. Perhaps people are choosing
this look because they think that the vintage style is one more on a par with
relaxation - which is what bathing is all about anyway.
The very first claw foot bathtubs appeared around the 1800s, made of cast iron
and coated with porcelain. The strange thing is that they were never intended to
be used as bathtubs, and were actually invented to be used for watering animals!
However, once it was seen that they could be used for bathtubs for humans, the
popularity soon caught on. The porcelain was very smooth and could therefore be
cleaned easily, and pretty soon the clawfoot bathtub was an essential for the
Victorian house.
It is a testament to the workmanship of those Victorian bath manufacturers that
you can still buy some of those original clawfoot bathtubs today - and many
people have done exactly that and adapted them to modern use. Some of them are
coated with porcelain on all sides - both on the inside and the outside. But in
line with the style of the Victorian era some of them are coated just on the
inside, and the porcelain goes only to the bathtub rim. What happens then is
that the outside, because the path is made of cast iron, will rust. Some people
like this, because they think it gives an even more vintage look to the bathtub,
although some people may paint the outside in line with the décor of the rest of
the bathroom. You have to choose which way you want to go.
There's no denying that an original bathtub really does take the vintage look as
far as it can go. However if you really can't get hold of an original clawfoot
bathtub there's no need to worry. Clawfoot bathtubs are now available in
high-quality reproductions. Usually made of acrylic, these are much lighter than
the old cast iron bathtubs - a fact which may come in useful if you ever need to
move the bathtub once it has been fitted. However, if you really like the old
cast iron look - and the old cast iron weight - it is still possible to buy
clawfoot bathtubs made in this material. Just make sure before you install one
that your bathroom floor can handle the weight. The last thing you want is for
the bathtub to come crashing through your ceiling below!
What you have to remember when installing a clawfoot bathtub is that the
plumbing may need to be specialized. Since the tub is actually raised from the
floor the drain will be exposed. You also have to bear in mind that the faucet
may need special plumbing, and the water supply pipes will be easily seen, since
the pipes cannot be hidden in the wall due to the shape of the bathtub.
So which style should you choose? That depends on several factors - including
how tall you are. If you like to be comfortable in the bathtub - and who doesn't
- you should go for the usual style, which is a curved back. This enables you to
lie back comfortably in the bathtub. There also is such a thing known as a
slipper back tub, which can add to the comfort, while the style known as double
back, means you can lie back on either end of the bathtub. There are several
lengths available for clawfoot bathtubs, and if you're tall you may want to opt
for one of the longer models, since one of the small ones will mean some degree
of discomfort.
Remember, too, that a clawfoot tub is much higher than many other types of
bathtub, which means you have to raise a leg in order to get into it. However,
this is just one tiny disadvantage of installing clawfoot bathtubs in your
bathroom. In the end installing one of these old-fashioned bathtubs can really
help to give your bathroom that totally vintage look. And even though your
bathtub looks like an antique, you can still enjoy all the modern additions -
such as a whirlpool - and have modern luxury and a vintage look together.
whirlpool bathtubs
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