Friday, October 19, 2007

The Clawfoot Tub

I don't know if the clawfoot tub is the first thing you'd think of for a small space, but it seems the trend of using this sort of tub is sticking around. I myself have never been in one, but they are so charming, I've always thought I needed one (even though I take a "bath" about once or twice a year.) Does anyone have one? What do you like and dislike about it? On a side note- sorry I have not been blogging as much. I'm hoping to pick the pace back up next week! I've been so busy with family stuff! Have a great weekend everyone!

17 comments:

Cris of Kiss My Tulle said...

We have been trying out clawfoot tubs (hoping to remodel the bathroom soon). The biggest thing we have learned is that not all clawfoots are created equal! Some are curved and cozy and some are truly uncomfortable. My advice? Climb in and try it out before you buy.

dec0r8or said...

I adore clawfoot tubs. We had one in the house I grew up in. It was long, too...perfect for a long deep soak. I went on vacation up to Bar Harbor, Maine, once, and the bed and breakfast we stayed in had a clawfoot tub. I took a bath every day of that vacation! There's nothing like warm suds right up to your chin!

P.S. I'm happy to hear you'll be blogging more...I was thinking you were slackin' a bit. :)

Barb McMahon and Alan Mailloux said...

I had one... two houses ago and I loved it. The curve at the back fit me perfectly.

The cast iron ones can lose heat pretty quickly. I would put in a couple of inches of very hot water first and let it sit a few minutes before filling it with warm water.

Anonymous said...

Oh...Love them too. Had one in college, all of us would sit in it hang our legs off the edge...and drink wine and philosophise.

Our last house used to have one in it...but it was in the yard behind a shed...we would pull it out, clean it and use it for bobbing for apples. I looked into having it refinished when we re-did our bath...but opted for a shower.

Sabina said...

I take a bath every day and I dream of having a clawfoot tub. I have only been able to enjoy them on vacation but someday...

Liz Harrell said...

I wouldnt know what to do with a clawfoot tub if I had one. It's kind of like having a five caret wedding ring, I would just sit and stare at it all the time! :)On the other hand, I have one caret and an acrylic tub. A girl can dream.

Donna said...

Found your blog tonight and love all the home decor! I'll be back to see more!
Donna :)

Anonymous said...

Great pics Lisa! I want a clawfoot tub so badly... maybe one day!

xo,
Kim

Flair said...

I love this post - it caught my attention because I love small spaces and making the most of it!

Anonymous said...

Ugh. I hate clawfoot tubs with a fiery passion, yes I do. We had one in the house we just sold. It got nasty under it and I never could reach all the way under and behind it to clean. Then I had a sick cat who got litter box aversion (UTI) who started using the area behind and under it for a litterbox. I had to just pour Nature's Miracle back there and hope for the best. It was awful.

It was a horrible bathroom anyway, in need of total gut rehab, but that clawfoot tub sent it over the edge from bad to truly unbearable. Oh, and the tub wasn't even really good for baths. Sure, the sides were tall, but the overflow thingee was down really low, so it would only hold about a foot of water.

I have a smaller tub now, just a standard tub. But it connects to the floor. There's no behind or under to get messy. No way for a cat to get back there. I've been every so much happier with my bathroom.

Anonymous said...

We have a small clawfoot tub and I thought it was most adorable vintage thing and was one of the reasons why I wanted the house. Low and behold, I still have yet to use it and we have been in the house now for almost 2yrs. The house is 120 yrs. old and while it's been rehabbed, it is still pretty drafty so the thought of getting into a cold, cast iron tub in a drafty room turns me off. Our cat on the otherhand has taken to living in it...he rolls around in it like a blanket and hides from the other cat there and he will only drink water from that tub. I have to say, underneath the tub does gather the dust and webs quite easily but it still looks super cute in the black and white vintage bathroom.

Anonymous said...

I got the rare privilege to stay in an old victorian cottage a friend of a friend's dad owned. He said it was a "fixer upper" but apparently it was already fixed and styled well before I got there. The entire 2 week girls only vacation was spent in that tub lol. We had to drag each other out to get a turn. It was so comfortable. It didn't have an overflow drain, so you had to watch, and it was acrylic and didn't lose heat easy. It had the handle-shower thing on the side. I felt so elegant and sexy every time I took a bath! There was an issue with the water splashing out, but if you have a swiffer or anything similar its no biggy, just tie rags around it and get under the tub. It was set about two inches away from the wall so it was easy to clean the wall and get everything dry. IF we didn't, her father would have killed us. The tiny 3 bedroom and loft room cottage sold for $600,000!! I want to get a tub for this house, I have a small one, good for washing the kids and the dog (sometimes all at the same time) but its no clawfoot :(

Anonymous said...

Best quality clawfoot tubs are available at Vintage Tub & Bath with many coupons.....!

Ace said...

I grew up with a fabulous claw foot tub that my mother(read:mother made father) literally pried from the floors of a hotel about to be torn down. When they brought it home it was rusted and chipped and filled with ice and my 6 year old self was horrified. But, once she scrubbed it, painted it and fixed about a trillion leaks I was in love. It was the deepest, warmest, most wonderful bath ever and I miss it terribly. I pleaded with my mother to let me steal it when she sold the house but sadly she insisted that it's new occupants would need a bath as well.

Unknown said...

You can get discount clawfoot tubs on Dream Bath International and you can also customize your tub. These tubs have a 25 year warranty.

Jessica said...

Great post...we are thinking of purchasing a clawfoot tub for the house we are purchasing. It's nice to hear (read) experiences others have had. A clawfoot ain't cheap so it would be a shame to buy something that turned out to be uncomfortable.
Cris Stone, Thanks for the advice! I was going to order one off the internet. Not anymore...I'll be climbing in each and every one I see and trying it out before I purchase one!

Jessica

Unknown said...

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