| Many people today are moving away from the | | | | disadvantage, though many people actually like the |
| modern look for the bathroom--a look which usually | | | | "real" vintage look this imparts. If the rust doesn't suit |
| entails decor mainly in chrome and steel--and moving | | | | you, then the exterior of the bathtub can be painted. |
| toward something with more of a vintage feel. And | | | | The interior, if the bath has been well-cared for, |
| one of the simplest ways to get a vintage feel to | | | | should have a good layer of porcelain--another |
| your bathroom is to use a bathtub with a style from | | | | vintage material which adds to the effect of |
| a bygone era. And no type of bathtub gives a | | | | reproducing a bygone era in your bathroom. |
| vintage feel better than the claw foot bathtub. This | | | | Still, as mentioned, there are some very good-quality |
| bathtub style seems to shout--or should that be | | | | reproductions on the market nowadays. Many of |
| "whisper"--the word "relaxation", and that's what | | | | these are made of acrylic, and are therefore much |
| people have always looked to get from their bathing | | | | lighter than an antique claw foot bathtub, which as |
| experience. | | | | mentioned would be made of cast iron. |
| Of course, most people who choose a claw foot | | | | One of the drawbacks to having a claw foot bathtub |
| bathtub these days go for a reproduction. These are | | | | is that the shape doesn't lend itself well to modern |
| excellent ways to get a vintage feel in your | | | | plumbing--or rather the style of modern plumbing, |
| bathroom, and yet get all the benefits of modern | | | | which is to hide all the water pipes and drainage. |
| materials such as fiberglass and acrylic. However, if | | | | Then again, some people actually prefer to have the |
| you really do want the original model, and you have | | | | pipes in full view, especially if they are the shiny |
| some time on your hands to do a bit of searching, | | | | copper type, as this again lends more to the antique |
| there's no reason why you can't find one of the | | | | look. |
| antiques models. Claw foot tubs appeared sometime | | | | In the end, whether you choose a reproduction |
| in the 19th Century, and despite some of those claw | | | | bathtub or go for a true original, a claw foot tub can |
| foot tubs now touching 200 years old, you can still | | | | really add an air of timelessness to your bathroom. |
| find one in good condition if you look hard enough. If | | | | Just make sure that once the bathtub is installed you |
| anything, that shows just how well those Victorian | | | | do a good job of restyling the rest of the bathroom |
| craftsmen did their job. | | | | in order to make sure the transformation to a |
| These originals were made of cast iron, and as such | | | | vintage look is complete! |
| were likely to rust. This can be seen as a | | | | |