best way to paint peeling antique cast iron tub

Hi all. Been a long time since I’ve checked in here, nice to be back 🙂

We’re using 2 cast iron tubs that were original to our house as planters in our backyard. Photos attached. We’d like to repaint them. As you can see, one has rust showing through but no peeling, and the other has a lot of chipped/peeling paint.

1) What’s the best way to go about painting / “refreshing” these? They don’t have to turn out perfectly, but nice would be, well, nice. I did a quick google search and am a little confused about what kind of paint to use – it seems like rustoleum could work, but I saw something about cast iron tubs being porcelain, so I’m not sure what the heck it is needs to be done.

2) Do I need to be concerned about lead paint? We have two little kids that play in the yard.

3) Lastly, about how long do you think this project would take? Only the fronts need to be painted. I’m wondering if I should do it myself or hire someone to do it. It’s hard to find the time these days…

Thanks all! [IMG_6321](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:3Cxy:img_6321.jpg.jpg) [IMG_6322](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:6q0a:img_6322.jpg.jpg)

ps158

in General Discussion 6 years and 11 months ago

1

Please log in, in order to post replies!

1 replies

Newest Oldest

EJR | 6 years and 11 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4913 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4932 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(5) "79362"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(3) "EJR"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$B.h6vu7ImM77fV6j0TvRwlieo3mAr4/"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(3) "ejr"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(19) "ejrothman@gmail.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(46) "http://bstoner.wpengine.com/forums/users/ejr2/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 14:30:58"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(3) "EJR"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(79362)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Looks like my yard and yard-tub! I can’t imagine undertaking this project myself, but perhaps I’m just not handy. I eventually want to turn the tub into an outdoor couch/loveseat, an idea I first discovered at a cool bar in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Something like this: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Claw-Foot-Bathtub-Couch/