Looking for a Vintage Two-Apron Tub
Doing a brownstone renovation in Brooklyn. I’m looking for a vintage tub for one of our bathrooms. Essentially, I am looking for one of those tubs where the apron curves around and extends over the side of the tub. You see these tubs all the time in pre-war buildings and old construction, but for some reason no one makes them any more. Anyone has one they are throwing out as part of their renovation? I’d be glad to pay you and take it off your hands. Otherwise, anyone knows anywhere that salvages such tubs and resells them here in Brooklyn (or elsewhere)? Already tried Build-It-Green. Many thanks.
patolucas
in Plumbers and Plumbing 11 years ago
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10 replies
vmologa | 10 years and 3 months ago
may be better to buy a new bath but the style of old? such as the bathroom [clawfoot](http://www.aquaticabath.ca/soaking-bathtubs/627722001865-aquatica-nostalgia-wht-ash-legs-freestanding-ecomarmor-bathtub-main “clawfoot”)? or simply detached stone bath with a bright loop?
sdonham | 10 years and 11 months ago
Came to brownstoner looking for exactly the same thing. I’ve been searching now for about a month with little success. Perhaps someone knows of a manufacturer of a _new_ two-apron tub in a similar style? I’ve checked Duravit and Kohler with no success… 🙁
brokelin | 11 years ago
I had one of those two-sided tubs in my last apartment, with the curved sides, both deep and very long. I loved it! I heard the bathrooms in the century-old building had been redone in the 40s, so it might have been from them, or it might have been older. Yes, the enamel was worn on the bottom, and completely down to rusty iron near the drain, but I still loved that tub. Were I to renovate that bathroom, I’d definitely have kept that tub. It is a shame if no one makes them anymore. While the plastic reglazing in place people do may theoretically be done well, I have never seen it done well. I now have an old cast iron tub (not the lovely, curvy, long two-sided ones, alas, but still quite deep and good for a good soak) – it may be original to the building from the 20s – it was reglazed sometime in the past 15 years or so, and like all plastic reglazings I have ever seen, it is a lousy job – there are drips of the plastic reglazing material, I hate the way it feels to bathe in (far prefer the old porcelain), and it is easily damaged. Good to know that they can be reporcelained, though I’m guessing that taking it out to do so and reinstalling it may cost more than a new tub would. Still, for some beautiful old tubs, it would be worth it if one had the money.
Green Mountain | 11 years ago
Thanks Bob for your reflection, explanation and for reading my stuff. Please stay snarky and curmudgeonly. The OP asked about a curvy tub with two finished sides, probably one from the 1920’s. Clawfoot tubs are another matter. I can send you a good photo of a recent job of mine with a vintage clawfoot, period tile and wallpaper, and reproduction woodwork. But I don’t want to post it, because I can’t make money on jobs like that, and also follow labor and consumer protection law. Home improvements apart from new construction is a 300 billion dollar industry nationally. I often ask home owners how they found me and hear: “We asked around, but our friends and neighbors told us: …who not to hire!”” It is a familiar symptomatic refrain which does not address underlying causes of customer dissatisfaction. Counterproductively, and archaically, government and insurance providers, regard us as part of new construction. We are regulated, but consumers are as afraid of our regulatory agencies as they are of us. We are not part of any economic development program. Home improvement data for our large segment of the construction industry does not justify subsidies and tax breaks for new construction. All around, relationships are adversarial. You are a community leader and we both post here. Craftsmanship is not dead. It took a lot of work to establish the “Makers Movement” for small, green and local manufacturing. Obstacles preventing a similar movement for home improvements are particularly severe. We don’t need to agree on bathtubs, but I would like to work with you on improving home improvements. You can find me in the directory under Shower Stalls, and you can also follow me on Houzz, where this month a 12,000th person will ad a photo of my work to their idea book. http://www.houzz.com/projects/152834/Barrier-Free-Shower-Stalls – Green Mountain
janeinteriorsnyc | 11 years ago
No one stays in the bathroom while they are refinishing a tub, because if is a chemical process, except the technician, who wears a suit and a mask. If it is done correctly and taken care of correctly afterwards, it will last 15 to 20 years, as long as most new tubs. It will also cost a fraction of the cost of replacing the existing original fixture and will be more beautiful. An original fixture, besides having lots of charm, may be impossible to replace. Especially in apartments, tubs were made specifically for the apartment, so finding that specific sized tub may not be possible. Many of the original tubs in small spaces have beautiful dimensions. They are short but deep. Designed for a taking a truly beautiful soak. I hate to scrap one on my projects at any time, and especially if my client loves a bath. I don’t let a contractor and subcontractor dictate these decisions on the basis of it being simpler for them if we get rid of it. That’s wrong on so many levels. If my client can afford it, the best thing to do is to take the cast iron tub out and have it taken away to a shop that will put a new porcelain coating on it. They will then have a spectacular tub that will last 50 years. The next best thing is to reglaze it. If they want a walk in shower instead.. well that’s a whole different story. But I think replacing the tub is third on the list of options. www.janeinteriorsnyc.com
BobMarvin | 11 years ago
On reflection, my comment yesterday was unnecessarily snarky. True, I would not use Green Mountain for my bathroom, but that’s because I value the original 1899 claw-foot tub and floor and wall tiles which are relatively intact. However there clearly is a place for new fixtures and tile and, from reading GM’s many posts, I suspect that he does that kind of work right, even if it’s noy for me.
BobMarvin | 11 years ago
“the new one will be so much better” Thanks; now I know who NOT to use if I ever need bathroom work
Green Mountain | 11 years ago
Sorry, I recently cut one in to 4 pieces and some smaller ones, which I took to the scrap yard. Not only did I get $40 for it, but the new one will be so much better. Old cast iron tubs with two finished sides, left or right drain, can not be reversed. The surface is in poor condition and exposed iron around the drain or elsewhere can not be permanently repaired, though I have tried. Perhaps you are thinking of reglazing. “Reglazing” is a short term application of plastic with pigments and particles to approximate the look and feel of the original enamel. But, the real thing is done in a kiln where the entire tub is heated to the point where the original glaze (glass enamel) melts and new enamel is applied. The fake glaze emits fumes, which I would not want to work around without a fresh air fed, full face mask. A toxic spill of similar chemicals and proportions, in an industrial setting, without adequate ventilation and safety precautions, would be cause to evacuate. I am installing a new drop in cast iron tub in a small bathroom now. It is a 32 x 60″ Kohler Tea for Two. I would have recommended one like you are seeking, if I could buy a new one, but I am tiling the finished sides and it will be beautiful, long-lasting, and easy to clean. My client’s bathroom was last renovated 15 years ago. One of the reasons she is renovating again so soon, she says, is the mistake she made trying to save the old tub. Well it is gone now.
rh | 11 years ago
Have you tried Vaccaro’s across from BIG? Also, BIG in LIC. If it’s worth the trip to you, there’s also United House Wrecking in CT and Recycling the Past in NJ.
resident2 | 11 years ago
I recently found a perfect one on Craig’s list for a reno that I was working on. Also look on Ebay; mark the search for distance closest to you and you often see them within a 100 miles or so. Of course you have to go get them but it is a day out and the cheapest way to get them.