PPOR bathroom reno dilemma: should we get rid of this cast iron bathtub?

We are at the planning stage of a PPOR bathroom reno project and we are weighing up the pros and cons of keeping the existing cast iron bathtub, hopefully the wise PC community can shed some light for us.

Our original plan was to keep and resurface it, I liked the tub so much I bought a chandelier to match it before we even moved in lol. But after we got a closer look I’m not very sure the inside of the tub is salvageable? Especially the drain hole looks very rusted. I think it may cost at least 500 just to get a professional to resurface it, instead of we do the job ourselves. Also the builder who did the inspection for us told us because the tub is so heavy, it breaks the tiles underneath it and has already caused water damage on the woodwork below the floor, so if we want to keep the tub, we need to add a concrete stump beneath the floor and use steel flooring rather than wood or tiles in the bathroom. It sounds it is going to be a substantial work.

On the other hand, if we want to get rid of the tub, it is going to be a huge pain to move it out of the house because it is so heavy, I have no idea how to do it apart from getting 10 men to carry it out.

Anyone has come across a similar situation? From a purely cost/benefit perspective, should we keep it or should we get rid of it? Thank you very much!

 

I just cut mine in half with a grinder and took it out myself. You could replace it with an acrylic tub. Mine cost $750.

 

Wow this is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you! Where did you get your tub may I ask?

 

Thanks. It looks better in person because you can see the detail of the vjs down the bottom.

Here is where I got it from Bathtubs for Luxury Bathroom Renovations

 

Also resurfacing old tubs doesnt work too well. The cast iron expands and contracts with the heat. So they end up cracking off all the new coating.

 

Thanks a lot! They look lovely.

 

Our 6' 1920's tub was sandblasted, reglazed and baked. New brass claw feet, plug and waste. Put into a turn of the century home.

Looks great 17 years on. IMHO money well spent and much nicer than an acrylic tub.

Cheap will always be cheap but quality is timeless.

 

Sounds like it was done properly. Usually they dont go to that extent. How much did it all set you back?

 

The quote was acceptable.

I had them do an insutu reglaze in an IP later on, so the peice couldn’t have been too bad.

 

Lol "acceptable"... why did I bother asking.

 

@Tim86 - ie I don't remember.

 

We did the same as Tim, only we kept the old one whole and used it as a feature planter in the garden.

The resurface jobs can look terrible if done badly, they don;t last forever and can show runs etc. The only proper way to do it is have new enale baked on after blasting the old stuff off, but when I looked into it there was only one mob in Australia that did that and it would have costs thousands.

We got a new acrylic slipped bath from Early Settler, looks great.

 

If you do decide to get rid of it, put on Gumtree or eBay. Someone will want it. Offer it free if you have to!