to clawfoot or not

keep if there are other historic details in the unit (shutters, a nice FP, whatever) -- you will get a townhouse lover who will pay more.

If it's the only thing in the unit that's "period" -- nuke it in favor of a different tub.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

there aren't other historic details - no shutters, no fireplace. i'm thinking that a 4.5' clawfoot is much better than 6' and will make it seem more spacious. my partner even wants to just nuke it as we did in 1 apartment which people love too.

i really like the clawfoot since they are less prone to leaks than other things.

also, what do folks think about acrylic? do they hold up over time? are they prone to scratches

Get rid of the tub

As much as I love old things, clawfoot tubs are a mess -- you have to have a shower curtain that goes all the way around, yet they invariably let water leak out, and it's that much more shower curtain liner to clean/replace. I'd say get rid of it and put in a standard 'built in' tub.

Re acrylic: I'd stay away from it. Easier to scratch, and not significantly cheaper than a plain iron tub from Kohler. For a recent renovation I thought seriously about some of the Duravit acrylic models. Some really nice designs, but they still felt and looked like plastic -- didn't have that high gloss finish that enamel gives you, and just looked sort of cheap. Ended up with an iron built-in tub.

ICK ~ a plastic bathtub? ICK!

i'm leaning toward possibly keeping the iron tub but will wait to talk to my handyman. i've had bad experiences with built-in tubs leaking after the grout wears away. since it is a rental, the shower curtains get raplaced pretty reguarly

If there's no separate shower, get rid of the clawfoot, and replace with a standard-size built-in cast iron tub. The basic ones, perfect for a rental, are cheap ($300-450).

Having shower curtains on all sides of you blowing inwards while you're showering is just too infuriating.

Open space under a clawfoot just leads to overbreeding of dust bunnies.

Be sure the tub is installed so that the backerboard is fit over the hidden tub lip properly (and not behind it, as some moron not-quite-handymen do), and you really shouldn't have issues when the grout wears away.

Plastic/acrylic tubs don't retain heat very well, so bathwater cools too quickly for comfort. And yes, they scratch and discolor and your tenants will use the wrong cleaners and ruin them.

Clawfoot tubs are best used as hillbilly planters. There's even a tomato cultivar called "hillbilly" that you can grow in them.