This is another of those “neophyte” questions. (Hope you’ll tolerate my ignorance.)
How do you bring a new cast iron tub into a renovated space? The existing tub appears to be thin enamel and I’d like to replace it. Do I need to remove a wall just to bring in the new bohemoth, or are cast iron tubs easy enough to stand on end and maneuver into the bathroom?
Replies
Can you say, "Hernia"?
I can pick up a standard steel tub and set it in place by myself but a cast iron tub weighs in at over 300 lbs. (Last one I installed was 333 lbs.) Three guys to get it up to the second floor. Using a dolly.
The size of your bathroom and whether or not you are down to the studs has a bearing on maneuverability. In some cases you may have to remove the door jambs and casing as well as the rock or plaster in order to lay it down and slide it into position. On one job I removed a section of wall between the bathroom and adjoining room to move in a new tub, then just put back the stud and rerocked the wall. If you have a sink, vanity or commode in the way you might consider that method.
Is your existing tub recessed in an alcove or is one end exposed? If it is easy to get the old one out without major demolition, then it will be reasonably easy to install the new one. Except for the weight problem. If you have to chop the old one in half to remove it, obviously there will be a problem. If the bath is small, you'll also have problems fitting the tub and several helpers in there to move it. You may have to take out a hunk of wall anyway to connect the drain.
It's a steel tub in a bathroom in the middle of the house. Looking again at the layout, I think it'll be kinda difficult to wedge a new tub in the alcove. You're right, Ralph. A hernia isn't something that I'm looking forward to.
I don't like the existing tub because it feels and sounds "cheap" and the enamel is pretty worn. But, given the alternative of knocking out walls and paying big surgery bills in this medium-priced home, maybe it's easier to just have the tub refinished.
Any other ideas on how to spruce it up, and make a builder's grade tub seem more substantial?
Buy a nice cast iron tub and get some help and do what you have to and put it in.
You will feel good when you are finished.
Ken
If steel tub I filled under with fiberglass insulation. This makes tub "feel" much more substantial and has the side benefit of keeping the tub warmer to the touch. A steel tub is much less weight and has the same finish as a cast tub.
Only trouble is if there are any leaks. Make it good so the fiberglass never gets wet.
Regards;
KM
Post a drawing of your layout, including adjacent rooms, water supply, drain location, measurements, slab or off grade, walls (drywall or plaster, tile), commode, sink/vanity locations.
Someone will jump in and walk you through it. Then you can decide if it's too much for your skill level or too costly.
Ken
Check out the American Standard- Americast tub. A lot lighter than a cast iron tub, but the feel of the cast iron. I've installed several by myself-wall to wall.
The last CI tub I brought up two flights of stairs I had to devise a plan to get it up there being that only one guy could be at the bottom.
I put a dbl 2x on the outside of the window on the first floor with a come-a-long attached to that, then the other end around the tub (in crate) ran it over some 2x10's over the stairs and cranked away.
Worked awesome!
Be hernia free
andy
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