Dare to soak away in a clawfoot bathtub with a relaxing whirlpool bath
It would be nice if it wasn't so cold some mornings.Even a cold bottom is preferable to taking a shower for me.I'd say I was lucky to get a house with a clawfoot bathtub. Not having to create my own dream bath gave me time, a few years ago, to work on client's bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects. Not every house provides a bathroom that you can really enjoy.
Often it seems that the bathtub is just an excuse to fit a large shower in a bath room. As bathrooms have gotten larger it's easier to specify a bath tub that can you can really enjoy. Fitting a soaking bath into a remodeling job can be a bit more challenging. The experience I have redoing bathrooms and some of the products on these pages are designed to guide you to a pleasant bathroom.
In new construction walls can be specified to be moved so that there is room for larger showers, tubs and vanities. Bathroom remodeling presents many more issues in achieving a dream bath room. When one of the goals is to have a soaking tub in the bathroom, often room must be made by knocking out some walls. Consider where you are going to get the extra room for a tub larger than 60" long and over 40 gallons, make sure that the floor will support it. Some freestanding tubs in the 60" range with a standard drain may fit in the space of an existing bath stall. Often a closet, a door or windows can be relocated to make more room. More that a few times I have bumped out a wall or built into an attic to make room for a soaking tub. Another option may be to relocate a door and put the vanity in the existing tup space. Tiled bathrooms can present a whole other set of problems. Matching tile does not generally work well, tearing out a tiled bathroom is expensive and messy. By far the most logical method I have found for creating a modern bath when faced with an old tiled bath is to use a bedroom. Granted this is not always an option, but the remodeling project goes much smoother than tearing out a tiled bath. There is more space to get the features you want and usually room for extra closet space. The old tiled bathroom can be fitted with a new vanitiy and used as a guest bath.
Space defines a dream bath room. The most popular use of the extra space is to include a tub that you can take a good soak in. Most bathroom expansions that I have done also include a view. That may be window to the outdoors or a pleasant area in the bath room itself. What follows is information, from a recommended manufacture, on selecting the sought after destination in a dream bathroom. Start your Clawfoot Bathtub shopping under Bathtubs> Value Packages>Bathtubs & Faucet. Here you can shop for 72" drop ins, base mounted and freestanding Ball and claw tubs, the tab allows for 23 exterior color options. (This can also be accessed from Sale tab) Value Packages may offer options such as interior tub colors in White or Bisque, 23 exterior color options, four foot styles in six finishes and add a massage package. All of the Value Packages under the Bathtubs & Faucet tab come complete. It's a great way to simplify your selection. If you see features that you like but don't find them in a Value Package then consider selecting items individually and customizing a tub to your liking. Customizing a freestanding tub offers White or Bisque for the tub interior , with 23 exterior color options and 13 exterior patterns. Here you can get some extra special looks such as a leopard or zebra exterior. To continue customizing your tub select from four foot styles in six finishes and add a massage package. You will want to select the mounting hole pattern if you plan on choosing tub mounted faucets. Faucets, drain, supply lines and accessories are selected separately. Customizing one of the five drop in massaging tubs is limited to choosing a White or Bisque interior and the location of the pump unit. Freestanding Whirlpool tubs can be selected under the Whirlpool tab for clawfoot bathtubs and under the Freestanding>Base Mounted>Acra Stone Value Package tab. To use your tub as a shower go to the Showers tab and consider your options. There are separate supply arrangements for wall mounted showers. In wall and exposed plumbing are options. The enclosure ring for wall mounted plumbing does not connect to the plumbing like the ring used for tub mounted supply lines. The last step in turning your tub into a shower is to select a shower head.
Value Packages, featuring American Bath Factory tubs, and Sales listings for Bathtub & Faucet will provide you with everything necessary to easily install a freestanding or drop in bathtub. Value Packages can include the whirlpool option, supply lines, drain and faucet as well as other options. It's a simple matter to add a shower and accessories to the package for a complete install. Dream Bath and New Boston Furniture will review your package and provide technical data so that once your tub arrives you can keep the trips to the hardware at a minimum. In order to receive this free service contact New Boston Furniture through General Store Galaxy after placing your order. If customizing a tub rather than ordering a Value Package it is advisable to email us your selections prior to placing your order. The dense AcraStone™ material between acrylic layers provides a solid feel not found in other acrylic or fiberglass tubs. You won't have the complaints that I have with my cast iron tub either. No climbing into a cold feeling tub and you'll never have to paint the exterior.
Prepariing for your clawfoot bathtub may not be as difficult as you thought. Dream Bath and New Boston Furniture makes it easy to have your concerns answered. For bathroom vanities and furniture we've made it equally as easy. Read our page on selecting bathroom furniture, vanities and accessories to prepare for the rest of your bathroom fixtures. Sure there are other attractive options available in quality tubs and bath furniture and I'll add them here and in my other stores when I can offer them. I present to you American Bath Factory's products for several reasons. First off they offer a large selection of options in an easily customizable format through our web store. The time that you can save in visualizing a variety of options and purchasing a complete package can add up to big savings in time on your part as well as your contractors. I have lost track of the number of times I have gone out to install fixtures that a customer purchased, only to find that the customer or myself makes many trips to get the "right" faucet, drain, countertop or connection fittings. If it's the contractor making the trips, an inexpensive vanity can quickly become an expensive one. By making a selection that is made to work together and involving knowledgeable support people you can eliminate such costly expenses. Not to say all, but we are here to help minimize them. Top of page
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