Remove cast iron tub intact?

probably not. I'd have a couple helpers for that job, and you might want to measure to make sure it will even work. The tub may have been moved in before the last wall was built.

nate

Tub is under the window, huh? Answer is 'it depends'. I think you are on the right track. Sometimes the best thing to do is stand the tub on end, and walk it out of the room like a refrigerator, or use a refrig dolly to move it from the face side. Not seeing how the pads and braces under the tub, and the wall studs, are laid out, I can't suggest how to rotate it in multiple dimensions at once to english it out of there. In a tiny bath like that, dollies are not always an option- sometimes 3 big guys and a lot of grunting is the only answer. That is why contractor usually says 'sledgehammer and replace'. Tub usually goes in first, and bathroom is built around it. Are you saving to reuse in same spot, or elsewhere? Or do you need to rebuild the floor frame and decking under it?

Don't give up- old iron tubs, if the porcelain is good, are worth saving. They beat the heck out of all but the high-end special-order modern tubs.

-- aem sends...

Instead of a dolly put down a piece of carpet or a tarp anf drag it out on that.

This works really well if you put down plastic first. Maybe even easier than a dolly.

Jimmie

Are they significantly better than brand new cast iron tubs?

That is exactly what I did. It was extremely heavy and hard to maneuver but I eventually got it out. And once I loaded it into the back of the Ranger pickup it almost brought the front tires off the ground. :)

That is your olny alternative short of removing a few studs.

You priced a Real Cast Iron tub, lately? If the porcelain coating on the old one is good, not cracked or stained, and still shiny, it is worth a couple hundred bucks in effort or hired labor to salvage it, assuming the color and style meet your (and SWMBO's) requirements. I'm sure you can still get brand new tubs that are as good, but you won't find them at the big box, and you will pay through the nose. If it isn't abused, and there is nothing horrible in the water or the cleaning chemicals used, a good porcelain-coated tub can last a century or more. Modern plastic or fiber ones look tired after 20 years. Other than where idiot Previous Owner chipped it by dropping wrenches, the 1960 tub in this place looks like new. The plastic 1978 shower stall in the addition looks like it belongs in the type of motel where you only stay when everything else is booked solid.

-- aem sends...

On 3/15/2009 10:28 AM snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com spake thus:

Like the punch line to the old joke goes, I used to have a truck like that too.

A local place that sells old plumbing fixtures and such (the Sink Factory in Berkeley, fantastic place) has a tub one of my clients might want. I asked how much it was and the owner told me "a buck a pound--$350" (this was for a 5'6" tub).

Did mine that way. Really not bad if you have a dolly to truck it out on or a helper. I used an appliance dolly and wheeled it out like a fridge. Don't think a sledge hammer route will get you anything but sore arms.

I bought a new cast iron tub at Home Depot a few months ago. They are in stock, $329.

The hammer will allow you to break it into carryable chunks in a few minutes. No big deal.

Remove the windows and cut enought studs to make it wider, then you can replace them or put in a nice larger window.

Hmm- the big-boxes around here don't carry ANY iron tubs, just plastic or that thick faux-cast stuff that feels less flimsy than a typical plastic tub. When I looked online last year, Real Iron tubs from the major brands started several hundred higher than that.

(checks Lowes website)

Well, I guess my search params were too tight last time. I did find a couple entry-level ones in the mid-300s. But only a couple. Most were anywhere from several hundred higher to several thousand for the 'designer' tubs.

I still the old ones are worth salvaging, if they are in good shape, just on principle.

-- aem sends...