The Refinishing Process

Clawfoot Restorations

There is nothing like restoring a piece of the past. A gone by era returned to its former glory. Clawfoot bathtubs are one of the most sought after antique bathroom fixtures in the world. Everyday these treasures are found in salvage yards, horse pastures, or 100 year old homes.

The art is in the restoration of these beauties. The bathtub featured on the left, was found in a barn near the town of Livermore, California.

Our first job was to record the date stamp, and manufacturer information. This is located on the bottom belly of the bathtub. At over 250 lbs, flipping this bathtub was no easy task. This information is used to locate spare parts, or reproduction claw feet if needed. The owner also wanted to know some history about this bathtub.

This particular bathtub was in very good shape, compared to most you will find. A previous owner had applied latex paint to the exterior, which was peeling and had some badly rusted areas. We sanded the exterior smooth, and applied a semi-gloss high grade polyurethane finish. (The picture on the right is the finished bathtub)

The interior was in good shape, but was dull and had some pitting in the porcelain. We repaired the pitted areas, and sanded the interior smooth. A bonding agent was then applied and 6 coats of professional high-gloss polyurethane. The coatings that were used are specifically formulated for porcelain surfaces and cannot be purchase by the general public. The life expectancy of this coating is 15-25 years.

The ball & claw feet had been previously spray painted with a mat silver paint. We had them sand blasted, and chrome plated for an original era look. As you can see the results are beautiful.

As a professional refinisher, I highly recommend this type of restoration be handled by the pros.