Clawfoot Tub foot keeps coming off

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Clawfoot Tub foot keeps coming off

Daniel Robertson
Charlotte, NC · Member since 2014 · 4 posts · 1 vote

So I have a historic home in Salisbury, NC built in 1900. There is a beautiful clawfoot tub that is original to the house. However, the foot keeps coming off and the tenants don't use it for fear of it falling over while they are in it. Thank goodness that hasn't happened! It has come off and fallen over a couple times. 

When I first put it back on, I noticed that at some point someone had put some JB Weld on it or something similar with the intent of holding it in place. However, I think that was actually causing more problems due to how the feet are supposed to stay on the tub. I broke the JB Weld off and fixed it (or so I thought) the way the internet told me to. However I just learned that it had fallen off again and my tenants have just not been using it for the past 6 months. 

The tenants are great and I want them to have a great experience living in the house they are renting. I want them to have full use of all the appliances and fixtures of the house, I want to provide superior customer service and reward their loyalty, and mostly, I want them to stay for a long time and love their home. 

I'd like to get someone who knows what they are doing in there and get the tub fixed "right" but I don't know who does that kind of repair. The other alternative is to replace it with something modern that just sits on the floor. However, I am not a huge fan of doing that since 1) I would have to buy and install a new bathtub and 2) it wouldn't be original to the historic home. 

Thoughts?

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Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
7y

I’d replace it with something that doesn’t weigh 350 pounds and falls over . You can bust up pretty easy with a sledgehammer and make it manageable. They are just boat anchors . A decent modern tub is only around 250$ and weigh 75 pounds . I replace them when I can in upstairs units because when full of water and a human they weigh 6-700 pounds and sag the floor joists and droop a ceiling below

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  • Account Closed
    Specialist · Paradise Valley, AZ · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Daniel Robertson:

    So I have a historic home in Salisbury, NC built in 1900. There is a beautiful clawfoot tub that is original to the house. However, the foot keeps coming off and the tenants don't use it for fear of it falling over while they are in it. Thank goodness that hasn't happened! It has come off and fallen over a couple times. 

    When I first put it back on, I noticed that at some point someone had put some JB Weld on it or something similar with the intent of holding it in place. However, I think that was actually causing more problems due to how the feet are supposed to stay on the tub. I broke the JB Weld off and fixed it (or so I thought) the way the internet told me to. However I just learned that it had fallen off again and my tenants have just not been using it for the past 6 months. 

    The tenants are great and I want them to have a great experience living in the house they are renting. I want them to have full use of all the appliances and fixtures of the house, I want to provide superior customer service and reward their loyalty, and mostly, I want them to stay for a long time and love their home. 

    I'd like to get someone who knows what they are doing in there and get the tub fixed "right" but I don't know who does that kind of repair. The other alternative is to replace it with something modern that just sits on the floor. However, I am not a huge fan of doing that since 1) I would have to buy and install a new bathtub and 2) it wouldn't be original to the historic home. 

    Thoughts?

     Foot loose eh? "When you get the spirit you gotta dance". Your tub is simply feeling confined. Have you considered therapy for the tub or perhaps dance lessons?

    Usually there is a bolt to tighten or you can wedge a small piece of stainless steel or wood between the foot and the base of the tub where the gap is. Most likely the floor is uneven and the correct solution would be to level the floors. However, that is far too drastic to contemplate so I'd be inclined to put a porcelain coaster under the offending foot.

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  • Thomas S.
    Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    7y

    You can find a replacement claw foot tub at a salvage/recycle business for a few hundred dollars. Easier and cheeper than trying to have it repaired. Get a replacement and sell the old one.

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  • Dennis M.
    Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    7y

    I’d replace it with something that doesn’t weigh 350 pounds and falls over . You can bust up pretty easy with a sledgehammer and make it manageable. They are just boat anchors . A decent modern tub is only around 250$ and weigh 75 pounds . I replace them when I can in upstairs units because when full of water and a human they weigh 6-700 pounds and sag the floor joists and droop a ceiling below

    1Reply
  • Daniel Robertson
    OP
    Charlotte, NC · Member since 2014 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    7y

    @Account Closed I did tighten the bolt but the foot just came off again. BTW I also appreciate your clever reference. 

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