Christmas came early for us this year. Tub Guy came through, big time. I’ll admit, I had my doubts… the ever-changing timeline made me wonder just how professional this guy really was. But, once again proving that any time spent worrying is wasted, the tub was finished today and looks truly amazing…. like brand new.

Here it is resting on the kitchen floor, being marveled at:

So shiny and beautiful! Compare that to the “before”:

We had the restorer smooth out the exterior and fill the old fixture holes (our faucet will be raised above the tub); it cost a little bit extra, but it was definitely worth it. The old exterior, like any original cast iron tub, had a very rough and bumpy surface and that unevenness would be more noticeable with the shiny enamel.
The tub is 5 feet long, and very heavy. Getting it from the truck to the upstairs bathroom was no small task. Luckily, Teague’s incredibly strong friend Garrett came by to help out. All I had to do was take photos! They hulked this giant thing up the stairs without ever stopping to rest. At one point, as they reached the top of the stairs, Garrett was using his super-human strength to hold the back edge above his head. That’s when I had to close my eyes; I was afraid he’d be crushed beneath the tub. And then who’d help us move our heavy stuff?

Here’s one of Teague and Garrett carting it up – ignore the not-quite-finished walls and instead focus on the lovely shiny white finish:

If you zoom in closer, you’ll see Teague has his “holy shit, this thing is heavy and might drop at any moment” face on:

The feet came out great as well. I had wanted chrome feet, until I heard the pricetag. It would have been $200-$250 extra for metal plating, so we went with white instead. They were originally very beat up, with rust and flaking paint – and now they look great!

If you’re local and looking to get a tub refinished,  I can now officially vouch for Ed Shampine, of Shampine Auto Body in Cicero NY. He did a great job, and it was well worth the wait. If anyone out there knows Ed, give him a hug for me – this tub made my year.
And thanks again to our friends Ann and Mike, who were incredibly generous to give us their tub. You guys can come soak in it any time you want! ;)