How to Paint a Claw Foot Tub

I love our 1905 house, I really do, but there have some major issues with it. I like to think I’m a positive person so I’ve been focusing on the best aspects that the house offers. Like, say, the claw foot tub!

I use that tub all of the time and ADORE it! Its nice and deep and I know that I’ll love that tub even more in the chilly winter. Plus, who can resist the historic charm?!

what color?!

To kick off my bathroom renovation I decided to give the claw foot tub a paint job on the exterior. I wasn’t sure what color to paint it at first. See, the walls will be beadboard on bottom and wallpaper on top. The pattern on the wallpaper is quite busy, so I didn’t want to compete with it. Or do pink overload. (p.s. you can see the bathroom plans here)

It was between pink and gold- both of which I was excited about. I decided that pink would be more fun and less formal, plus its what I’d always dreamed of for that room. So I went for it! And as I was prepping to paint, guess what I found?! The tub used to be pink!

Around the edge before I painted, I could see some brush strokes from way back when. It felt like it was meant to be! I feel a kindred spirit for the lady who used to live her. She obviously loved pink too- maybe more than me! The exterior of the house was pink, as were many rooms, and even the floors! And now the tub. I think I’d like her 🙂

How about a tutorial?!

how to paint a claw foot tub

Supplies

step 1- prep

Prep your tub by giving it a good cleaning. Mine was covered in cobwebs in the back and dirty streaks in the front- gross! After I gave it a scrubbing, I put down drop cloths and taped off the tub legs.

step 2- paint

I jumped right in and gave the exterior of the tub its first coat of pink paint. I got great coverage! Right away, I knew it was the right color choice! This project was SO quick! It was less than 15 minutes for each coat! It just needed two coats.

step 3- wax the legs

The legs on the tub are amazing! But they were looking a little dull for my liking (they almost had a bronze/green tint to them). I wanted them full on gold, so I used gilding wax in warm gold. The second I put it on, it felt more alive and golden. I let it dry for 60 minutes and then gave it a nice buffing. The difference is subtle, but I love it!

step 4- finish coat

I thought the chalky finish was beautiful and almost didn’t do a top coat. But then I remembered a certain 3 year old who loves to splash. I didn’t want wet streaks down the tub that wouldn’t clean off (and maybe that wouldn’t have happened). But since I want the cute pink to last, I did a quick top coat with a clear satin finish.

after

And that’s it! I definitely kept it simple! I’ve seen bathrooms where wax was used on the tub to make it look aged. Or adding decoupage flowers to the tub (which is gorgeous!!!). I’ll wait until the bathroom is complete before adding anything. Though I do think I love the simple beauty of that tub!