How to Paint a Clawfoot Tub with Rainbow Stripes

Yesterday I told you all about how I was bored with my bathroom. Today I got started on painting the tub. I figured it’d be fun to rainbow it (is that how you say it?) And, my gosh, I love it! Before I gush too much, here’s how to paint a clawfoot tub with rainbow stripes. 

how to paint a clawfoot tub with rainbow stripes

SUPPLIES

Paint- 1. Beloved Pink, 2. Shy Smile, 3. Coral Fountain, 4. Lamplit, 5. Corn Stalk, 6. Frittata, 7. Sparkling Brook, 8. Green Aqua, 9. Mirador, 10. Tinted Ice, 11. Early September, and 12. Blue Chalk. I buy the sample jars in the Marquee line (highest quality) in an eggshell finish

Painters Tape

Laser Level

before

Here’s the tub before I started. Two years ago, I painted it pink. I LOVE the tub this color, but the whole new design of the space will work best with a colorful tub. When painting a cast iron tub, you can use chalk or latex or acrylic paint. It all will stick nicely with no prep besides a good cleaning.

step 1- get inspired and choose colors

image source

First of all, as a recap, here’s my inspiration. When I make something I’ve never seen before, I try to find a similar image that’ll give me an idea of how it’ll turn out. Try googling rainbow tub- it doesn’t really exist! But the above image helped me know I’d like vertical stripes more than horizontal stripes. 

Start by picking out the paints. I listed the exact ones I bought above. They’re similar colors to my rainbow stairs and fence. 

step 2- measure out stripe placement

Next measure the tub and divide it by the number of colors to be painted on the tub. My clawfoot tub is 52″ wide and I have 13 paint colors so that makes each color 4″ wide.

I used a measuring tape and marked 4″ sections and numbered each one.

Then I pulled out a bunch of paint brushes. It’s nice to not have to wash out brushes as you go, so I use as many brushes as I can find and then keep them under a wet rag while I work.

I also labeled each sample bottle of paint in the order that it’ll go up on the tub. These numbers coordinate with the numbers on the tub so I don’t accidentally paint the wrong color in the one of the spots. I’ve definitely done that before!

step 3-  tape on the stripes

And now, I pulled out my laser level and pointed it to line up with the pencil tick marks. Then I took painter’s tape and taped it on the line. I added tape so that I could paint every other stripe.

Here’s how the tub looked with the tape on.

step 4- paint

Finally, it’s time to paint! After all that prep, I was excited to see all the colors start going up! The first stripes are really fast to paint. A few colors, I had to do a few coats of paint.

Once those first colors are painted, I pulled off the tape and hand painted in the next stripes. I had to take my time and go slow, but by pulling the brush slowly down the side of the stripe, it went up pretty smoothly. it looked so good to have the colors painted in!

after

And here she is, my colorful striped tub! I love it. I really do! the top half of the wall needs a little something, so check back tomorrow for that. I love living in a white room with lots of colorful accents. Who says a tub can’t be considered the cutest accessory?!

The last thing I want to say is, if you’re like me and you are ready for a change in a room. It’s ok to update it. Your home should reflect you and your style. If that’s evolved, let the room grow with you. Holding onto the past never helped anyone. Moving on, especially with rooms, feels so good! Do you like the rainbow clawfoot tub?

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