10 Times When Painting a Claw-Foot Tub Refreshed a Bathroom
See how designers and homeowners use colorful paint to give tubs and bathrooms a fresh look
If your claw-foot tub has seen better days or its look doesn’t mesh with your new bathroom design plan, a coat of paint might be just what it needs. If you don’t already have a claw-foot tub, you can find one — new or old — and then paint it. Take a look at these 10 painted claw-foot tubs for inspiration and tips.
2. Playful Pink
The pink tub is the standout piece in this bathroom for two young sisters. To complement the bold color, the design team at Eleven Interiors added splashes of yellow, orange and pink throughout the space. The back wall has a light pink hue, the shower has patterned tile, and each girl has her own colored mirror.
Tub paint: Paradise Pink, Benjamin Moore
When to Use Pink in the Bath
The pink tub is the standout piece in this bathroom for two young sisters. To complement the bold color, the design team at Eleven Interiors added splashes of yellow, orange and pink throughout the space. The back wall has a light pink hue, the shower has patterned tile, and each girl has her own colored mirror.
Tub paint: Paradise Pink, Benjamin Moore
When to Use Pink in the Bath
3. Earthy Green
Interior designer Karen Goodman sealed the deal for these homeowners by adding a green claw-foot tub. She purchased it from Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and then refinished it.
The tub’s interior was in great shape, Goodman says, but the outside needed sprucing up. She sanded the exterior and gave it a fresh coat of green paint.
Tub paint: Moss Green spray paint, Rust-Oleum
Read more about this bathroom
Interior designer Karen Goodman sealed the deal for these homeowners by adding a green claw-foot tub. She purchased it from Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and then refinished it.
The tub’s interior was in great shape, Goodman says, but the outside needed sprucing up. She sanded the exterior and gave it a fresh coat of green paint.
Tub paint: Moss Green spray paint, Rust-Oleum
Read more about this bathroom
4. Deep Blue
The color coordination continues in this Vermont bathroom by Centerline Architects. An antique claw-foot tub was refinished and painted a deep blue to match the ceiling.
Tub paint: Indigo, Sherwin-Williams
Browse claw-foot tubs on Houzz
The color coordination continues in this Vermont bathroom by Centerline Architects. An antique claw-foot tub was refinished and painted a deep blue to match the ceiling.
Tub paint: Indigo, Sherwin-Williams
Browse claw-foot tubs on Houzz
5. Golden Glow
The cast-iron tub is the star of this London master bath as well. The owners of the Victorian townhouse wanted a classic yet contemporary design. The tub was left unlacquered and unpolished, allowing it to age naturally. With time, it will acquire a unique patina and rich, golden color.
The cast-iron tub is the star of this London master bath as well. The owners of the Victorian townhouse wanted a classic yet contemporary design. The tub was left unlacquered and unpolished, allowing it to age naturally. With time, it will acquire a unique patina and rich, golden color.
6. Yellow Green
The homeowners already had this claw-foot tub, so they decided to make the most of it and update its look.
They refinished it in a bright green that they also used in the nearby kitchen. Then they picked a wallpaper that had touches of the same shade. These choices helped create cohesion between the different rooms in the home.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
The homeowners already had this claw-foot tub, so they decided to make the most of it and update its look.
They refinished it in a bright green that they also used in the nearby kitchen. Then they picked a wallpaper that had touches of the same shade. These choices helped create cohesion between the different rooms in the home.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
7. Verdant Green
Homeowner Julie Balcom decided to move her family’s cast-iron claw-foot tub downstairs because it was more practical there. She also repainted its exterior.
She decided on the paint color after stumbling upon epoxy paint at her local home improvement store. She liked the dark shade of green and bought it. The newly refinished tub was paired with patterned tile and plants for a fresh look.
Read more about this 1976 fixer-upper
Homeowner Julie Balcom decided to move her family’s cast-iron claw-foot tub downstairs because it was more practical there. She also repainted its exterior.
She decided on the paint color after stumbling upon epoxy paint at her local home improvement store. She liked the dark shade of green and bought it. The newly refinished tub was paired with patterned tile and plants for a fresh look.
Read more about this 1976 fixer-upper
8. A Copper Keeper
A North Carolina homeowner turned her tub into a vintage beauty with a DIY project. Here’s how she achieved this vintage copper look:
First, she painted the outside of the tub black. She then sponged copper metallic paint over the black. (It can sometimes take more than one coat.)
To create the vintage look, she added a few verdigris highlights.
Next, she wiped on a layer of antiquing craft paint. She recommends that you reapply the copper, verdigris or glaze as needed to get the desired look.
She didn’t add a sealant over the outside because she liked the dull look, but she says you could add one, especially if you want a glossy finish.
Tip: Allow several days to complete this project as each coat of paint will need time to dry thoroughly. The homeowner recommends letting each layer of paint dry for at least a day before applying another.
A North Carolina homeowner turned her tub into a vintage beauty with a DIY project. Here’s how she achieved this vintage copper look:
First, she painted the outside of the tub black. She then sponged copper metallic paint over the black. (It can sometimes take more than one coat.)
To create the vintage look, she added a few verdigris highlights.
Next, she wiped on a layer of antiquing craft paint. She recommends that you reapply the copper, verdigris or glaze as needed to get the desired look.
She didn’t add a sealant over the outside because she liked the dull look, but she says you could add one, especially if you want a glossy finish.
Tip: Allow several days to complete this project as each coat of paint will need time to dry thoroughly. The homeowner recommends letting each layer of paint dry for at least a day before applying another.
9. Black Beauty
The painted claw-foot tub and graphic wallpaper make a big impact in this 38-square-foot powder room.
The homeowners previously had the tub in their upstairs bathroom, but during a home renovation, they decided to move it downstairs to make room for a walk-in shower upstairs.
Read more about this bathroom
The painted claw-foot tub and graphic wallpaper make a big impact in this 38-square-foot powder room.
The homeowners previously had the tub in their upstairs bathroom, but during a home renovation, they decided to move it downstairs to make room for a walk-in shower upstairs.
Read more about this bathroom
10. Light Green
Homeowner Connie Atkinson bought her claw-foot bathtub at a resale shop seven years before she was able to use it. When Atkinson converted her canning porch into a new bathroom, she finally had a home for the tub.
“The inside was in good shape,” Atkinson says. “The outside had some rust, so I flipped it over, used steel wool and sanded it, then used a primer for rust prevention. I painted two coats on the body with a color I mixed, and spray-painted the claw feet black.”
Atkinson, pictured with grandsons Walker and Charlie, also restored a cast-iron sink and barn door as part of her farmhouse-style bathroom renovation.
Read more about this bathroom
Your turn: Would you paint your tub? If so, tell us what color in the Comments. And if you already have painted your tub, share a photo!
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Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Add Color to Your Tub
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Homeowner Connie Atkinson bought her claw-foot bathtub at a resale shop seven years before she was able to use it. When Atkinson converted her canning porch into a new bathroom, she finally had a home for the tub.
“The inside was in good shape,” Atkinson says. “The outside had some rust, so I flipped it over, used steel wool and sanded it, then used a primer for rust prevention. I painted two coats on the body with a color I mixed, and spray-painted the claw feet black.”
Atkinson, pictured with grandsons Walker and Charlie, also restored a cast-iron sink and barn door as part of her farmhouse-style bathroom renovation.
Read more about this bathroom
Your turn: Would you paint your tub? If so, tell us what color in the Comments. And if you already have painted your tub, share a photo!
More on Houzz
Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Add Color to Your Tub
Find a professional to help with your next bathroom project
Browse bathroom products
These London homeowners wanted the focal point of their bathroom to be a freestanding bathtub, and interior designer Clare Gaskin found them a claw-foot version, then painted it.
The space’s color palette and graphic wallpaper inspired the blue finish on the tub. “We loved the fact that it could be painted in the same blue used in the dressing room and bedroom,” Gaskin says.
Tub paint: Drawing Room Blue, Farrow & Ball
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