Cast Iron Tub

Heyseed · May 1, 2018

I am replacing a cast iron tub to build a walk in shower. There is no way to get it out whole. I know they can be broken up and that is my plan. Any tips or advice about best way to do it?
I know the basic gloves, face shield etc. just want to hear if there are creative ways to make it easier/less messy/less dangerous. I did one years ago, but it was so long ago I don't remember how it went.
Thanks Heyseed

pcsaw · May 1, 2018

I made one into a couch with a metal blade on a concrete saw for a lady once cuts pretty easy

Keith True · May 1, 2018

The old claw foot tubs were made of a thicker,more brittle cast.Modern ones,I'm guessing 50's and up are much thinner and harder to break.Hit them with a sledge and they bend.Also,the hammer will bounce like you hit a rubber ball.The glass shards are something that can be impossible to get rid of.They can drive into woodwork like little bullets.The best luck I've had taking tubs down to size is a saw.You might need a big fan running to take the exhaust out a window,but you only need to deal with the powder coming off the blade.What kind of tub is it that can't be stood on end,strapped to a dolly,and taken out through a doorway?

P I Pete · May 1, 2018

I got mine out in one piece, tipped it on end and put on a rug and dragged it to door. Went pretty well.

Pete

pete black · May 1, 2018

In the 80's I replaced a green enameled cast iron tub that was installed in 75. Asked a plumber how to remove it; his reply, hit it with a sledge hammer at the lower part of center of tub and it will break. Placed an old blanket over it, one good hit and it broke into 3 pieces. Easily removed.

Pops1532 · May 1, 2018

Of the 130+ cast iron tubs I've removed I've broken two of them.
Remove the plaster above and just in front of the tub. Disconnect the drain and overflow. Stand it up on the end with the drain. You might have to pull/pry it forward so the skirt will clear the framing. One person can do it without much trouble. Piece of cake for two people.

Rich'sToys · May 1, 2018

(quoted from post at 07:36:40 05/01/18) What kind of tub is it that can't be stood on end,strapped to a dolly,and taken out through a doorway?

Good point. They're only 5 ft. long and a door is 6'-8".

rustyfarmall · May 1, 2018

Somebody was able to get the tub IN there in one piece. HAS to be a way to get it OUT.

Badger bob · May 1, 2018

I smashed ours. and through it out the window and it slid down the roof and landed in the flowers. and that was the end if that! Bob

RedMF40 · May 1, 2018

I agree with the poster who said the older tubs would break up with some blows from a heavy maul. I tried this approach with my tub from maybe the 1950s or so and only succeeded in making a god-awful racket to raise the dead and a tub with a big dent in it. I hired a couple guys to carry it downstairs and out of the house. I'd done all the demo work to free it up, just needed to move it.

gmccool · May 1, 2018

Take the drywall off around it. Slide it out until you can stand it on end. Put it on a two wheeler & take it out the door.

whereswaldo · May 1, 2018

Are you sure it was cast iron? Reason I ask is most 'builders' tubs were made of steel and I never had a cast iron tub dent. A steel tub has no value other than scrap. Cast iron, no chips does have value.

Heyseed · May 1, 2018

you guys never disappoint. I work by myself 99% of the time. I lift, carry, stand and install way too many things to the point where people think I'm crazy. This tub is on the second floor of a very old house that has been remodeled. The place is immaculate and has a narrow winding staircase. I have looked at ways to remove it whole and none of them are good. I ask how to fly and get lots of answers telling me how to walk.
This tub is coming out in pieces.
Thanks for all the answers.

Elton Fancher · May 1, 2018

I have broken up two to remove them. For some it may be possible to remove another way, but often tub is installed on back wall and plaster, drywall or what have you is the placed against it, meaning you have to disassemble your wall, along with the bath sink and possibly the throne. Making removal of a 300 lb object a bit of work. If it is cast steel it will finally break, often into small pieces. You can then buy the tub and 3 piece stall combination and it is light and maneuverable enough to reinstall. Nothing easy about it though.

dhermesc · May 1, 2018

If its cast iron throw a heavy blanket over it and hit with a sledge hammer. The porcelain will crack off and fly everywhere (your face, the behind the toilet, into the hall, etc...) when you hit it. Its like having a bunch of glass fly around. Cast iron tubs don't dent - they break. Steel tubs will dent and weigh about half or less than a cast iron tub of the same size.

shaun wallace · May 1, 2018

In my area them cast tubs with claw feet or pedastel are worth big money. Have couple outfits that restores them.

Olliejunkie · May 1, 2018

(quoted from post at 07:40:00 05/01/18) you guys never disappoint. I work by myself 99% of the time. I lift, carry, stand and install way too many things to the point where people think I'm crazy. This tub is on the second floor of a very old house that has been remodeled. The place is immaculate and has a narrow winding staircase. I have looked at ways to remove it whole and none of them are good. I ask how to fly and get lots of answers telling me how to walk.
This tub is coming out in pieces.
Thanks for all the answers.

I know what you mean. Sometimes get answers for everything but what you asked.

Crazy Horse · May 1, 2018

Well, that's probably easier than turning a couch into a bathtub. Not sure I would want either one in my living room to be honest.

dhermesc · May 1, 2018

Probably put in before the doors and finish work. I know the one in the old house I used to own would not fit through the door or down the stairwell. It was big ugly thing (not a claw foot) from the late 1920s that had a lot of the porcelain lifting from the cast iron. I think someone along the line started a fire in it. Broke it in pieces and carried it out without regretting it for a second.

The fiberglass shower unit in my current home won't fit through the bathroom door even if I did remove the jam. If they hadn't used such a cheap pos I wouldn't worry about it but the fiberglass has developed cracks. I like the idea of it being one piece so there is no chance of a leak but the replacement is probably going to be 4 pieces.

Pops1532 · May 1, 2018

(quoted from post at 14:40:00 05/01/18) you guys never disappoint. I work by myself 99% of the time. I lift, carry, stand and install way too many things to the point where people think I'm crazy. This tub is on the second floor of a very old house that has been remodeled. The place is immaculate and has a narrow winding staircase. I have looked at ways to remove it whole and none of them are good. I ask how to fly and get lots of answers telling me how to walk.
This tub is coming out in pieces.
Thanks for all the answers.

If you're dead set on breaking it, pull it out away from the wall, then break it. That way you won't be as likely to crack plaster or pop drywall nails on the other side of the wall and ceiling below.

The other problem with breaking them is the porcelain (glass) shards flying. Wear eye protection, long sleeves and gloves.

Stephen Newell · May 1, 2018

When the house was built and there was nothing there but 2x4 framing the tub was installed. Then it was sheetrocked around it so it is thoroughly built in. The cast iron should cut easily. You might use a sawzall with a metal cutting blade and make two cuts removing about a foot or so of the middle of the tub. Then what is left you might have to cut about an inch of rock above the tub but the pieces should slide out.

farmerjohn · May 1, 2018

......and hearing protection.

Mark - IN. · May 1, 2018

I once lived with a girlfriend and we bought a house together that we sold long ago after breaking up. She inherited a cast iron tub that stood on clawed feet. I plumbed and installed it in our bedroom for entertainment. From my perspective a TV should never be allowed in a couple's bedroom because once one does...entertainment ends. So, for entertainment I installed her bathtub in our bedroom. Watching her bathe before bedtime was 40 billion times better than anything on TV. When her father happened to see it and asked what for and why, I couldn't tell him. She told her mother and sisters and her mother told her father whom didn't particularly like the idea, but hey we were living together. As we were splitting up, I removed it for her to move and keep elsewhere before we put the house up for sale. It was her tub and served its purpose and we simply went our own way. I hope that she still enjoys it as much as I did.

My advice to you is...if you're married and plan to be for a while, get the TV out of the bedroom and move the tub...

Mark

george md · May 1, 2018

The pieces of a cast iron tub are great to make sections for an exhaust manifold

that is no longer available . Remove porcilin , cut to size and shape , oxy/acet

weld and grind smooth . Done correctly it is very had to see the repair . Done many.

george

2x4 · May 2, 2018

is it a claw foot? the feet are removable & worth money. Plenty of tubs around but mostly the feet have been lost over time.

Heyseed · May 2, 2018

I never said it was a Claw Foot tub, those things are worth a lot of money even in bad shape.

Heyseed · May 2, 2018

you ever seen a ship in a bottle?

Cast Iron Tub

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