Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bathtub

How do I get comfortable in this tub?

gfrobe — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:49:47 -0800

The bathtub in our new apartment has really straight sides making it impossible to recline. How do I make it more comfortable ? I guess what I'm looking for is some type of reclining backrest but don't really want a pillow type solution. Is there anything available like this? I'm not having much luck with google.

Tub Refinishing Cannot Be Worse Than Replacement. Can It?

Medieval Maven — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:15:50 -0800

So I've read the previous questions on bath tub refinishing, the most recent of which, according to what I found, was two years ago. We have a fiberglass tub/enclosure that was put in when the house was framed 24 years ago. It's showing its age. I do NOT want to refinish this thing myself, and removing the fiberglass tub/enclosure in the master bathroom, and replacing it, while worthwhile, was a nightmare. I just want to have this tub refinished to a bright white that will be a durable solution. My mother has suggested we look at Re-Bath, but I'm skeptical. So, questions here are two fold:

1) have you had your fiberglass tub refinished professionally, and were you happy with the results? What did it run you?

2) have you used this "Rebath" service? How were the results? Worth it?

BONUS: If you are in the Atlanta area, can you recommend someone to do this work? TYIA.

Permit for bathroom tiling?

ClaudiaCenter — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:58:15 -0800

Permit needed to tile a bathtub in San Francisco? A friend of mine is tiling my bathtub in San Francisco. No changes to plumbing. Does this require a permit?

Meet our bathroom: the money pit.

siclik — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:57:24 -0800

Troubleshooting a weekend bathroom remodel: sealing a freshly painted tub and removing stains from said paint. Let me start off by saying I did research refinishing our tub and saw in most mefi posts that it was best left to a professional. We are renting this place, and weren't willing to spend the $300+ for a professional to come out and do it (especially considering that they won't guarantee their work to be any more durable than if we did it ourselves). So, this weekend we dove in and refinished it ourselves.

1.) The tub was just painted yesterday, and now needs a nice thick coat (or many many coats) of a waterproof sealer of sorts to prevent chipping and protect our beautiful paint job. After a lot of googling, I found an industrial strength epoxy primer/sealer and high traffic clear coat for submersible applications. We're willing to let this cure for 3-4 months if needed and will apply as many coats as needed. In your opinion, is this a safe and durable solution? If so, how many coats should we apply of each. If not, might you have another recommendation?

2.) We foolishly spray painted the tub (rather than using a brush). The valuable lesson we learned this weekend: when spray painting, fine particles of paint travel long distances and stick to everything! We spent more time cleaning up spray paint "dust" from the walls, ceilings, and counters than anything else. We used lacquer to clean up our faux marble countertops and it worked really well except in a few spots. It's almost as if the lacquer sealed it into the coutertop and now nothing will remove it. Your thoughts on how to remedy this?

When is it time to call the experts with a tub drain clog?

jessamyn — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:52:31 -0800

Drain snakers, how much longer should I mess with this bathtub drain before I call a plumber? I have an old slow-draining bathtub. When I take a shower lately, I wind up standing in water. This has gotten worse over time, and I also recently got a new showerhead which may have highlighted the problem by using more water. Nothing else in my house drains slowly.

What I have tried

- removing the trip lever -- I seem to have this version but with no stopper -- and pulling out a big chunk of gross hair. I've been snaking through that hole, not through the drain.
- Drano-type drain cleaner, no effect that I noticed
- boiling water, ditto

I borrowed a manual drain snake, basically like this one, and have been sort of flailing around with it. I've pulled up a little hair but mostly this vile smelling black ick that makes me feel like I'm probing the depths of the X-Files. The snake goes about three feet down and then seems to stop and rattle, which makes me wonder a little (like where is the missing arm to my stopper assembly for example, or could I have a drum trap?). I've read this thread and especially this comment in preparation.

I live someplace where it's snowy winter so it's possible my roof vent is blocked, but I wouldn't be able to tell that on my own. I'm sure my landlady will call a plumber if I ask her to, I'd just like to make sure I'm not able to fix this myself. So my specific question is: at the point at which I seem to go no further with the drain snake AND don't seem to be hitting a clog of any sort [turning the augur part doesn't bring up any more hair or other scuzz] is that the time to call the plumber, or is there something I haven't tried yet? Thanks for any advice or help.

Can't close my bathtub drain.

foxinthesnow — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:37:39 -0800

I am really dumb, and I cannot figure out how to get the stopper back into my bathtub. I live in a new apartment, and I am not used to this style of bathtub stopper. It looks just like this. I pulled it straight out, but when I go to put it back, it doesn't seem to lock on to anything, and I can't get it to sit flat. Is there some trick to these? Feel free to describe it to me as though I were a three-year-old child because I think that is the only way I will understand! Thank you.

Something is rotten in my state (not Denmark).

Unicorn on the cob — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:43:43 -0800

Last Wednesday I was assaulted by a foul smell in my front (guest) bathroom. I have been trying to pinpoint the cause for several days. I'm about to go out of town and need advice on what to do, especially since I'm extremely broke and have tried all the usual methods of attack. Details inside... Thursday I noticed there was a bit of a poo smell going on in the front bathroom. Often, it takes two flushes, and I assumed the toilet was clogged. I plunged, cleaned, plunged, etc. and then lit a candle. I never use those drop-in toilet cleaners.

Friday the smell was WORSE. It smelled like sewage. I did my due diligence; I read up as to what the various causes may be and bought every cleaner imaginable. I opened up the drains and did the vinegar/baking soda clean on all of them.

Saturday, the smell was better... I followed it along the ground until I realized it was emanating from the bathtub drain.

Once again, removed all fittings possible, dumped some special drain cleaner (a green product specifically for drains, no lye, no bleach) down the hole, several pots of boiling water, etc.

Went around and checked every other spot in the house; there is no smell except in the front bathroom. Ran water in every sink, tub, shower, etc. to ensure there were no dry traps.

The smell has now dwindled from a sewer-gas smell to simply a musty, sort of unpleasant dust-like odor. Stale, but not poo-ish or sewer-gassy. (To contrast, when I came home on Friday, when I opened the front door I SMELLED SEWER. FROM SEVERAL FEET AWAY, WITH THE DOOR TO THE BATHROOM CLOSED.)

My house was built in 2003. The drain is at floor level and the tub/shower are completely surrounded by stone and concrete. I have crawled, literally, with my nose shoved along the edge of the toilet, sink, wall, everywhere in that bathroom and it is coming up out of the drain. As of right now it smells musty and vinegar-y just a bit from all the treatments I've done. The smell is now confined to just the bathroom and is severely diminished.

I have no idea where the pipe is that goes to the roof. There is nothing under my house, it's on a concrete slab foundation. There are no signs of dampness or leaks anywhere in the walls, around the tub, around the toilet, around the sink, etc.

The shower liner is immaculate. I opened the closet door that shares the wall with the tub/shower. The inside of the closet is dry, smells pleasant, no dampness. I took a knife and pried up a bit of the carpet that runs along the wall that is shared with the drain... no dampness, nothing. Even shoved my fingers up under the wall right now where I'd pried the carpet; I feel/smell nothing. Flashlight showed everything is white and normal-looking just opposite the smell.

What I'm asking is... did an animal possibly get trapped somewhere and die? If so, can I just leave and come back assured that the smell will probably be gone? I'm in Texas and the temps are expected between 40-77F over the next week.

I really don't think it's mold. I am extremely sensitive to such things and take daily medication for allergies, and have yet to sneeze or itch at all, even with my nose shoved into the drain.

At this point were I not about to leave for 3-4 days and severely broke, I'd probably just call a plumber. My trip is non-refundable and was paid for in advance, so I can't change plans and use the money for a plumber. Also, I'm concerned that I'll call somebody and they will either tell me 1. I have something terrible going on and they have to tear the wall apart and the bill will be several thousand dollars, which I cannot pay or be here to supervise, or 2. it's nothing, a mouse died somewhere, I'll have to wait it out (plus pay $150 for a house call at a weird hour that resulted in nothing).

What say you, MeFi homeowners? What would you do?

What happened to my tub?

messylissa — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:16:53 -0800

What did the mildew remover leave in my tub? I recently sprayed Lysol Mildew Remover on the bottom perimeter of my shower curtain and left it over night. When I woke up in the morning, the remover appeared to have ran off the curtain to the middle of the tub where it left this giant rust-colored stain. Bleach spray isn't cleaning it, nor is more of the Mildew Remover. What in the world is it and (more importantly) how do I do to clean this up? I'm a renter and would like to retain my damage deposit when I move in a month.

I need to borrow a clawfoot-style bathtub and the space it is in to shoot some photos of somebody in it.

bitterkitten — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:32:41 -0800

AustinArtistsFilter: Anybody got a big clawfoot bathtub and/or space it's in I could use to shoot some pix? There will be a person in said tub with some food items, it's for a collaborative project I'm working on with a painter.

If not, any idea on the easiest way to get this to come about? I can't imagine hauling a big-ass bathtub around is easy to do (like say, getting a tub and putting it somewhere for the photo shoot).

I know I could just shoot in somebody's nice bathroom, but I would like to be able to have some space to move around the tub, and not have to photoshop out walls smack behind it later, either, if I can swing it.

How do hotels keep their shower curtains mildew-free?

smackfu — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:21:26 -0800

How do hotels keep their shower curtains mildew-free? Is it part of the daily cleaning regimen? Do they replace them often? Do they buy better ones?

I ask because I have an awful time with mildew on my shower curtain, and I assumed it was mainly because I don't have a bathroom window for light and ventilation. But hotel rooms don't either, and yet the hotels seem to have the problem solved (presumably because a mildewed shower curtain would be a deal-killer for most hotel guests.)

Form, yay! Function, boo!

ElmerFishpaw — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:40:22 -0800

Our new place has a Clawfoot bathtub and Im having trouble adjusting to the clawfoot-lifestyle. It looks pretty cool but Im finding that to be its only redeeming quality.

Do you have one? Where did you find a shower curtain wide enough for it? I cant seem to find a way to shower without soaking the bathroom floor.

How do you store your soap/bathy things? Do you know of a useful storage caddy that will work for this type of tub? Should I just get used to this thing being a pain in the neck?

Any tips/anecdotes are helpful. Thanks!

Assume that I don't want to make gin

mumkin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:53:36 -0800

Bathroom remodel question: does one really need a bathtub? I'm thinking of redoing our bathroom and am considering my options. While aesthetically I'm inclined to claw-footed double-ended enameled slipper tubs with outré Victorian hardware, they're pretty frivolously impractical. Indeed, having any bathtub at all seems pretty impractical, since both of us are shower people. The curved sides and narrow width of shower baths have always annoyed me, and I'd really just like to rip out our existing tub and replace it with a walk-in shower. We could probably squeeze a shower and a tub in, but it'd be tight, the size of the shower would suffer, and I'd rather just do without the tub.

Would this be a terrible design decision? Tubs seem like a relic of bygone bathing customs, but would I be shooting myself in the foot? Obviously there are bath-loving people who wouldn't want to buy my house if it lacked a tub, but are they a significant constituency? Is the ideal of a long, warm bubble-bath soak—even if it's something you never do—sufficient reason to build in an unused tub? Are there other reasons to have a tub? We don't have kids, but it's possible we might make one someday... do you need a conventional bathtub for children? What am I overlooking?

Bathtub modification help needed

Listener — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:33:55 -0800

Bathtub modification in cheap apartment Can't have a deep soak in the tub now because the landlord says the overflow drain in the side wall leaks into the downstairs apartment. So, I want to do a modification that can be removed when I go. I've had success in the past removing those nonslip flowers from an old tub with a razor tool for scraping paint off glass, so I'm thinking that if I epoxy a patch of something, not sure what, some plastic sheet of some kind, over the large 9-cm square metal drain cover, then I'll be able to get that off with said scraper later.

Does that seem reasonable? And what would be a good sheet material for covering. Or is there a better way? Some sort of box to epoxy over it? I already took the disgusting metal cover off and it doesn't look easy to cover the hole from within and I don't think epoxy will stick to that filth at all. I'm getting sick just thinking of that mess. Help! A relaxing *deep* bath is one of the few pleasures in this temporary one-year living situation.

Please help me clean the bathtub before my relatives find out and kill me.

naoko — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:32:22 -0800

How to remove dye (paper, not hair) from a bathtub? Ok, here's the incredibly stupid thing that I did:
1. I was sitting on the edge of a bathtub painting my toenails...and dropped the bottle and spilled polish all over the tub.
2. I tried to clean it up with nail polish remover...using some flower-print paper napkins (they were just the first thing I saw in the bathroom), and got the red dye from the flower print all over the tub (the nail polish came up, though).
2.5 I also dropped a ceramic tray and badly chipped it during this process, but I can't be bothered to care about that right now.
3. I tried cleaning up the dye with Clorox spray, which did not work AT ALL. Gaaaaah.

I am at the home of relatives who will hate me forever if they find out I ruined their fancy tub. Please help.

Where will I find tub?

arnicae — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:40:39 -0800

I love relaxing in a tub after a long day's work. Problem is, my apartment has only a shower! Can you help me find a tub-substitute (that doesn't involve going to icky public baths) please? Is there such thing as an inflatable bath-tub that is sized for an adult? I can't find any kiddy pools that would work and the only adult-sized inflatable bathtub is the EZ-Bathe, which costs well over three hundred bucks and is intended for patients who cannot move. Extra points if it includes an easy way to prevent me getting water all over the floor and is deeper than 10 inches. Thanks!

Not "Cats in Sinks" exactly, but close.

YoBananaBoy — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 11:59:30 -0800

I just caught my cat peeing in my shower. Should this be encouraged? Finally, I have a question worthy of the hive mind. Apparently, my cat has been doing this for some time. I hopped out of the shower, and I was drying off.
And Low and Behold - she hopped in the tub, and she peed right down the drain.

Number 2, as it were, is still making it in the litterbox, thank sweet baby Jesus.

She hasn't done it anywhere else in the apartment. Just the bathtub. The sane bathtub that I scrub weekly.

I'm caught betwixt and between "Good girl, I don't have to clean that up!" and "Um, would this freak out a person I brought over?"

Opine freely.

Help me find a Batman shower curtain...

joshjs — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:29:06 -0800

Help me find a Batman shower curtain... My roommate and I have wanted a Batman shower curtain for a few years now, and we've been keeping our eyes peeled, but to no avail.

The curtain, in our heads, would be solid black with the big black-and-yellow Batman logo in the middle.

Has anyone out there seen such a thing?

Making a Bathtub Shiny Again

mcstayinskool — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:38:27 -0800

What are your experiences with bathtub refinishing/reglazing? I have a porcelain bathtub that is dull and stained, and I'm thinking about having it reglazed/refinished/rewhatever to have it white and shiny again. I'm looking for input from people that have had this done and whether they were happy with the results.

Googling comes up with lots of information on this, but I'm finding everything is written by companies that provide the service, who obviously have a vested interest in convincing me it work and is worthwhile.

Fixing a screechy faucet?

Zonker — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 06:14:13 -0800

My bathtub/shower faucet has developed a loud, annoying screech when the temperature is above medium. How can this be fixed? I can't find a model number, but it appears to be a Delta model 635 or 636. Googling suggests that this problem can be solved by replacing a gasket, but I don't immediately see which part of the faucet should be replaced. The Maintenance and Installation Guide doesn't seem to cover this problem either. Any suggestions for what needs to be done?

Also, is this a suitable DIY project (I'm reasonably handy and have a decent set of tools, but haven't worked on plumbing before, just electronics and occasionally my car) or do I need to call in a pro?

Help me fix my bathtub while managing a disagreeable downstairs neighbour

acoutu — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 15:30:28 -0800

What can you do if you live in a concrete building and need emergency access to your bathtub connection but have a neighbour who blocks access? The tub in my condo was in very rough shape when I moved in last year. My condo's bathtub was in rough shape when I moved in. Bare metal showed through, in big patches. I think someone tried to remedy the situation in this thread using some sort of harsh chemical. We had planned to replace the tub, but two plumbers have said that they can't be sure that they can get a perfect fit to the drain. If they can't make a perfect connection, then they'd need to go to the suite below us and make a connection through the ceiling, since we are in a concrete building and the drain is below the floor of my suite. However, the downstairs neighbour ignored written requests for us to have this "just in case" access. (We did offer to pay all costs.) The strata manager says that the poor fellow suffers from extreme paranoia, including delusions that people randomly enter and ransack his suite. (Having heard the fellow at the strata AGM, we know this is true.) It's extremely unlikely that the downstairs neighbour would allow our plumber to fix the connection, if there was a problem.

Is there anything we can do? We'd keep the existing tub, but it's in rough shape. The tub drain and overflow (screw only) appear to be rusting. If we remove them, we're not sure there will be anything stable to connect them to. Do we have any legal rights regarding protection of the integrity of our suite? (ie. We really need to replace the tub or at least fix the drains, because it could cause flooding. If we don't connect properly, our suite and the downstairs suite could flood.) I live in British Columbia, if that helps.

Can I hand wash my clothes in the bathtub?

nitsuj — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 08:52:43 -0800

Can I hand wash my clothes in the bathtub? I just moved into a new apartment with no washing machine/dryer. There are facilities on-site, but a wicked combination of being lazy AND cheap has got me thinking: can I hand wash my clothes in my bathtub?

More specifically, will standard liquid detergant (that you'd put in a washing machine) harm the surface or plumbing?

Is there any reason I shouldn't be doing this?

What's the best heavy-duty bathtub cleaner?

grumblebee — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 05:32:36 -0800

I have to use a disgusting bathtub. I refuse to use it without cleaning it first. But the task looks daunting. What's the best heavy-duty bathtub cleaner? I'd also be grateful for any cleaning tips.