cast iron tub

Just got contacted by a lady who had a cast iron tub. . It's on the second floor, carpet stairs.. never had to remove something this large before, any easy way to get it out? how do I go about doing this, might have a few buddies help

There's a person in my town who has one in their front yard. They plant flowers in it. Kinda cool. So yeah, more uses than just scrapping it.

Probably starting to sound repetitive, but these tubs are very heavy. If it is a built in tub and has no real value, definitely break it up with a sledge hammer. It will break easily into manageable pieces. If it is a vintage claw foot, well you might want to enlist two or three buddies. If she is having it replaced, it is usually the plumber's job to remove it and they would be responsible fro getting it downstairs. Of course, the customer's plan may be to save some money. So just be careful...

And that is why I stress using the sledge hammer. I have done it many times. The tub breaks up easily into pieces that can be handled by one sound person. The mess is limited to small shards of porcelain which do not travel far. Cover any sensitive surfaces to prevent scratches and place a drop cloth on the floor. Also, seal the drain opening so it does not get plugged up (even though it will already disconnected). Be sure to sweep up well. Oh yeah, and have fun...

We just removed one yesterday actually. This is one was a craigslist freebie so there was no charging a fee. Not a vintage clawfoot one, either, so it’s definitely a scrap piece.

We briefly considered the BFH method but I had never done that before so I wasn’t about to start wailing on it in this lady’s bathroom not knowing WTF we were doing. So, it was an elbow grease job. Luckily it was right out of the bathroom, down the stairs and to the truck backed up to the front door.

But this thing WAS a monster. The homeowner said she thought it was around 600 pounds and yes, it was heavy, but I didn't think it was quite that much. We were able to get it on its flat side (the one that faces out into the bathroom) and pretty much slide it down the stairs which were covered in the brown paper that gets put down during remodeling and whatnot. Then we end-over-ended it right into the truck.

So my $0.02 here - You WILL need at least one other strong person. Get a signature saying you are not responsible for any damages. We put a small scratch into the floor when the corner came down the stairs but she wasn’t concerned as they are redoing the floors anyway, but that’s not something I want to be liable for. Consider the BFH method if the homeowner will let you and it’s not a vintage resellable piece. I’m not sure how that would go, though. I tried taking a sledge to it when I got home and couldn’t break it up. Maybe I was doing it wrong? If you go that route, make sure it’ll actually work first and you don’t end up looking like a caveman trying to wail on a mammoth’s skull.

I agree, the true claw foot tubs are almost always worth saving. I got one for my 1896 Victorian house, and it was free, but... Had to be removed from a second-story apartment in town, then brought here and taken up to my second-story bathroom. I was dreading the thought, so I called my local moving/hauling guys. They did the whole job for $100, and I'm grateful to this day for them. Not even a nick in the wall, floors or woodwork.

Another person in my area was not so fortunate. A contractor crew was bringing in a claw foot tub for her old house bathroom remodel. Coming up the stairway, they lost the tub and put it through the original stained glass window in the stairway landing My house also has an original stained glass window in the landing, and I would not even want to imagine that happening! So yes, these things can be downright dangerous to move.

Any other cast iron tub that is not a clawfoot or "slipper tub"... Bust 'er up. That's what happened to the one that was formerly in my bathroom. It was an American Standard "alcove" tub dated 1951. I hated to see it get smashed and junked, but I couldn't imagine anyone wanting it. I see tubs like it all the time when I go to my yard with steel. Not many clawfoots on the iron pile, though. A lot of old-house remodels happen here, and the demo salvage companies get $300-500 for good clawfoot tubs. The junkyard owners know this, so the good clawfoots they get are spared from destruction.