After the bathroom was saved from sinking into the crawl space and was put back together, I replaced the chair railing, baseboard and much of the bead board. I used pine bead board to match what was already in the room. I took more work because of the knotholes, but it has more character than MDF. I painted the room the same beige as some of the other rooms in the house and painted the trim white. I ordered a cast iron claw-foot tub from California and had it installed. I chose chrome feet and fixtures because according to a Victorian-plumbing expert, brass was not used much until the 1930’s and after. Besides, brass is harder to maintain. I chose a new tub over an old one that would have had to be refinished because my plumbing expert said the original finish of a tub is fired at a much higher temperature than a refinish is and the finish would last longer. Sometimes finish on a reconditioned tub can sliver. I ordered the tub and fixtures through a plumbing store that gave me free shipping. They loaded it into my pickup and away I went. It took a couple of burly men to get the crate out of my truck when I got home. Cast iron is heavy, but is so nicer than man-made material.I did not like how the shower curtain hung down blocking the view of the rest of the room, so I bought cafe curtain tie backs, painted them white to pull the shower curtain back against the wall when not in use.
I found a ceramic shelf to install on the wall at the front of the tub for shampoo and other items. I bought a soap rack on EBAY for a fraction of the cost of the same item at a bath store. I also repaired the window ledge and installed a plantation blind.
Ahh - now candles, scented bubbles and a hot bath in a claw foot tub. Luxury at last!
