ClawFoot Bathtubs - Various Styles And Designs

The clawfoot bathtubs first appeared on the scene in 1883. Standard Manufacturing developed the technique of enameling cast iron products to make them good looking and to prevent iron from getting rusted. Such technological developments led to the manufacturing of claw foot bath tubs.

Most of us think only of this type of a bath tub that has rolled over rims. Now the company is called as American Standard Brands. Though it continues to be one of the major manufacturers of bathtubs, like any other smarty business house, it added a number of plumbing items to its manufacturing range. Technological developments and innovations by American Standard Manufacturing have made significant contributions to the developments of plumbing business as a whole. It is no exaggeration to mention that at least three of the five houses built in America have some or the other product of this company in the house.



Primarily there are four different types of claw foot shower curtains available, giving you a choice to chose from. First in the line is a classic claw foot shower curtain, which people think of in the first instance. Its design comprises of having one rounded end that enables the user in the bathtub to rest his or her back in the curved portion and continue to feel comfortable while the body gets thoroughly soaked. The other end where the feet would rest is rather squared and has faucets and drain.

The second design is a slipper tub. It is quite similar to classic model, but has an extended curved back thereby enabling the bather to have a head rest too.

Then there is a double ended and double slipper tub design. In this case the tub is provided with rounded ends on both the ends. So, one can use either end. Look at the facility of having a companion in the bath tub, each having an independent rounded end. As both the ends are rounded, you would be wondering where the provision for faucet holes is. Well, they are drilled along the side of the tub.

There is a very interesting feature to all the designs of a claw foot bath tub. You can have any of the designs without drilled in faucet holes! And, any of the designs can have faucet holes drilled on the rolled rim. Are you surprised? The reason goes back to the history of such tubs. When such tubs came into being, all houses did not have a supply of running water. Subsequently, when water supply was introduced, some houses would have it from the walls and others had it coming from the floor. That’s why all the tubs can still be fitted with whatever type of claw foot bathtub faucet one may need.



The wall mount fits the tubs with faucet holes drilled in the tubs. The deck mounted would fit the design of holes drilled in the rim, and makes the faucet appear as if sitting on the rolled over edge. The free standing will have water supply coming out of the floor whereas the bathroom wall mount permits water supply from out of the wall, but in certain situations it can also be used for the tub wall mount.

As a modern version with a look of the gone by era of traditional claw-foot tub, you may have one made of acrylic. The use of this material results to having lighter tubs that give a warmer touch than the old cast iron tubs. You can incorporate a whirlpool or an air jet to get that extra comfort. Another piece of technology will be to provide it with a remote control. Any bathtub, be it acrylic or cast iron can be upgraded to the level of a claw foot shower tub. You can achieve that by just adding a shower and a curtain rod that may be hung from the ceiling. The arrangement suffices to provide a stand up shower as and when you feel like having one.

Of course, such an arrangement would necessitate the inclusion of two or three normal shower curtains. The limitation of such an arrangement is that water or steam would leak out from the seams, thereby forming a pool of water on the floor, plus you continue to get in cool air thru the seams of such curtain. But, you may go for a claw foot shower curtain that is available in lengths much larger than a normal shower curtain, thus enabling you to enjoy shower without making a mess on the floor.