Can someone help with the value of Cast Iron tub & sink?

10 years ago

Hi,
I am trying to help my mom sell some things before she moves. There is a cast iron tub and sink that has been in the barn for years. I have seen many cool projects on Pinterest using the same type items. I listed them both on Craig's list, but have not gotten a nibble. I guess they are overpriced. She desperately needs to make some money, but I don't want her to get ripped off either. Any help would be appreciated!!

1. Tub, no feet. Could be used as a cool Pinterest type planter, or maybe to hold water in a field.
http://bham.craigslist.org/atq/3670372679.html

2. Sink, Vintage/Antique. Could be used in garden to wash vegetables, or clean fish, or for a potting table or as a planter. Can be cleaned and revived or left funky
http://bham.craigslist.org/atq/3671058978.html

This post was edited by teresatree on Mon, Mar 11, 13 at 16:08

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Comments (8)

mfrog
10 years ago
As someone who buys pieces like this, I hate to tell you this, but I wouldn't bother with them. The tub has no feet, so as far as I'm concerned, no value. As for the sink, it could be interesting, but it's very big & you have no photos of the inside which is the important part. mfrog
jemdandy
10 years ago
The tub could serve as a watering trough for live stock. Plug the drain with a stopper that can be removed to facilitate cleaning. Make sure there is no leaded fitings or solder present.
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Donna, Um, every whirlpool I have ever heard of is also available just as as a soaking tub... If it's going to be your tub, go sit in the tubs (yes, the whirlpools! :)) and decide which one feels best. That was my criterion. Sit in them and then get your favorite one made as a soaking tub. (after checking step-in heights, since it will be used as a shower too) As I said, Maax Melodie and Palace felt the best by far to me, but everyone's different (I've heard the Palace is pretty popular with folks who can fit a 6' tub in). Also, if you can fit 6' in, try the Toto cast iron 6' tub. If after all that the Porcher Ardennes is the one that feels best, go with that. I'm sure they'd have a way to help you make an alcove situation for it. If the Neptune feels best, go with that (again, check the height wrt using it as a shower). So your assignment is to go to the stores in Chicago, step into the tubs, sit in them, and decide which one feels best entering and lounging in. Then report back :)
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I would not give it up at this point. Ask the plumber to get his wholesaler into it again - they likely have more pull than a single person buying a single tub. They were willing to replace the entire tub for him, at the very least they should be willing to do what they said they'd do before. I would question the wholesaler as to whether or not this tub was actually brand new and not a return. The first thing I thought of when you said there were spider cracks around the drain is that someone had overtightened the drain (my shower base manufacturer warned me that if you get a "gorilla" for a plumber this can sometimes happen). If you're sure your plumber didn't inflict the damage, I would suspect that the tub had been installed somewhere before. Alternately the tub could have been damaged somewhere in transit - again this should be an issue the wholesaler should be able to take up with their shipper. I'm half wondering if the wholesaler didn't even take it up with kohler but rather was going to do the swap for you just like that because it's easier. Ultimately you will decide how much effort you want to want to expend to get whoever is responsible to pay for the fix. It could be the wholesaler, it could be the shipper, it could be a manufacturing defect. Everyone is going to want to pass the buck on it too, but I'd keep after the plumber and wholesaler because I think it is more likely damage than a defect. At the same time you might want to tell Kohler that you want someone out there to SEE the defect (be careful not to say the word "damage") and actually make a determination about whether it is a defect or not - because surely they can't do that over the phone. Ask to speak to a supervisor if necessary. It sucks that you are dealing with this with your brand new tub though :(.
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OK, I know this thread is ancient but I just had to add my two cents worth for people who come along later as I did. The idea that cast iron retains heat longer than fiberglass or acrylic tub materials is simply a myth. Cast Iron, even with porcelain over it is a better CONDUCTOR of heat than any of the modern tub materials other than steel. Steel and cast iron will conduct heat at more or less the same rate with differences that would only matter in a lab. Cast Iron will transmit heat to the surrounding air and other materials faster than fiberglass or acrylic, which are both better insulators than cast iron. This is the exact opposite of retaining heat. Anybody who doubts this: Take a cast iron pan, fill it with hot water. Take a plastic pan of equal size and fill it with hot water of the same temperature. Put the pans side by side with a thermometer in them. Check them an hour later. I guarantee you the water in the cast iron pan has lost more heat and is colder because cast iron is much better able to radiate heat to the surrounding air than plastic. There is no way that any metal tub whether steel or cast iron is going to keep the water in it warmer than fiberglass or Acrylic will. Yes cast iron does radiate some of the heat from the water back to the bather above the water line, which some people like, but it does this because it's a better conductor of heat, not because it holds heat. The sole advantage of cast iron is, admittedly, much greater strength and if you want maximum strength steel is stronger still. I've demo'd multiple cast iron tubs into pieces with a sledge hammer. It shatters easily. Try that with steel.
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lazy_gardens
10 years ago
You need to use the right terms:

That is a double drainboard farmhouse sink

To sell it, you need to have pictures of the critical areas - CLEAN areas - such as the drain, top and bottom, and around the faucets. Rusting out there is impossible to fix and makes the piece worth far less.

Also check the procelain for cracks and chips.
mama goose_gw zn6OH
10 years ago
I have a clawfoot tub/fountain in my front yard, and a drainboard sink/potting bench in the back yard. They were free, and in about the same condition as yours appear to be.

For the same uses, $25 each is probably the most I would pay, if I didn't have to wade through mud to get them. Would you be able to find a couple of friends (or pay a couple of neighborhood teens $20) to drag them out of the barn?

Clean them up, take better pics (as lazygardens suggested), then ask for an offer. Another option would be to ask if you can post ads at plant nurseries or landscaping businesses in your area. Again, include better pics.

If you don't want to invest effort and time in cleaning them up, call a salvage yard--they probably have set prices for those items.
bulldinkie
10 years ago
A plumbing store near ushasthem laying in the back depending on condition 25.00
lovevintage
9 years ago
Mama, have you posted pics of your wonderful yard accents? I would love to see them. Thanks.
bspofford
9 years ago
In my neck of the woods (Maine) I have seen one of the tubs used as a niche, partially buried with the rounded end up, and a statue of Mary placed inside.

i had a friend that had one nicely refinished, one side cut out, and a plush velvet set of cushions inside and used as a realy low-slung loveseat.

Barbara
mama goose_gw zn6OH
9 years ago
lovevintage, I started another thread, with pics of my yard 'antiques'. You can also click on my username for SkyDrive albums of the flowers and yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: vintage garden junk

Can someone help with the value of Cast Iron tub & sink?

Comments (8)

mfrog

jemdandy

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