I was hoping someone would jump in and explain this in detail because I only know what I have read in catalogs. That shower head is similar to the sprayer faucet on your kitchen sink. It has a retractable hose. I have not used one before, but I imagine you would need to be careful to not spray or splash outside the tub. I am getting one installed in my tub for the main reason of rinsing the tub. I am thinking it will also be great for rinsing soap off myself after bathing. What I don't know is whether they normally have triggers like the kitchen sprayer or if they always spray when the changeover valve is turned.

I have put 2 claw foot tubs in my house. The first was from Vintage Tubs. It is cast iron and nice. I don't remember which tub exactly, and it has been a few years. My only complaint is the edges of the tub are not as nice as I would have liked. It is subtle, and I may be the only one that notices it. My most recent tub cost a little more, it is also cast iron. It is the Barclay tub and it is a little nicer than the first tub. All of the edges and paint is very nice. The first tub has a deck mount faucet set and the second has the fully freestanding mount. Be sure to decide which you want before you order, so you will or will not have the drilled holes.

Thanks guys!! Yes I don't know what to do which is why I posted here. I have zero exprience remodeling bathrooms and I don't know much about cost effectiveness. If cost wasn't a factor, I would hire a contractor to do all the work, rip out the tub, replumb, rebuild the surround and have a snazzy ceramic tile pattern done. I was wondering about the quality of a reglazing project. I can't take the tub out as is, the behemouth would have to make two turns and navigate over a bannister. They must have built the house around the tub, lol! I asked my neighbor who had his bathroom redone, and he said they broke his tub up to get it out. Another friend who redid his farmhouse bathroom said he broke his tub up with a sledgehammer. My neighbor said his remodeler used a blowtorch. It's not that I have ZERO household skills, but when we're talking sledgehammers and blowtorches . . . I might be able to get help getting the thing out, but then I would be left with the problem of filling in the hole. So far, I haven't found anyone who can reinstall a bathtub and surround for a reasonable cost. I absolutely cannot go over 4 K. Less would be better. So the reglazing or plastic insert seem like good ideas because they are not so invasive. With these old houses, you tear something out to solve one problem and uncover another, lol!! The tub is all grey and pitted at the bottom, and has lots of rust around the holes for the old fixtures. Looks really bad. But I'm most concerned about the plastic wall surround panels coming unglued and the caulk between the wall and the tub getting moldy. I bleach it almost every other week, but the fact that it molds up that fast has me worried. In their new house, my parents have a tub and surround all molded from one piece of plastic. It is very basic but easy to clean. I am worried about just "covering up" a problem which could harbor mold. I'll see about getting my friend to come by with his camera. He's coming by to take a look at the place but not until after he finishes a grad class he is taking, so it will be after next week. This friend is very handy and he's already remodeled one house and is in the middle of his second. He said he would help, but he does so much for me already, I am having a hard time thinking of a good swap for all of this! I already ply him with baked goods and jam!! He's married so his wife takes pretty good care of him. He's a former student of mine, so I did help in a lot back in the day, but the student has surpassed the master at this point!!

Just curious...how'd you come up with 31 sqft for tiling to the ceiling? For a typical tub surround: -poly sheeting: $10 -Half-inch thick Tile backer board, 4 sheets: $60 -Roll of mesh alkali-resistant tape: $7.50 -Tile: Name your price. Say $5 a foot for grins, for 60sqft it's $300. -One bag highly modified thinset $30 -One bag Grout $15 -Caulk $15 So materials, rounding way up, about $150 not counting the tile. Tools? -Stapler to staple up the poly sheet to the studs. -Utility knife and blades: You can score and cut the tile backer board like Hardiebacker with a utility knife. You can even cut holes with a utility knife, score the perimeter with the knife and pop out the center with a hammer. -Stapler to staple up the poly sheet to the studs. Hammer/nails: to nail up the backer board. You could use screws, but you'd need a drill with driver bit. To cut the tile: The box stores will do it for you on a per cut basis. I have no idea what they charge. For for basic tile you can use a score and snap cutter. They can be had for $25-$50. Or you can buy a cheap wetsaw at the box stores for $50. Or buy one on craigslist then resell it when you are done. So...$50 let;s say. Always good to have tile nippers, $20. Have your plumbing fall on grout lines instead of in the middle of a tile and you can nip a hole instead of having to drill a hole. To mix and spread the thinset: -bucket -margin trowel: $7.50 Yup. To hand mix the thinset and grout. The thinset, mix maybe a third of a bag at a time. Pace yourself. Or you can buy a paddle if you have a low-speed drill that has the torque to spin it. -notched trowel: $5, 1/4" x 1/4" to spread the thinset. To Grout: -Grout float: $10 -Grout Sponges: 2- or 3-multi-pack for $5 Basic hand tools, about $50. Add $50 for a tile cutter, so total tools is about $100. Materials: $150 Tile: $300 @ $5 a ft Tools: $100 Total, about $550 Rough guess.