Replacing cast iron tub questions

15 years ago

I've finally convinced my husband to rid the bathroom in our new house of the blue tub and floor and the wall tile that has been reglazed from pink to white but I've been having second thoughts about the tub. The wall tile is dingy and now the finish is peeling in places. It just looks awful. Honestly the tub is in decent condition, but it's blue. I can't stand the color and we're only going to rip all this stuff out once, so I need to decide - do I replace it or would it be totally crazy to reglaze it? I *think* it has already been reglazed once from pink to blue. If so, the finish has lasted since 1985 and looks totally fine. I just can't imagine that they replaced the tub at that time and reglazed the existing tile so it would seem as though the tub was also reglazed. I hate the mysteries that come with buying a house like this!

Anyway, we are doing this remodel on a budget, but with the goal of increasing the value of our house. I want a decent tub that's going to be used for bathing kids and for everyday showers at least until we get the master bath done (possibly 6 months or so). It will be the only tub in the house, so a deeper tub would be nice. I don't think we can really afford a deeper cast iron tub, but will we disappointed with a less expensive acrylic tub? What should we look for and how much do we reasonably need to spend. Installation is diy with a licensed plumber in our family who is helping us.

To give you an idea of where we are headed and why I think the blue tub has to go, the vanity, mirror and wall cabinet will be white (Lowes Chesapeake that I found for less than 1/2 price on clearance) with a stock HD beige granite vanity with the already attached undermount sink. Floor tile will be neutral as will the tile on the tub surround. We will replace the tile on the walls outside the tub surround with white beadboard. New toilet will be white.

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Thanks for your response. I've posted a picture of the drain and the area around it. You can see the pitting I am talking about to the left of the drain. Additionally, looking at it more closely I am wondering what is around the drain. At first I had thought it was just caulk, but now I am wondering if it is some sort of epoxy sealant. When we tried to clean it, the top layer just came off (lower right corner). I am particularly concerned about the black spot above the drain. I had thought that was mold, but I can't get it off, and now I think it may be very thin enamel revealing the iron beneath. Any thoughts are appreciated!
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Replacing cast iron tub questions

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