Clawfoot tub refinishing — the classic shape, a new interior.

A century-old tub with decades left in it

Clawfoot tubs turn up in the older homes of Mānoa, Nuʻuanu, Kaimukī and Makiki, in plantation-era houses, and in bathrooms where someone went looking for one on purpose. Nearly all are cast iron, and nearly all share the same problem: a beautiful shape with a worn, stained, rough interior.

Refinishing the inside is the least invasive way to make one usable and good-looking again.

We refinish the interior — here's why

We refinish the inside of the tub and the rolled rim: every surface that holds water and that you see and touch when you use it. We don't coat the outside or the feet.

That's deliberate. Our coating is poured and flows downward by gravity — ideal for the inside of a bowl, where it levels into a thick, glass-smooth layer. The outside of a clawfoot is a different kind of surface: usually raw or painted iron, which is best finished with ordinary metal paint in whatever color you like. Many owners paint the exterior themselves in a color that suits the room, either before or after we do the interior.

Why clawfoot tubs suit a poured finish

• The continuous curved interior lets the coating flow and level without seams.
• There's no surrounding tile to protect, so masking is simple.
• The rolled rim gets a full, rounded coat instead of the thin edge a spray gun leaves.

Before we come

Make sure the faucet and any shower riser aren't dripping into the tub — a drip during the 24-hour cure will mark the finish. The tub stays where it is; nothing is disconnected.

Price

There's no clawfoot surcharge. The interior of a clawfoot tub is the same flat $635 as any standard tub, with the 5-year warranty included.