How to shop for an antique tub

Founder of Bath Shield enamelling service and luxury bathroom company Chadder & Co, explains what you need to know when buying a bath for restoration

Check the bath carefully.

Make sure the foot fixings on the tub’s underside are undamaged as they can’t be repaired.

Choose your style.

Single-ended baths around 1.7m (5ft 6in) long and double-ended French tubs are easiest to find. Before you go shopping, measure the space where you want the bath to stand.

If you want tap holes,

choose a bath that already has them in the number and position you need. An expert can fill unwanted tap holes but you can’t make new ones.

Look at the exterior surface of a roll-top bath.

It’s possible to sometimes sandblast the outside to give a fresh surface for painting. And you can have the feet nickel, chrome or gold-plated to match the brassware.

If a bath’s feet are missing, proceed with caution.

If just one foot is missing, it’s possible to re-cast a replacement, but this depends on the legs being identical. Brand new legs or antique examples that are taken from another bath are unlikely to fit.