Legs for the bath - a fashionable accessory
A tub standing on its feet is an unchangeable attribute of royal palaces and aristocratic homes. Interestingly, the bath became a common thing in the house only in 17-18 centuries, before that the European nobility, and the commoners did not really complain of the habit of bathing more than once every few years. The popularization of personal hygiene coincided with the appearance of the Baroque style, whose favorite decorative element was furniture supports in the form of lion's feet. On gilded lion's feet rested beds, armchairs, sofas and, of course, bathtubs.
If you want to feel like a real aristocrat, then the room in one of the European retro styles, the main decoration of which is a bath on lions' feet, is certainly your choice. But for fans of other styles, the bath, standing on legs, can be an excellent solution. It is only necessary to define correctly the design of the legs and accessories. The same lion's feet, but not gilded, but covered with white or silver enamel will look great in a room in the Art Nouveau or Art Deco style.
For modern bathrooms there is a huge selection of chrome legs in stores.
Prefer country or eco-style? Install bathtub legs made of wood or its imitation. Want something more original? Make the legs yourself - use metal pipes, remnants of building materials, sawed-off trees. The main thing is to make sure that the resulting construction is reliable. After all, the legs perform not only a decorative, but also a supporting function.
How to choose the right legs?
The feet can be bought as a set with the bathtub or they can be sold separately. If you decide to pick them up yourself, you should consider a few important points.
According to the function performed, the legs for the bath are divided into three types:
- Decorative - Designed to serve only as a decoration;
- Supporting - support. Installation of the basin on supporting legs is one of the most popular ways of installation.
- Intermediate Type - are auxiliary legs that are used in conjunction with another support structure.
Your choice will depend on the type of bathtub and how it will be installed.
There are also several varieties of bathtub legs, as to how they are attached to the bottom.
Legs with adhesive tape are easy to install, but cannot boast of particular reliability of attachment.
More strength is provided by the feet that are mounted to the bottom of the bath with special fasteners - brackets, plates or self-tapping screws.
Important factor in choosing is their appearance. You need to have legs in harmony with the baptismal font itself and with the whole room, making them in style.
And finally, buying the legs, be sure to consider the material from which the bath is made.
Kinds of
Under the cast iron bathtub
Cast iron bathtubs are coming back to our apartments together with the fashion for vintage furniture and sanitary ware. The oval model on curved legs will give the spirit of antiquity and discreet luxury to the interior of your room.
Today cast iron bathtubs combine a vintage look with modern technology. For example, in stores you can find cast iron models with built-in whirlpool, thermostat, water lighting and other nice and useful features.
Bathtub of cast iron - the product is heavy enough, unless it is a model made of natural stone, so, choosing the legs under it, you should pay attention to the weight they can bear.
Bathtubs made of cast iron were discussed in detail in another article. In it you will learn about the advantages, features, sizes and their manufacturers.
Under steel.
The advantages of steel bathtubs are that they are lightweight, durable and inexpensive. The only drawback is that the water in them cools down quickly. But for those who are not used to basking in foam for hours, this is not such a big problem. The lightness of the material determines a wide range of leg designs. It is best to buy adjustable legs, so that later it was easier to set the tub in the right position. For steel models also produce special frames, which allow you to install them anywhere, even in the center of the bathroom. A bath standing on a frame looks very beautiful and unusual.
Another interesting solution is the decorative covers on the legsthat you can buy in order to decorate the standard supporting legs. The choice of such plates is very big, so you will definitely find the ones that will be in harmony with the overall environment of your bathroom.
Under acrylic.
The advantages of acrylic bathtubs have already been painted more than once - it is a relative cheapness, great appearance and, most importantly, a large variety of designs. Today you can find them for every taste - there is a huge variety of shapes, colors and sizes in stores.
Bathtubs made of acrylic were discussed in detail in our other article. In it you will learn a lot of interesting things.
The legs under them are installed mainly as a supplement to the main supporting frame, as such they are not characterized by increased rigidity.
For everything else, the choice of legs under it is up to you. There are no special requirements in terms of material or weight. The main thing is to make sure that the bath rests on something other than the feet.
Installing the bathtub on its feet
Installing a tub on its feet is quite possible to do with your own hands. The amount of time, tools and materials required depend on the chosen method of installation. However, whichever method you choose, be sure to prepare a construction level. It is he who will help you to fix it in a strictly horizontal plane.
The easiest option in the performance is to glue the legs with the help of "Velcro". If you have chosen feet that are attached in this way, then you only need to turn the tub on its side, glue the feet, wait a specified amount of time and put it back on the floor. Most often the bathtub is installed next to the wall. In this case, we need only two legs, as on one side it will be attached to the wall using special hooks. On the other side, the legs are screwed to it.
There are several options for mounting, the choice depends on the model of purchased legs. If the feet are already threaded, they are screwed into the prepared holes in the bottom . Otherwise, you will need self-tapping screws or bolts.
If it is assumed that the load on the tub will be very high (that is, it will be in it quite large people), it is better to provide additional support. In this capacity, you can use bricks or cement blocks. The entire structure is fastened with cement mortar. You can cover the space below with a decorative screen.
Special features
The operation of bathtubs standing on legs does not differ from the operation of bathtubs with another method of installation. We will talk about the few differences that we were able to find.
The main difference between the model on legs and the model mounted on a podium or otherwise is that in our case there is an empty space under the tub.
The positive moment - to wash the floor under it now will not be difficult.
Negative - the space under the bath is always in sight, so at the slightest contamination or water ingress you will have to grab a mop.
Another plus - to get rolled under it soap or a child's toy becomes easy. With the same ease you can check or repair plumbing fixtures that are accessible under the bathtub.
Make sure the floor of the room stays dry at all times, as water promotes corrosion. In addition, if the bathtub is supported only on the legs, they will slip on the wet floor, and the bathtub will lose its stability. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically check the reliability of fixing.
Results and conclusions
So, the bathtub on legs - this is an unusual and stylish solution, which still looks fresh and original, especially in the appropriate environment. When buying it, you should take care that it fits into the interior and does not discord with the rest of the plumbing and furniture.
It is best to buy legs for it together with a faucet, shower and valves for hot and cold water. This way you will be able to observe the style unity, which will make your updated bath a real decoration of the bathroom.
I buy the legs under the acrylic bathtub - it looks like a cast-iron. Create a medieval atmosphere in the bathroom.