MAGNIFICENT OBSESSIONS

CALL IT OBSESSION, CALL IT LOVE’S LABOUR. THE DEDICATED AND SKILLED RESTORATIONSISTS WHO SPEND THEIR LIVES TRANSFORMING PAINTINS, TAPESTRIES, TABLES AND TUBS FROM NEAR LOSSES INTO THE NEXT GENERATIONS’S HEIRLOOMS, TURN BACK THE RAVAGES OF TIME WITH A SURE, STEADY HAND.

Jo Embury , owner of Boutique Baths, says that weed-filled bathtub at the bottom of your garden might be worth salvaging - and could possibly even be a collector's item. "It's not uncommon to find antique cast-iron baths being used as herb gardens, drinking troughs or a dumping ground. But it's so sad to see them discarded." she enthuses.

A restoration takes around four weeks, starting with shot-blasting the original bathtub to a bare cast iron frame. Next, rust-proofing treatments and priming undercoats are applied to seal the metal cast. At this point, any irregularities or indents in the cast are filled and the whole tub is machine-polished to an ultra-smooth finish. A synthetic porcelain is then applied and the whole cast is baked in a special oven to complete the resurfacing process. If feet need to be added, new solid brass ones are used to avoid rusting. These can either be polished then left clear-lacquered or electroplated to colour-match the other bathroom accessories.

So how do you spot a rare tub? Embury claims that length, manufacturing labels, dates, attachments and unusual features (such as overflow holes and unusual feet) are the things to look out for. "Usually the thicker the cast, the older the bath," says Embury, "Look for an evenly rounded, thick bath lip as well as unusual bath feet or shapes. For example, an extremely rare coffin bath is wider at the shoulder end and tapers down to the feet end of the bath. We have restored quite a few baths manufactured around 1770, which we believe to have come over on the first fleet!"

Boutique Baths enquiries, 9428 1848; www.boutiquebaths.com.au

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