# wooden bathtub



## cjohn444 (Dec 11, 2016)

i have some cottonwood slabs i was going to use to make a bathtub........my question is, would cottonwood be good to use for this or would i need a harder wood?


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I'm against using wood where water and cleaning agents are frequent. 
This includes kitchen counter tops, vanity tops, sinks, showers and tubs. 
If you're dead set on building a wooden bath tub, ask yourself why everyone doesn't have a wooden tub. 
Wooden tubs went out of demand in the late 1800's. 
As for Cottonwood, I think it's a poor choice for most projects, tubs included.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cjohn444 said:


> i have some cottonwood slabs i was going to use to make a bathtub........my question is, would cottonwood be good to use for this or would i need a harder wood?


Do yourself a favor and find another project for the wood you have. A wooden tub won't work long enough to make it worth the effort. The hot water will really activate wood movement and the finish will get cracks in it letting water to the wood and then rot.


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

cjohn444 said:


> i have some cottonwood slabs i was going to use to make a bathtub........my question is, would cottonwood be good to use for this or would i need a harder wood?


Wooden tubs, which are not very common in the US and much more common in Asia and northern Europe are generally made with the more rot resistant woods, hardness not being the most important factor. The ones I have seen have been teak which seems a good choice. The houses I work on tend to be in the 5 to 35 million USD range and I believe that a wooden tub is seen as a deluxe experience. The wood is usually 1.5" to 2.0" thick. I would not use Ipe as most people are mildly allergic to it and it tends to throw off tiny splinters that are real irritating. Plus, Teak seems to weather much better in terms of color change, although Ipe is a lot harder than teak. I once saw one made from Port Orford cedar which was quite soft but amazingly pretty. I would probably use Alaska Yellow Cedar if I was going to build one. Another soft wood that 'might' work would be Cypress.

I think the reason you don't see a lot of wood tubs goes to initial expense and maintenance. Porcelain over cast iron is pretty bullet proof. On the other hand many tubs I see these days are fiberglass or some kind of plastic and a wood tub would outlast that 10 to 1.

If you google 'ofuro' you will get a lot of hits on wood tubs.
I don't know much about cottonwood. If you can throw a cottonwood 2x6 out in the woods for 10 years and then clean it and it looks like new, that is the kind of wood you want.


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## J_L (Apr 22, 2014)

Brian(J) said:


> Wooden tubs, which are not very common in the US and much more common in Asia and northern Europe are generally made with the more rot resistant woods, hardness not being the most important factor. The ones I have seen have been teak which seems a good choice. The houses I work on tend to be in the 5 to 35 million USD range and I believe that a wooden tub is seen as a deluxe experience. The wood is usually 1.5" to 2.0" thick. I would not use Ipe as most people are mildly allergic to it and it tends to throw off tiny splinters that are real irritating. Plus, Teak seems to weather much better in terms of color change, although Ipe is a lot harder than teak. I once saw one made from Port Orford cedar which was quite soft but amazingly pretty. I would probably use Alaska Yellow Cedar if I was going to build one. Another soft wood that 'might' work would be Cypress.
> 
> I think the reason you don't see a lot of wood tubs goes to initial expense and maintenance. Porcelain over cast iron is pretty bullet proof. On the other hand many tubs I see these days are fiberglass or some kind of plastic and a wood tub would outlast that 10 to 1.
> 
> ...


What type of finish have you seen on the wooden tubs? Or have they been left raw? A wooden tub is on my bucket list to build one day. I saw a photo of one a year or two back and thought it was awesome. So much wasted lumber in the build but completely worth it.

As for the OP - I've not worked with cottonwood so I can't say how stable it is. That would be a big concern as Steve mentioned. I'd hate to see the joints fail. I would look at marine finishes such as awlwood that are flexible and made to move with wood which would happen to a cold tub with hot water.


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## GuitarPhotographer (Jun 26, 2015)

The 70s saw a lot of wooden hot tubs built in Calif. Most were built of cedar or redwood heart wood. All were built of staves like a barrel. All had to be kept full of water to keep the wood from shrinking and leaking.
Few survive to today.


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

The few I have seen didn't have any appearance of a finish, maybe they were oiled.
I see that the traditional material in Japan is hinoki cypress, a popular landscape ornamental tree in the Pacific Northwest. Very soft wood I expect.

I'm used to seeing wood tubs like these $6,000 ones. http://tinyurl.com/zzygopy


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## cjohn444 (Dec 11, 2016)

yes I was going to use a marine finish. I also saw one that had 12 coats of polyurethane that was a really great looking tub


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

cjohn444 said:


> yes I was going to use a marine finish. I also saw one that had 12 coats of polyurethane that was a really great looking tub


I agree, they look great when new, they just don't last and aren't practical for everyday use. 
Want an old tub that will hold up for a few years? Get you a galvanized steel tub. (A horse trough). This was used in homes prior to porcelain. 
Am I being too critical here??


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

Toolman50 said:


> I agree, they look great when new, they just don't last and aren't practical for everyday use.
> Want an old tub that will hold up for a few years? Get you a galvanized steel tub. (A horse trough). This was used in homes prior to porcelain.
> Am I being too critical here??


Perhaps copper...makes more sense than wood.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Kerrys said:


> Perhaps copper...makes more sense than wood.


Copper would be nice. Expensive and turns a nice green with time. :thumbsup:


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## GuitarPhotographer (Jun 26, 2015)

Brian(J) said:


> The few I have seen didn't have any appearance of a finish, maybe they were oiled.
> I see that the traditional material in Japan is hinoki cypress, a popular landscape ornamental tree in the Pacific Northwest. Very soft wood I expect.
> 
> I'm used to seeing wood tubs like these $6,000 ones. http://tinyurl.com/zzygopy


I saw a couple like those in Japan, but never here. Always unfinished cedar or redwood barrels.


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## J_L (Apr 22, 2014)

Brian(J) said:


> The few I have seen didn't have any appearance of a finish, maybe they were oiled.
> I see that the traditional material in Japan is hinoki cypress, a popular landscape ornamental tree in the Pacific Northwest. Very soft wood I expect.
> 
> I'm used to seeing wood tubs like these $6,000 ones. http://tinyurl.com/zzygopy


Those tubs are just a box of veneered plywood with a solid top edge. :surprise2:

When I think of a wooden tub I think of one like this picture.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Brian(J) said:


> Wooden tubs, which are not very common in the US and much more common in Asia and northern Europe are generally made with the more rot resistant woods, hardness not being the most important factor. The ones I have seen have been teak which seems a good choice. The houses I work on tend to be in the 5 to 35 million USD range and I believe that a wooden tub is seen as a deluxe experience. The wood is usually 1.5" to 2.0" thick. I would not use Ipe as most people are mildly allergic to it and it tends to throw off tiny splinters that are real irritating. Plus, Teak seems to weather much better in terms of color change, although Ipe is a lot harder than teak. I once saw one made from Port Orford cedar which was quite soft but amazingly pretty. I would probably use Alaska Yellow Cedar if I was going to build one. Another soft wood that 'might' work would be Cypress.
> 
> I think the reason you don't see a lot of wood tubs goes to initial expense and maintenance. Porcelain over cast iron is pretty bullet proof. On the other hand many tubs I see these days are fiberglass or some kind of plastic and a wood tub would outlast that 10 to 1.
> 
> ...


I think you got that backwards on fiberglass and wood. The fiberglass and/or plastic should far outlive wood.

George


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Could you clad a metal/fibreglass one with wood?
johnep


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Wooden tubs have been around for a long time!










[I couldn't find a picture with a woman in it ... that would be considered "family appropriate"]


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## Zion212 (May 31, 2010)

That would be quite difficult to clean but it can be done if no crazy chemicals are used


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

[I couldn't find a picture with a woman in it ... that would be considered "family appropriate"][/quote]

I think this one is OK

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/dc/2b/2b/dc2b2b2b1ce072fcf5e7db70a6a97051.jpg


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

LOL I accept your challenge. But your picture isn't of a wooden tub.
This one is ...









AND it was a family sit-com !!!


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## JackTin (Sep 1, 2016)

*Fiberglass not an option?*

Why not build the wooden tub and coat it in fiberglass similar to people who build cedar strip canoes?


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

It could be done, but cotton wood isn't a very good wood to use, it rots pretty easy and is kind of spongy


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

If you relate it to wooden ships ... then the bathtub idea becomes less clear.
Ships leak until the wood has absorbed water and swollen. Dry docking a wooden boat is the quickest way to ruin it, because the wood shrinks and breaks seals ... then swells differently when returned to the water. You keep them in the water to keep the wood tight.

Seems to me that a wooden bathtub/spa, would need to be stabilized, or at least sealed with something that fully soaks into the wood. Basically, it would be plastic (fiberglass, etc) coated to keep the water from ever touching the wood.

I was surprised at the number of tubs and spas online. Google "wooden bath tubs" and click on images.


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