How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub with 2 People Upstairs in 3 Easy Steps without hurting yourself!

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub with White Subway Tile Renovation

Sharing all our tips & tricks for how to move a cast iron bathtub from a driveway to the 2nd floor in less than an hour without hurting yourself with step by step instructions & pictures!

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub

*this post was sponsored by Kohler & contains affiliate links. However, all my opinions about cast iron bathtubs & how much I love them are completely my own. For more info check out my disclosure page here*

 bathtub from a driveway to the 2nd floor in less than an hour without hurting yourself with step by step instructions & pictures!

I chose a beautiful & classic white cast iron bathtub for our boys bathroom remodel

The only thing I didn’t realize going in was how HEAVY a cast iron tub was & how I was actually going to move a cast iron bathtub to our boys bathroom.

I also had not thought about how the heck we were going to move a cast iron bathtub from our garage upstairs to the 2nd floor of our farmhouse.  🙂

From the moment I found out from a neighbor that our farmhouse originally had a cast iron clawfoot bathtub I knew that we had to add back a cast iron tub when we renovated our boys bathroom. 

Supplies & Tools Needed to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub

Removing & Moving the Old Bathtub Out

The current plastic/ fiberglass bathtub we had in our sad bathroom has been leaking since we moved in & it was definitely time to replace it. 

Jason broke up the old bathtub in pieces with a sledgehammer.

Demoing the old tub & surround went very smoothly. 

We were able to get it out of the bathroom & in the trash very quickly.

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - old bathtub

Expensive Cost of Paying Someone to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub

Soon after our beautiful cast iron bathtub was delivered we realized there was NO way we could move a cast iron bathtub on our own.

If you are thinking about how to move a cast iron bathtub with movers… know that  it can be really EXPENSIVE.

After calling a few moving companies, one turning down the job for $250 & another wanting to charge almost $800 (um…no!) for the job we knew we were on our own. 

Step by Step Instructions for How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub with Hand Cart

Step ONE – Using a Hand Cart for the Cast Iron Tub & Making a Ramp to get it into the Farmhouse

First we strapped the cast iron bathtub to our hand cart & with the help of some hand made ramps we were able to move a cast iron bathtub into our farmhouse.

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - homemade ramp

This method of moving a cast iron bathtub went quickly & was fairly easy. 

It took us less than an hour to get the cast iron bathtub in the house even with making the ramps.

Step TWO – Creating a Pulley System to Get the Cast Iron Tub up the Farmhouse Stairs

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub hanging in the Stairway

We thought about trying the hand cart method up our stairs but were nervous that we might not be strong enough to get it up step by step and there would be no way we could take breaks. 

So we bought a power puller with a hand pulley certified up to 2000lbs & strapped the cast iron tub to it & cranked it up our narrow farmhouse steps.

This is the same pulley we used to move out very HEAVY hot tub (read about it here)

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub hanging in stairway

Step THREE – Bringing the Cast Iron Bathtub into the Bathroom

Once we were able to get the cast iron bathtub upstairs, we used the hand cart & muscle to move a cast iron bathtub into place in our bathroom.

I am going to be honest,  I was very nervous as to how this process would work but in the end we were able to move a cast iron bathtub into the bathroom fairly easily & more importantly without hurting ourselves. 

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub in Boys Bathroom Renovation

And it is beautiful!!!! 

Adding Cement Board around the Cast Iron Tub

Next up, we added cement board to protect the studs from moisture.

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub with cement board

Adding Subway Tile to the Cast Iron Bathtub Surround

We chose simple white subway tile at 22 cents each to add to the tub surround.  

White subway tile is so classic & you can’t beat the price!!! 

I am not gonna lie, it took us FOREVER to finish tiling the surround of our cast iron bathtub. 

I feel a little bad that I promised Jason I would not pick this tile again after the master bathroom in our last home but it’s so pretty & farmhousey 🙂

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub with White Subway Tile Renovation

We still have to add grout but we can’t decide whether to go white or grey & we are also still trying to decide on floor tiles. 

How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub - Tub with White Subway Tile Renovation

Kohler Bellwether Cast Iron Bathtub & a Review 5 years Later

Almost 5 years later & we LOVE the cast iron bathtub we chose for our farmhouse boys bathtub.

The low height of the apron on this cast iron bathtub is incredibly easy to clean & has made it easy for our kids & guests to get in & out of the cast iron bathtub.

We transformed our boys bathroom from top to bottom - sherwin williams spatial white, vinyl bead board ceiling and walls, kohler bathtub #bathroom http://lehmanlane.net

To follow along with our boys bathroom renovation from the beginning, you can check that out here….

ORC - boys bathroom ideas and remodel

Thanks so much to Linda from Calling it Home for hosting this challenge & for Kohler for sponsoring our boys bathroom remodel. 

I hope this post answers ALL your questions about how to move a cast iron bathtub upstairs & inspires you to try moving a cast iron bathtub by yourself!

by Tara Lehman

Since writing this post, we finished our boys farmhouse bathroom!!! You can read ALL about it HERE

We transformed our farmhouse boys bathroom from top to bottom in order to bring it into this century while bringing back the character that had been stripped away over the the past. Stop by to see how we did #farmhousebathroom #bathroomdiy https://lehmanlane.net

Don’t Forget to Save How to Move a Cast Iron Bathtub to your FAVORITE Bathroom Pinterest Board!

If you have a HEAVY cast iron bathtub to move we are sharing how we moved our tub from the garage to our 2nd floor boys bathroom #castirontub  #bathtub #ad #bathroomreno #movingtips https://lehmanlane.net

Some more DIY Projects you might enjoy

How to Move a Hot Tub with Just 2 People

Wall Mounted Bathroom Sink

DIY Pallet Towel Rack

Farmhouse Kitchen Renovation Reveal

DIY Wood Countertops

Sharing all the details of our new GORGEOUSLY deep soaking undermount DIY Built In Kohler Underscore Bathtub in our Farmhouse Master Bathroom Remodel with step by step pictures & a review about what surprised us about the tub. #masterbath #farmhouse #soakingtub https://lehmanlane.net
DIY - How to build a pallet hamper & shelf - We built a pallet hamper bathroom shelf to hold all their dirty laundry & hold their toothbrushes. Our pallet hamper shelf was simple to build & it was FREE using pallet wood. #palletprojects #palletwood #bathroomshelf #diy https://lehmanlane.net
Shiplap in the Boys Bathroom - Our boys bathroom received a small makeover with a new mirror & shiplap walls. It was a simple & inexpensive update that we finished in just a weekend! #shiplap #shiplapbathroom #farmhousebathroom #boysbathroom https://lehmanlane.net

Comments

  1. Oh my word Tara that looks like a lot of work. Your bathroom is coming together so well! Working on mine too! Can’t wait to see the final reveal

  2. I can imagine what you guys were thinking when you were pulling that tub up those stairs! Thats looks so difficult. the tub is beautiful. Hope your poor husband gets better,
    Maria

    1. Maria, I was shaking and praying the whole time we were pulling that tub up the stairs :). Jason kept assuring me that everything was totally fine, ha! Thank you so much!!!

  3. Wow – y’all are amazingly resourceful!. In one of our old homes we had to move a cast iron fireplace surround – so we know how heavy this must have been. You had a great week of progress and we can’t wait to see what you do next. Also, you know that us Bees love the honeycomb tile!

    1. I totally agree Ashley, I could probably write a book on all those laughable moments we have had over the last 14 years of renovating old homes 🙂

  4. Wow, it looks great! I would have been scared to death to move that thing, but y’all are resourceful for sure! Hoping your husband starts to feel better very soon!

  5. Moving those cast iron tubs is no joke! I would have been panicking that entire time, haha! I love the look of darker grout against the white tile but I’m sure either way will look beautiful.

  6. The power puller is a great idea. I have to do the same job and I’m at a lost on how to get the tub to the second floor. What did you attach the power puller to on the top of the steps?

    1. Thanks so much for checking out how we moved our cast iron tub John! We used a 4 by 4 board that was bigger than our door frame to attach the power puller to. Good luck moving your bath tub!

  7. A cast iron tub that heavy, did you add any reinforcements to the subfloor upstairs? And did the tub have a stringer board to rest on for the long side that meets the wall?

    1. Thanks for stopping by to check out how to move a cast iron bathtub David! There was originally a cast iron bathtub in our farmhouse when the bathroom was added so we were confident that the floor was strong enough & yes we added a stringer board on the wall as well as extra 2 by 4’s for added strength.

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out how we moved our cast iron bathtub Ann! This bathroom remodel was a few years back but to the best of my knowledge, in all of our bathroom remodels we have used a Schluter- Kerdi vapor barrier before tiling to waterproof our shower walls.

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