The Eyesore in my house

I'm ashamed to post this picture.  This is what the claw foot bathtub in my main floor bathroom has looked like for years.  Well, I guess it didn't start out this bad, but it has gotten worse and worse over the years.  I used it a couple times to give the boys their baths, but they'd come out with paint chips all over them and I didn't know if it was lead based or not!  Maybe that would explain why my 2 1/2 year old still doesn't know his colors!  And the worst part of this is?  I didn't even realize how scary it was until I had out of town guests overnight and the little girls starting wailing when they thought they had to take a bath in that scary tub!!  There was a chance this same family was coming back this year so I decided I had better get this tub polished up once and for all - before those girls see it again and shriek!! 

One reason why I shyed away from getting it fixed up was the cost of getting a bathtub resurfaced.  Wowzas.  I know because I used to mow a man's lawn that resurfaced tubs for a living.  I would have had to mow his 2 acre lawn all summer to pay for it.  So what did I do?  Went to Lowes and got Rustoleum's counter top paint!!!  Some had dripped in my sink (we won't say who did that) while we painted my kitchen counters and it won't come off for bajeebers.  It's also FDA approved to be safe for your food....  which would mean I wouldn't have to worry about it affecting my 2 year old's ability to learn anything in the future.  (Might have to worry about mine, however.  I think the fumes killed off any remaining brain cells that were floating around up there in my head!).  I had to have it tinted to white.  After scraping the bottom of the tub, I applied a coat.  It looked as if the paint was going on clear.   NO.  It took six coats!!  But ohhhhhh how pleased I am now when I go in my bathroom and see this glistening white beauty!  Such a relief to have that eye sore gone!!  Little Iowa Girls, you can come take a bath in my non scary tub now!

I painted the legs years ago....  but I'm thinking it's time to paint the ball silver.  What do you think?

****This tub has gotten a complete makeover on the OUTSIDE since this post has been written, click here to see one crazy, unique stenciled bathtub!!!!****