# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  Using an old bath-tub?

## Moondog55

I was going to use this one as a second worm farm but the spacing on the carport posts is such that the old bath fits nicely against the fence and between the posts.
My first thought is to make a surround from H3 or Hebel and because it is deeper than 300mm half fill with clean rubble and get the waterfall expediently by simply putting in a section of Blueboard at an angle with some of the stacked stone tiles glued to it for a ripple effect
DC pumps I have a couple of small ones already
Is Blueboard ready to use for this application or does it need to be waterproofed with PU and scrim?
What is going to be the best glue to used here?
I garden by "Benign Neglect" so I'll need some really tough plants to go in the water and I know nothing about such greenery so I'm looking for suggestions there and the cheaper the better and even better if edible and tasty
Shaded position tho so I think that rules out Cress and Kan-Kong
One thought tho is a couple of pots of clumping bamboo on either side

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## PlatypusGardens

I..... am not sure what you're talking about....   :Unsure:   
Are you making a water garden from the bathtub? 
With a waterfall....?  
Huh?

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## Moondog55

> I..... am not sure what you're talking about....  
> Are you making a water garden from the bathtub? 
> With a waterfall....?  
> Huh?

  YEP That's the intention. I'd rather utilise it than pay $25- to take it to the tip

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## PlatypusGardens

Agree with using it. 
however 
$25 to dump it?!??!!??!!! 
Most scrapyards here will gladly take it off your hands for nothing then sell it to someone else for $50   :Unsure:

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## r3nov8or

How will the blueboard be installed? If it going to be in constant contact with water, best to think of another option.

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## Moondog55

OK Is there a cement based sheet suitable for constant immersion that is also reasonably priced. I thought the whole point of BB was that it is waterproof
Geelong doesn't consider bathtubs a "Recyclable" like batteries or E-Waste and that's what the feller on the phone told me the charge was
I could Freecycle it tho if we don't use it for something but I want a waterfall for the pleasant background sounds

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## r3nov8or

> ...I thought the whole point of BB was that it is waterproof

   Nah, any BB install needs to be at least 75mm from water, e.g. at the bottom of a wall, 75mm clearance to the ground.   

> ...
> Geelong doesn't consider bathtubs a "Recyclable" like batteries or  E-Waste and that's what the feller on the phone told me the charge was
> I could Freecycle it tho if we don't use it for something but I want a waterfall for the pleasant background sounds

  Any metal merchant will take it off your hands for nothing. But keep it! 
How about a tall ceramic pot in the tub, with the water flowing out the top?

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## PlatypusGardens

Geez mate, up here all u have to do is put it on the verge with a big sign saying FREE, PLEASE TAKE and it's gone before you close the gate behind you

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## Moondog55

> Geez mate, up here all u have to do is put it on the verge with a big sign saying FREE, PLEASE TAKE and it's gone before you close the gate behind you

  Not here, we need to put up a sign that says  "For Sale $50- Apply With-in" 
The council love to fine people for using the nature strip as a rubbish dump if it's there for too long too.
OK What can I glue the rocks to then?

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## r3nov8or

A bit of H5? A piece of flat aluminium downpipe?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Not here, we need to put up a sign that says  "For Sale $50- Apply With-in" 
> The council love to fine people for using the nature strip as a rubbish dump if it's there for too long too.

  
And people keep making fun of QLD  :Rolleyes:  
ho hum   :Wink:   
Anyway, enough about that.  :Smilie:  
Will keep watching this thread to see what you come up with.   :Smilie:

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## Bros

> YEP That's the intention. I'd rather utilise it than pay $25- to take it to the tip

  Holy hell they don't miss you. If it is steel we can dump it free if not the worst is $4 per trailer load.

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## joynz

You could try Aquaponics. 
Grow fish in the bottom and plants in the top.  Fish fertilize the plants and you can eat the fish.   Could still have a waterfall trickling in to aerate the water.

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## r3nov8or

> ...
> OK What can I glue the rocks to then?

  I guess you could also glue the stacked stone to a piece of glass. Small aluminium framed windows go cheap at recycle barns.

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## Moondog55

I've got an old coffee table top there in the shed but I was going to use it on the top of the entertainment unit
But that is a pretty good idea and might actually look good too

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## PlatypusGardens

I just wanna say to Cecile if she's watching, that I had nothing to do with this.   :Nonono:

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## r3nov8or

Car and truck windows would provide some cool curved shapes for a water feature. And would be safer being laminated.

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## Moondog55

> I just wanna say to Cecile if she's watching, that I had nothing to do with this.

  Better change your signature back then

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## Moondog55

I just scored an old concrete double laundry sink to use as well, a few cracks so will need waterproofing
Whats the best value in a brush on treatment in your valued opinions?

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## Moondog55

http://www.renovateforum.com/f247/wa...roduct-116855/

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## Uncle Bob

My brother did one of these and looked pretty funky in the backyard.  
A few other good ideas for junk here 50 Creative Ways to Repurpose, Reuse and Upcycle Old Things

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## phild01

I like this one:

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## Uncle Bob

Yeah that's a good one. In my profession, I some times need to mount things on and around photocopiers and a folded sheet of paper out of one of the paper trays helps to stop swarf falling in the machines and catches plasterboard dust etc. Makes cleaning up heaps easier.

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## Uncle Bob

Out of that bunch, I reckon this is my fav  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Yeah, because having multiple marble-sized holes in fences is very common.....   :Confused:

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## Moondog55

? Boy Oh boy?
 Talk about thread drift?

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## PlatypusGardens

And Marc isn't even here yet...  
Probably working on some sort of contraption with A-frames and chains to hoist the bathtub off the grouund for easy access once full of water.    :Smilie:

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## r3nov8or

> Yeah, because having multiple marble-sized holes in fences is very common.....

  There are certainly no knot holes where those marbles have been placed. Might have been handy for one hole, and they said, "we need more holes for this pesky bag of marbles taking up room under the bed!" It's a nice effect nonetheless

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## r3nov8or

> Out of that bunch, I reckon this is my fav

  It screams "Geek lives here". I think I need one.

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## PlatypusGardens

The old aloominum Apple ones would polish up nicely 
And probably blind the postman and attract magpies hehe.

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## PlatypusGardens

> There are certainly no knot holes where those marbles have been placed. Might have been handy for one hole, and they said, "we need more holes for this pesky bag of marbles taking up room under the bed!" It's a nice effect nonetheless

  
Yeh, I'd do something similar, but I appear to have lost most of my marbles....    :Unsure:

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## SilentButDeadly

I just made a dual bathtub reed bed to distribute treated effluent to the trees around the block.   
Two pressed metal baths from the tip shop...$5 each, cube of slab loam $26, half cube of 14mm flat river pebbles $76, 'some' poly fittings and no small amount of grunting, groaning, cursing and cajoling.  For the moment I've put some club rush in one of the baths... 
A waterfall was a step too far...the effluent drops out of an artistically sawn PVC pipe.  But I have tried to dress up the combo with left over cement slabs, paddock stones and old fence posts...that hasn't made it pretty. But it got rid of some crap!

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## PlatypusGardens

> I just made a dual bathtub reed bed to distribute treated effluent to the trees around the block.   
> Two pressed metal baths from the tip shop...$5 each, cube of slab loam $26, half cube of 14mm flat river pebbles $76, 'some' poly fittings and no small amount of grunting, groaning, cursing and cajoling.  For the moment I've put some club rush in one of the baths... 
> A waterfall was a step too far...the effluent drops out of an artistically sawn PVC pipe.  But I have tried to dress up the combo with left over cement slabs, paddock stones and old fence posts...that hasn't made it pretty. But it got rid of some crap!

  pics?

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## SilentButDeadly

> pics?

  Not as yet...frankly it looks quite hideous so there was no major incentive to record its ramshackle splendour.  But, for you PG...why not.

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## diyguuy87

Moondog - from your original post, is this along the lines of what you are looking at doing?   
I used blue board backing, waterproofed with 2 coats of keraflex waterproofer (I would have to double check) I think, then used the keraflex tile adhesive to glue the stack stone to. I put the water spout at the recommended max height of 900mm above the pond but if I had a go at it again I would go a bit lower as it is quite loud when the water hits the pond. I found the stack stone quite easy to do.
Also the slightest bit of wind will blow the water around too. Ends up all over the ground garden beds etc.   
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Moondog55

Nice job
I was thinking of having the stack stone at an angle, maybe 7 to 11 degrees so we get more of a dribble effect rather than a fall as such

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## Cuppa

No pics, but friends have a series of bathtubs cascading into each other, in which they keep fish. Half a dozen tubs I think. A small pumptakes water from the lower & pumps it back to the highest. Each tub’s lip overlaps the next (end to end) & a couple of lines of appropriately placed silicon goo on each bath ensures the water flows into the next tub rather than out onto the ground.

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## SilentButDeadly

> Not as yet...frankly it looks quite hideous so there was no major incentive to record its ramshackle splendour.  But, for you PG...why not.

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## PlatypusGardens

> 

  
I like that

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## SilentButDeadly

> I like that

  I'm hoping to soften it over time with native climbers.  The tree in the bag is a sugar gum from the Flinders Ranges...which gets to quite a size...and it is surrounded by many more plants in bags...

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## PlatypusGardens

I suppose you could hide the T-shaped PVC pipe on top with some rocks and/or split fence posts.   :Wink:  
Or get creative and paint a woodgrain effect on it.....

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## Marc

or replace them with bamboo  :Smilie:

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## Marc

> Yeah, because having multiple marble-sized holes in fences is very common.....

   Standard feature for motorcycle clubs.  :2thumbsup:

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## David.Elliott

> And Marc isn't even here yet...  
> Probably working on some sort of contraption with A-frames and chains to hoist the bathtub off the grouund for easy access once full of water.

  *And the motor, don't forget the motor. If it ain't motorised it's not a "thing!"*

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## r3nov8or

> Standard feature for motorcycle clubs.

   :Minigun:

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## Oldsaltoz

I have used Gel-coat on bathtubs and terracotta pots. For a bathtub to fish pond conversion black is the best as it shows up the fish and hides the dirt. 
No reason why this would not work on a concrete trough either. 
Just don't mix large batches as it tends to go off pretty fast. 
have you considered roof sheeting for the water fall? 
Good luck and fair winds.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Funny term, "upcycling" 
I guess when us normal folk lean some fence posts against a bath tub and make something useful from it it's recycling.  
When some designer frames an old wheat bag and sells it for $500 to some inner city hipster, it's upcycling   :Rolleyes:

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## SilentButDeadly

> Funny term, "upcycling" 
> I guess when us normal folk lean some fence posts against a bath tub and make something useful from it it's recycling.  
> When some designer frames an old wheat bag and sells it for $500 to some inner city hipster, it's upcycling

  Upcycling increases the perceived value of something whereas recycling means using it again for its given purpose. 
You upcycle more often than you recycle, PG. So who's the hipster now, eh?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Upcycling increases the perceived value of something whereas recycling means using it again for its given purpose. 
> You upcycle more often than you recycle, PG. So who's the hipster now, eh?

  
So you upcycled all those bits too then?
As you're not using any of them for their given purpose.  
blaaah hipster poohead  
If anything I re-purpose and alter stuff.

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## SilentButDeadly

> So you upcycled all those bits too then?
> As you're not using any of them for their given purpose.  
> blaaah hipster poohead  
> If anything I re-purpose and alter stuff.

  Oh I'm a hipster alright!!  Trendy as...

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## Moondog55

> blaaah hipster poohead

  I haven't heard that since primary school 
Back to the old bath for a moment while our contestants gather their resources for another round  
Seal the existing plug hole or run some PVC pipe around to the back of the frame and run the pump tube thru the PVC pipe?

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## SilentButDeadly

I'd do the latter...that way you can use the pump to drain the bath if required...and put the drain water where you want it rather than where gravity decides is easier...

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