Looking for a bathtub suggestion

[rlitman]

Figured I'd ask the hive mind, even though it's not truly garage related, since this place is full of all sorts of knowledge.

I have a small (too small) bathroom, that I'm renovating, with just enough room for an alcove tub (60x30, or perhaps as big as 66x32). I have been looking at acrylic tubs, since they seem to be longer lasting than fiberglass, and cast iron is just too much weight to bring up there (and steel, well I just don't like steel). But my concern is that most of the acrylic tubs I see look pretty flimsy.

Is it just me, or are tubs just not what they used to be? Is there a maker of a truly good acrylic tub that's deep enough to actually soak in?

I was hoping I could find something foam filled and pre-insulated, and have been told by some that such tubs exist, but my searches have come up empty. The Kohler Underscore fits my size requirements, but every time I've gone with Kohler I've ended up disappointed.

I found several brands (with less than stellar reviews) that have two or even four leveling feet, and am wondering how much support these actually provide. The Kohler doesn't have any feet, and expects you to bed it completely. Is that better or worse?

Basically, in the end, I'm looking for a GJ schooling on tubs if there is such a thing.

 

[Capt Crash]

When we built our house, we found a bath tub that was put into the spare bath in a house during a remodel. It was immediately sold and the first thing that the new owners did was to gut the house and remodel it. So we don't believe that it was ever used. It is a Victoria Albert brand, and it is made in South Africa and it used lava ash and resin. It is pretty light weight, it holds the heat very well, and it is solid. It does mount on 2 bases and is 67" long and deep. IIRC it was around $5,000 brand new

 

[infinkc]

We put in a kohler one from Home Depot. Once it’s all mounted it’s very sturdy. Doesn’t feel “cheap” the kids use it all the time.

 

[ynned]

Tubs should be set in a bed of mortar, which makes them much stiffer and more solid.

 

[yeldogt]

When we built our house, we found a bath tub that was put into the spare bath in a house during a remodel. It was immediately sold and the first thing that the new owners did was to gut the house and remodel it. So we don't believe that it was ever used. It is a Victoria Albert brand, and it is made in South Africa and it used lava ash and resin. It is pretty light weight, it holds the heat very well, and it is solid. It does mount on 2 bases and is 67" long and deep. IIRC it was around $5,000 brand new

I did one of those .. that's a stand alone tub. I think the OP wants a built-in. Mine was pure white ... I went all in -- the fill came out of the ceiling. Don't ask $$.

There are different levels of every type .... I have not had any issues with Kohler cast products. yes -- heavy .... but, it's a one time thing.

 

[rlitman]

I did one of those .. that's a stand alone tub. I think the OP wants a built-in. Mine was pure white ... I went all in -- the fill came out of the ceiling. Don't ask $$.

There are different levels of every type .... I have not had any issues with Kohler cast products. yes -- heavy .... but, it's a one time thing.

Yeah, I'm looking to do an alcove tub (built in, with a front wall, and in my case, right drain), since there's no way to fit a separate shower in this room, but man does Victoria Albert make some nice stuff. Wow. I wish...

I have a Kohler cast iron tub downstairs. It's built like a brick house, but is way too shallow, and a cast iron tub deep enough to soak in would be too heavy to bring upstairs, which is what brought me to acrylic. Really, my negative experience with Kohler have been limited to their toilets. I agree that their cast tubs are quite good.

We put in a kohler one from Home Depot. Once it’s all mounted it’s very sturdy. Doesn’t feel “cheap” the kids use it all the time.

Thanks. That makes me feel better about acrylic.

Tubs should be set in a bed of mortar, which makes them much stiffer and more solid.

Yeah, it's all in the installation. Isn't it always. Any pointers here will be greatly appreciated. I've heard to put some wire mesh in the bottom of the mortar for example.

 

[65ranchero]

What about a walk in tub, best of both worlds maybe
still pricy but not as much as Victoria Albert

 

[engineer2]

As said, the base must be set in a bed of thick mortar.
You can insulate a tub yourself, fiberglass house insulation works well and it really makes a difference.

Tell your wife you are looking at 3-person tubs and see how she reacts.

 

[firebirdparts]

I just bought one, a 60 by 30, and I was surprised at how thin it was. The one I bought was "Vikrell" which some kind of weird fiberglass. The cosmetic front really just didn't look strong at all to me. That said, it is deep. I had to redo the plumbing because the outlet hung practically through the subfloor. It's a Lowes stock item (I don't care much) and the brand is "Sterling". It has a surround that doesn't call for any caulk, and I liked the looks of it, and that was really the reason I went with this brand. I don't claim that is actually a good idea.

The surround also was surprisingly thin. I found plenty of evidence that these items are pretty hard to get out of the mold and to the store unblemished.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Tubs should be set in a bed of mortar, which makes them much stiffer and more solid.

Ive done several of my own baths from scratch.,.. about the only point Id make, is above. If its not cast, it needs some kind of additional support, I dont care how much the manufacturer provided, its never enough. Im now living in a house I did not build, and things like this drive me CRAZY.

 

[rlitman]

What about a walk in tub, best of both worlds maybe
still pricy but not as much as Victoria Albert

I looked at a few, but several downsides turned me off of the idea.

For one thing, you have to get in, shut the door and wait for the water to fill, and then later, wait for the water to drain before opening the door.

And more importantly, this will be primarily used as a shower, and all of the walk in tubs I found had significantly smaller floor areas than regular tubs, leaving you showering in an uncomfortably tight space (partly because of the built-in seat, and partly because of weight limitations placing limits on the water volume at their increased depth.

 

[rlitman]

Ive done several of my own baths from scratch.,.. about the only point Id make, is above. If its not cast, it needs some kind of additional support, I dont care how much the manufacturer provided, its never enough. Im now living in a house I did not build, and things like this drive me CRAZY.

Same here. Still, ANYTHING is better than what I pulled out (which really did drive me crazy). I was always wondering why this bathroom had cracks in the floor tile and flushing issues.

Turns out that the floor joist centered directly under the tub was cut through it's full thickness in TWO places. At the drain, and also at the other end of the tub where the closet arm (toilet drain) passes through. It was really nothing but the stiffness of the flooring and the ceiling below holding up a 50" long 2x8.

Plus, the horizontal drain leading away from the toilet passed a tee facing the wrong direction, so solids could catch on the corner, technically being passed in the direction of the sink (among many other issues).

I've got a long road of structural repairs ahead of me...

I just bought one, a 60 by 30, and I was surprised at how thin it was. The one I bought was "Vikrell" which some kind of weird fiberglass. The cosmetic front really just didn't look strong at all to me. That said, it is deep. I had to redo the plumbing because the outlet hung practically through the subfloor. It's a Lowes stock item (I don't care much) and the brand is "Sterling". It has a surround that doesn't call for any caulk, and I liked the looks of it, and that was really the reason I went with this brand. I don't claim that is actually a good idea.

The surround also was surprisingly thin. I found plenty of evidence that these items are pretty hard to get out of the mold and to the store unblemished.

I'm not opposed to a surround, though my wife is dead set on tile. But the sloping ceiling kills the surround idea anyway. My parents have had a caulk-less tub with surround for some time now, and it's pretty nice. I remember the base being set in a mortar bed.

Yes, I've read a lot of reviews about shipping damage.

As said, the base must be set in a bed of thick mortar.
You can insulate a tub yourself, fiberglass house insulation works well and it really makes a difference.

Tell your wife you are looking at 3-person tubs and see how she reacts.

LOL.

I saw people using spray foam on tubs, which has me thinking that if I do it right (and don't cause it to be pushed around by the foam's expansion) I can kill two birds with one stone, stiffening up the walls and insulating at the same time.

 

[flat350]

I think the deepest C.I. tub Kohler makes for an alcove is the Memoirs line,the apron on that tub isn't just a flat slab it has some shape to it.

 

[dcg9381]

Is it just me, or are tubs just not what they used to be? Is there a maker of a truly good acrylic tub that's deep enough to actually soak in?

I'm building a home and the master was setup for a large tub. After going into some nearby model homes that had great looking tubs, but were acrylic - I knew I didn't want one. They looked great, provided decent insulation, but I could tell, as soon as I leaned on it, that it was acrylic.

We bought cast, but a 72" cast tub.. Lets just say it's still on my trailer and I'm going to need 3 other guys to have a shot at getting it in the house. It's 500 lbs.

I'd absolutely do an acyrlic tub all day long for a space where I didn't want to deal with the weight and wanted a modern tub look. The acrylics in RVs last years (showers / tubs etc)...

 

[Glemon]

I did the expanding foam thing under my 6' extra deep jetted tub, feels pretty solid, though I am sure it is probably not as good as mortar long term. With mortar and water (and me) I was also a little concerned about the load on the joists.

 

[jweller]

I did both my bathrooms a few years back and went with Kohlers budget brand Sterling. One doesn't get a lot of use and I did the full fiberglass 3 piece surround, the other I use every day, but I just did the tub there and tiled the surround. I'm very happy with both after about 10 years. You do have to put a mortar bed down, but they are very solid.

 

[Jackfre]

I’ve used the Victoria Albert Asia model in our last two houses. It is an excellent soaking tub. I went the local Ferguson branch and bought the floor sample, as they were re-modeling the show room. It came at a substantial discount. Water vol is about 30-35 gal. And it retains the heat well. The issue I have with CI tubs is the mass of the tub itself. You have to have a lot of hot water to heat the mass of the tub.

 

[rlitman]

I forgot about this thread. As a followup, I ended up with the Hydro Systems Sydney acrylic tub. It's built quite solidly, and since the bottom is sitting on a mortar bed (I added anti-crack fibers to the mortar, just because I could), it feels as solid as a rock. The bathroom though is still in the middle of being tiled.

 

[pcmeiners]

"and a cast iron tub deep enough to soak in would be too heavy to bring upstairs,"

As to any cast iron tub.... I got my last cast iron up to the second floor by myself in one hour, piece of cake. In the ceiling over the stairs you anchor an eye bolt ( or more than one) and use a come-along ($30) or winch to pull it up. Having a man crew bringing it up a staircase is very dangerous.
As to a cast iron bathtub, they last forever, sure beats looking at a romper room quality tub made from fiberglass or acrylic once they wear in a few short years.

As far a stifffening the bottom of a tub, best to set it in a mixture of cement and a high percent of vermiculite for it insulation value.

 

[ynned]

"and a cast iron tub deep enough to soak in would be too heavy to bring upstairs,"

As to any cast iron tub.... I got my last cast iron up to the second floor by myself in one hour, piece of cake. In the ceiling over the stairs you anchor an eye bolt ( or more than one) and use a come-along ($30) or winch to pull it up. Having a man crew bringing it up a staircase is very dangerous.
As to a cast iron bathtub, they last forever, sure beats looking at a romper room quality tub made from fiberglass or acrylic once they wear in a few short years.

As far a stifffening the bottom of a tub, best to set it in a mixture of cement and a high percent of vermiculite for it insulation value.

Excellent idea with the vermiculite.