some advise on bathtub

[handyman2020]

hi,
The washroom in my house has this whirpool jet bathtub previously installed by ex owner. ( Not sure if its whirlpool or jet tub though it looks like this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Jacuzzi-Pr...ft-Hand-Drain-Alcove-Whirlpool-Tub/1000292051 )
The tub is pretty old and i would like to plan its replacement.

I thought of 2 options:
A Get it glazed but i dont know if it works good or not, youtube doesnt help much on glazing old bathtubs and it seems lots of work as well grinding current tub and who knows if it will turn out good or not.

B get a new bathtub. Now I saw online and the whirpool jet tubs are like 4000$ not sure why they are so expensive, i just need the tub not the motor, pipes etc as its all there in washroom.

is it possible to buy a regular bath tub and put holes in it, same holes as current bathtub and mod it to whirpool bathtub again?
The reason I am inclined towards the whirpool jet tub is because if I change the jet tub to regular tub it will be more work to remove electricals/plumbing for whirlpool tub and since everything related to whirpool tub is already installed why not just put whirpool tub back ( even though I rarely use jet bath )_

not sure what to do, Can you help me out here choosing the correct path.

thankyou

 

[Jackfre]

I’d pull the whole thing and put in a nice soaking tub. We have a Victoria Albert Asia model which is discontinued now, but it is a really nice tub. Your idea to make a Frankentub will I think be a lot of work and you still end up with old hardware on the tub. It’s anyone’s guess as to how long that gear going to last? If it was my house I’s get it done and the pump would **** out in the first week, but that is me. A good soaking tub is a pleasure and simple.

 

[bdbecker]

Those tub refinishing kits are garbage. When we bought our house, the previous owner had treated the tub with a kit. We didn't realize it until a month or two later when it started peeling off.

Regarding modifying a tub, I don't know how bathtubs are made, but what I do know about manufacturing in general is that things are usually designed and built with the end use in mind. A standard soaking tub may not be built the same as a jetted tub. Wall thickness may be different, provisions for the jet holes might get some extra reinforcement, etc. I could certainly be wrong, but it is not worth the risk in my opinion to drill a bunch of holes into a tub to find out for sure.

If you want a jetted tub, get a jetted tub. Maybe you can reuse the pump, but personally I'd do a full replacement for piece of mind.

I agree with @Jackfre - a well made soaking tub would be your best bet if a new jetted tub is not in the budget.

 

[handyman2020]

Those tub refinishing kits are garbage. When we bought our house, the previous owner had treated the tub with a kit. We didn't realize it until a month or two later when it started peeling off.

Regarding modifying a tub, I don't know how bathtubs are made, but what I do know about manufacturing in general is that things are usually designed and built with the end use in mind. A standard soaking tub may not be built the same as a jetted tub. Wall thickness may be different, provisions for the jet holes might get some extra reinforcement, etc. I could certainly be wrong, but it is not worth the risk in my opinion to drill a bunch of holes into a tub to find out for sure.

If you want a jetted tub, get a jetted tub. Maybe you can reuse the pump, but personally I'd do a full replacement for piece of mind.

I agree with @Jackfre - a well made soaking tub would be your best bet if a new jetted tub is not in the budget.

thanks for sharing your views

I’d pull the whole thing and put in a nice soaking tub. We have a Victoria Albert Asia model which is discontinued now, but it is a really nice tub. Your idea to make a Frankentub will I think be a lot of work and you still end up with old hardware on the tub. It’s anyone’s guess as to how long that gear going to last? If it was my house I’s get it done and the pump would **** out in the first week, but that is me. A good soaking tub is a pleasure and simple.

thank you, i will just get the soaking tub as I rarely use the jet anyways. Then I have to redo the walls around the tub and put tiles, seems like a lot of work for diy. not sure if its possible for diyer to do first of all.

 

[duneslider]

I'm sort of confused on what you are asking here? The tub you linked is a jetted tub for under $700. Not sure where the $4000 is coming in? If you like the tub at lowes then put that one in. I would venture that most people don't end up using the "jet" function of those tubs very much but there are some people that love them. You can count the times I have taken a bath in my adult life on one hand and you wouldn't need all the fingers.

For 4k maybe look at a hot tub for the backyard or something?

 

[Jinks]

The decision is yours, but my experience with jetted tubs is that they look good but seldom get used. We put one in our master bath back in '06. It got used a few times at first because of the novelty. Then for a while a couple used to visit & the wife suffered from severe arthritis. She used the tub the few days they were here, but those days are over. Neither of us use a tub at all, so ours never gets used any more. I'm planning on replacing it with a soaking tub when we remodel, but that's in the future. For now it just sits. If you will use it, put a new one in, if not put a soaking tub in.

 

[handyman2020]

I'm sort of confused on what you are asking here? The tub you linked is a jetted tub for under $700. Not sure where the $4000 is coming in? If you like the tub at lowes then put that one in. I would venture that most people don't end up using the "jet" function of those tubs very much but there are some people that love them. You can count the times I have taken a bath in my adult life on one hand and you wouldn't need all the fingers.

For 4k maybe look at a hot tub for the backyard or something?

that linked item is discontinued and out of stock, no one can buy it.

 

[handyman2020]

The decision is yours, but my experience with jetted tubs is that they look good but seldom get used. We put one in our master bath back in '06. It got used a few times at first because of the novelty. Then for a while a couple used to visit & the wife suffered from severe arthritis. She used the tub the few days they were here, but those days are over. Neither of us use a tub at all, so ours never gets used any more. I'm planning on replacing it with a soaking tub when we remodel, but that's in the future. For now it just sits. If you will use it, put a new one in, if not put a soaking tub in.

are you gonna remodel by yourself or you will hire a contractor?
i will get the soaking tub in then. I dont want to spend around 3000 just for the tub and then i have to remodel bathroom as well.

 

[duneslider]

There are 4-5 different models in stock at my local lowes in that size. That is just a standard drop in tub size. You could get a super fancy tub for 1200 bucks. Soaking tubs that size are a little cheaper. You shouldn't have to spend anywhere near 3k for a tub.

 

[handyman2020]

There are 4-5 different models in stock at my local lowes in that size. That is just a standard drop in tub size. You could get a super fancy tub for 1200 bucks. Soaking tubs that size are a little cheaper. You shouldn't have to spend anywhere near 3k for a tub.

I wish I was in USA, I am in Canada. Everything is costly and fewer options here as compare to USA.

 

[engineer2]

We had one in our house when we first moved in. Once the (noisy) novelty wore off we never used it. Found the internal plumbing gets nasty with mold unless you use it all the time. Tore it out when I remodelled. Considered an air-jet tub but found a quiet one was $4000. Put in a conventional tub.

The old one was fiberglass, was easy to remove and easily cut up with a sawzall. All the plumbing is custom to that tub and retrofitting it to new tub would not be practical.

 

[bdbecker]

...Then I have to redo the walls around the tub and put tiles, seems like a lot of work for diy. not sure if its possible for diyer to do first of all.

I was lucky when we replaced our tub in that I found a plumber who was willing to work with me on the project. He told me exactly how to do the demo work and prep so all he had to focus on was the install. Cut the project cost by nearly half. Not bad for what ended up being a day's work on my end plus a trip to the dump to get rid of the old materials. Being the main bathroom in our house, I contracted out the tile work. I've never messed with tile and I wasn't about to try and learn on a project that all our guests would see.

 

[handyman2020]

i think i will start getting quotes then.