Ultimate Guide When Buying A Tub

When purchasing a bathtub, lots of factors affect its price tag. Before finally purchasing your tub for the remodeled bath or for the new one, take into consideration what tubs are composed of, where and how the tub may be used, and also the budget.

Taking your bath is your ultimate relaxation, but purchasing your bathtub may be fraught with pressure. There is this dizzying array of sizes, materials and shapes available today, but it is a decision that you wanted to get right. Replacing and ripping out the tub is not high on anybody’s list of fun activities, so take your time to reply these important queries before buying.

Here are some guideline questions being asked when buying a tub:

​​​​​​​1. Are there special considerations when installing?

If you are considering the jetted bathtub, you will need to have a plan for the air switch, electric timer and pump. Lots of pumps fit within a tub unit; however, there are some manufacturers that had the remote-location pump which may be placed up to 5 feet from a tub and hide in the vanity cabinet or in the closet. An air switch that is nonelectric can be situated on a tub unit. Plan the installation of the electric timer with a safe distance—about 5 ft—away from a tub to satisfy the code requirements.

2. Can the water heater able to handle the task?

Remember that your tub size will affect the monthly expense. The standard bath will consists of 1/3 cold water and 2/3 hot water. When you have the hot-water tank, will it supply sufficient hot water? The tubs are varied in size, holding about 25-150 water gallons. Make sure that the water heater is big enough to fill in about 2/3 of the tub with hot water.

3. Does weight pose the problem?

The plastic tub is able to weigh as bit as 50 lbs. empty, while the cast-iron bathtub will top 1,000 pounds. When you are taking into consideration a heavier material, will the floors handle the mass? When you add the tub weight, and also the weight of the people and water, it can be required to reinforce a floor beneath a tub with bracings and supports. Also, the too-heavy tub will be prohibitively expensive and impossible to get into the second-floor bathroom.

4. How are you planning to use the tub?

The answer identifies whether the, bare-bones, inexpensive design is enough or it will need something with whistles and bells. The standard soaking tub merely gets packed with water, while the air bath or the whirlpools have channels or jets that can give massaging air. The extras in the soaker are normally limited to the headrests or arms, grab bars, and the slip-resistant flooring. Air-bath, whirlpool, combination tubs have lots of other options, with ambient underwater lighting, adjustable jets, aromatherapy features, automated cleaning systems, and heated blowers. The more elaborated the tub is, the more costly it can be.

5. How much space you have?

Before finally falling in love with a certain style of tub, you have to know just what the bathroom may accommodate. The standard tub is just 60 inches long, 14 inches deep, and 30 inches wide, but lots of other shapes and sizes are also available. In identifying how big the tub will be, take extra careful measurements of the doorways and the space. Take note of where a drain is situated in the floor in making sure it will work with your most preferred tub design. Also, most of the tubs do not permit for the shower installation, so check before finally buying if that is a must-have style for the whole family to use.

6. Is the tub relaxing?

Before buying the tub, you have to try it on to know if the size fits. Climb in, settles and lay back, and envision yourself being soaked. Does it feel and fit comfortable for you? Do not feel embarrassed when trying, it is the best way for you to identify if you will be satisfied with your tub before buying it.

Bathtub Materials

With so many sizes and shapes for you to choose from, purchasing a tub may be overwhelming. The tub material you choose determines the durability, cleanability and the price. Use the bathtub material comparison in helping you choose.

Cast-iron – this tub like the steel are being coated with enamel. But, they do not chip as easily as the steel because an enamel coating will be thicker than on the steel tubs, and the cast iron is more durable and also resistant to impacts. Initially, the cast-iron tub can pull the heat from the water, but the moment it heats up, this will keep the hot water for a longer time. The cast iron’s main problem is the weight, 350-500 lbs. that will complicate the second-floor tub installation.

Cast-polymer – this tub traditionally replicates the appearance of granite, onyx, and marble and they are available in a series of solid colors. The cast polymer rates a bit more than the acrylic; but, the surface does not stand up too. With time, a gel-coat finish of the cast-polymer tub may be brittle and exposed the materials underneath, leading for it to crack.

Enameled steel – this is a formed steel bathtub with the porcelain-enamel coating had been the least expensive tub. But the material had drawbacks too. Steel conducts heat, which means that the tub water cools rapidly; the surface had been prone to chipping; it weighs about two times much as the plastics.

Plastic – it is made of either acrylic or fiberglass and the plastic bathtubs give the best design flexibility since it can be molded in many shapes. It is warm to hold on and it insulates well, and so the water does not cool as rapidly as the enameled-steel bathtub or the cast-iron tub. Plastic is the lightest tub that weighs between 60-70 lbs. Although it does not chip easily, the abrasive cleaners can harm the surface.

Proprietary composite – relatively latest entrants to the tub marketplace, proprietary composite include the heavy-gauge steel, resins and porcelain enamel. These tub materials combined to make the tub that tenders all the benefits that the cast iron had with half of the weight.

Bathtub Kinds and Installations

Choosing the tub depends on the bathroom’s configuration and what the installation will work. Here are some of the bathtub installation kinds that will help you identify what will work best for your space.

Alcove tub – it is the most frequent tub installation. The Alcove tub is also called as the recessed tubs, and are installed adjacent into the 3 walls.

Freestanding tub – as the name indicates, freestanding tub like clawfoot tub stand alone in the bath area, but should be placed close by the plumbing lines.

Soaking tubs – it features extra-deep dimension which totally submerged the bathers into the water to have some relaxation.

Whirlpool bathtubs – to have that spa bathtub experience take into consideration the model with jets. The whirlpool tubs pres ent jets that push that water about the tub. But, whirlpools are usually more costly than air tubs.

The other tub installation kinds will include corner bathtubs, platform tubs, Undermount tubs, and drop-in tubs. In addition, with the standard tubs you my purchase the tub with exclusive features that will fit your lifestyle.

Should I Refinish or Repair My Bathtub?

If the tub is cracked, worn, or leaking, it may be time to change the bathtub. But, maybe the old tub’s character, the daunting duty of ripping this out, does not justify changing. Lining or refinishing the tub is the best means of taking care of unsightly stains and chips. Most companies can refinish the tub with the use of polyurethane coating which gives it a high-gloss, hard surface. The other businesses will outfit the tub with the acrylic liner molded just right to its shape, styles and sizes. The best scrub will go a long mode with making the bathtub feel new also.