bathroom tub.Steel or fibre glass

[beesondirect]

Hi I would like to buy bathroom tub.Whether i should go for steel or glass fibre tubs.Which type is economic and better.Please suggest me.

 

[matt]

I prefer steel - Bette are good.

 

[Paul Chapman]

When we had our bathroom done I went for a steel bath and a composite stone shower tray. Very pleased with both. No movement as you always seem to get with plastic, however well they are fitted - also I find that with plastic, the gloss always seems to wear off, then it's a sod to clean.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[TonyW]

I have just replaced an old steel (or cast iron) bath with a cheap acrylic one - a little bit of ingenuity with foam packing and it feels quite solid with no discernible flexing.

Steel baths usually have the advantage over acrylic in that they are sturdier and do not flex as much. They should also last longer.

Acrylic baths are much warmer than steel which can still retain 'coldness' in spite of being filled with hot water.

I suppose it depends on your preference on style and colour available (and price) in the chosen material.

Cheers
Tony

Edit: Agree with Paul about the 'gloss going off', however with a bit of elbow grease and the right product you can usually polish it back to a nice shine :lol:

 

[Dibs-h]

Steel everytime - just check the cleaning products when you buy them to ensure they are suitable for enamel surfaces!

 

[woodbloke]

I haven't had a bath for years - Rob

 

[big soft moose]

I haven't had a bath for years - Rob

i wondered what the smell was :lol:

 

[petermillard]

Yep, steel for me too - I like Kaldewei, nice thick enamel. I do a few bathroom refits a year and have never had anyone specifically request acrylic, though I've fitted a few that clients have supplied. I fitted a shower tray earlier in the year that was stone resin but with an acrylic skin over the top of it - was certainly warmer to the touch, but still with the static and scratching installation snags to watch out for.

Packing bags of polystyrene chippings ('packing peanuts') around the bath in the void is a good way of making a steel bath that bit warmer - keeps the water hotter for longer too!

Cheers, Pete

 

[chippy1970]

I have Kaldewei steel bath very good quality, Bette are good too.

I refitted my bathroom about 7 years ago and I have an Exafill on my bath they are great no taps you just pull a lever and the bath fills from the overflow. Most jobs we do now have these they look less fussy when you dont have taps or spouts..

 

[Shultzy]

I have a steel bath too. It's in need of re-enamelling, is this a possibility.

 

[Shadowfax]

Shultzy,
Try here

SF

 

[Dibs-h]

I have a steel bath too. It's in need of re-enamelling, is this a possibility.

Depends if you are staying or selling. These products are expoxy based and aren't re-enamelling in the true sense. That might not bother some folk.

Ours is a original Art Deco cast iron bath - it's an Ivory colour. Problem is there was never an original bog to go with it. So in the end managed to source original white bog and sink, and will be having the bath media blasted and redone with glass enamel the old fashioned way. Cost - around £500.

 

[Shultzy]

Thanks Shadowfax and Dibs-h. I hadn't realised the re-enamelling was epoxy based. We are staying so is this method not long-lasting.

Dibs-h, is the £500 an average cost, and does the bath have to be taken out to have it glass enamelled?

 

[Dibs-h]

Thanks Shadowfax and Dibs-h. I hadn't realised the re-enamelling was epoxy based. We are staying so is this method not long-lasting.

Dibs-h, is the £500 an average cost, and does the bath have to be taken out to have it glass enamelled?

Depends what you call long lasting - our current bath is from 1918 and condition is almost prisitine - just "wrong bloody colour". With an epoxy coating who know how long it will last. In theory a long time - but there's too many variables - especially as it's not factory applied.

With glass enamelling - yes it has to be taken out, the factory bead\shot blast it, enamel it and stick it in the oven. £500 is what I was quoted for by a firm in Lancs - one of the few ones remaining that do it. It's the same coating that was done originally - so it should outlast the children.