Bathtub purchase help

[downtoearth]

So we need a new bathtub and are ordering from Home Depot (gift cards there, so we have $250 off).

My husband wants a soaking tub with about 15" or more soaking depth, but we would use it to shower everyday.  Which tub would you choose?  Does acrylic or steel hold up better does a $600 tub really beat a $200 tub?  The last time we renovated a bathroom we changed from an apron/alcove tub to a claw foot, so this is different for us.


Kohler Archer Acrylic:
www.homedepot.com/p/KOHLER-Archer-5-ft-Left-Drain-Soaking-Tub-in-White-K-1123-LA-0/100604939?N=5yc1vZbzciZ1z0vm5fZ1z140k4



Kohler Devonshire Acrylic:
www.homedepot.com/p/KOHLER-Devonshire-5-ft-Left-Hand-Drain-Acrylic-Soaking-Tub-in-White-K-1184-LA-0/100094383



Lyons Soaking Tub - Acrylic:
www.homedepot.com/p/Lyons-Industries-Linear-5-ft-Left-Drain-Soaking-Tub-in-White-LLT013060L/204830435?N=5yc1vZbzciZ2bcoq6Z1z0vm5fZ1z140k4#specifications



Boot Industries Maui Tub - Steel:
www.homedepot.com/p/Bootz-Industries-Maui-5-ft-Left-Drain-Soaking-Tub-in-White-011-2341-00/202207103?N=5yc1vZbzciZ2bcoq6Z1z0vm5fZ1z0zd7fZ1z140k4#

[stephm0188]

I prefer the style of the very first, but I suspect you are paying for Kohler name and style.

Bath water will stay warmer longer in an acrylic tub, and they weigh much less.

[TBM]

Apr 24, 2014 15:43:30 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

Bath water will stay warmer longer in an acrylic tub, and they weigh much less.

Really?  I have always felt like the water got cold faster in the acrylic tubs we have had, but maybe it was my imagination.

I do know that our acrylic tubs seemed to be more difficult to keep clean than our other tubs.

[lavender444]

We ordered the Archer for our bathroom remodel in our old house, but when it was delivered the actual tub space was so super small. So we sent it back and got the Kolher Bancroft. www.amazon.com/KOHLER-K-1150-RA-0-Bancroft-5-Foot-Right-Hand/dp/B0018T8U22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398383881&sr=8-1&keywords=kohler+bancroft+bathtub

I loved it! I'm a bath person and spent a lot of time in there. It was perfect for our smaller bathroom and for the price. It was also nice, because the overflow drain was up higher in the tub, so you could get a fairly deep bath. Dh and I shower together a lot, and there was space for both of us to get past each other in there, too.

Here's how it looked in our old bath.

[jillybean222]

ugh, i have no idea but i wanted to commiserate! i am trying to pick a tub too! it will be in our master bath but we want a deep tub for when all 3 girls take a bath together and it will be our everyday shower too.

[mammamia]

I have the archer and don't find it to be small. I use it daily and fill it to the tippy top. I love it! The horizontal overflow lets you fill it extra deep and I like the look if it.

If I could do it again I would probably go with cast iron. I just think it feels more substantial underfoot and long term will holdup better. The tub I wanted was a six week special order which is how I wound up with the archer.

[kitty]

We went with the Kohler Bancroft too and I love it! It is nice and big because it doesn't have "armrests" on the inside that I never used anyway. DD loves to take baths in it because I can fill it up higher without getting totally splashed when she plays vs the original 1968 cast iron one in the kids' bathroom.

I don't think the water stays as warm as it does in cast iron but it also doesn't need to be pre-heated the way cast iron does so you can get it full at a comfortable temperature faster. We considered cast iron but the labor to install it was going to be $$$ and we were going for a budget $5k bathroom upgrade - hence the acrylic. We've only had it since mid October but I haven't found it difficult to keep clean.

[adhdfashion]

Cast iron is worth the extra money. The water stays hot way longer.

[auntie]

For heat retention, cast iron is best.

I wouldn't buy a steel tub. I hate mine. The previous owner it it weekly with cleanser and it's a rusty mess.

When I redid my bath at the old house, I did cast iron and my contractor put insulation in it to help hold the heat.

[auntie]

For heat retention, cast iron is best.

I wouldn't buy a steel tub. I hate mine. The previous owner it it weekly with cleanser and it's a rusty mess.

When I redid my bath at the old house, I did cast iron and my contractor put insulation in it to help hold the heat.

I don't feel like acrylic is hard to clean. I sometimes clean my mom's acrylic tub with foaming bathroom cleaner and it's great. I like Kaboom.

[TBM]

Apr 25, 2014 7:13:30 GMT -5 auntie said:

I don't feel like acrylic is hard to clean. I sometimes clean my mom's acrylic tub with foaming bathroom cleaner and it's great. I like Kaboom.

Maybe that's part of my problem.   I wind up with asthma issues with a lot of the cleaners that people seem to like, although DH will use them if he has no luck with eco friendly stuff.
 
Maybe it was that particular tub design...I know that a couple of the neighbors at our old house (subdivision where we all had the same tub) definitely used products that I wouldn't for cleaning, and they complained that nothing worked that well, and even if it did, the tub would not stay clean.  Actually it seemed like everyone hated the acrylic tub, and said that it seemed to get dirtier than
any tub they had owned before.  It was weird.

[auntie]

Apr 25, 2014 7:30:01 GMT -5 TBM said:

Apr 25, 2014 7:13:30 GMT -5 auntie said:

I don't feel like acrylic is hard to clean. I sometimes clean my mom's acrylic tub with foaming bathroom cleaner and it's great. I like Kaboom.

Maybe that's part of my problem.   I wind up with asthma issues with a lot of the cleaners that people seem to like, although DH will use them if he has no luck with eco friendly stuff.
 
Maybe it was that particular tub design...I know that a couple of the neighbors at our old house (subdivision where we all had the same tub) definitely used products that I wouldn't for cleaning, and they complained that nothing worked that well, and even if it did, the tub would not stay clean.  Actually it seemed like everyone hated the acrylic tub, and said that it seemed to get dirtier than
any tub they had owned before.  It was weird.

My mother has asthma, it's why I sometimes clean things for her when I come to visit.

Dishwashing liquid will also work in a pinch. 

[lavender444]

You can't use abrasive cleaners on most tubs, sinks and toilets anymore. It makes scratches and causes it to rust and get dirty faster since dirt gets trapped in those scratches. You have to use something that can be sprayed. I make my own cleaner with 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 water and a few drops of dish soap.

[auntie]

Apr 25, 2014 9:10:18 GMT -5 nursecramer said:

Apr 25, 2014 7:12:17 GMT -5 auntie said:

For heat retention, cast iron is best.

I wouldn't buy a steel tub. I hate mine. The previous owner it it weekly with cleanser and it's a rusty mess.

When I redid my bath at the old house, I did cast iron and my contractor put insulation in it to help hold the heat.

I wonder how typical your experience is. We have a steel tub, estimated to be 40-50 years old? It's in great condition, the one thing we didn't replace when we remodeled the bathroom. I clean it with baking soda only about once a month, though. Yay for being lazy?

I wonder too.

I have never used an abrasive cleaner on any tub. The one that came with my house was trashed by the time I moved in. It wasn't 12 years old. This was my parents' house. They are empty nesters who primarily used the stall shower. My mother had a passive aggressive cleaning lady who snuck cleanser into the house. 

It's weird, I've had 2 apartments that had colored porcelain over steel in the kitchen sinks that held up a whole better- so maybe there are different levels of quality. 

[downtoearth]

You guys are confusing me.

Thanks for all the advice. I really wish I could just get a 14-15" soaking depth tub for like $400, but that's probably not reasonable. It's interesting, b/c the same Archer is referenced on several blogs for around $400, but I can't find it for less than $600. Did it get more popular?

Anyway, I think we'll have to skip cast iron since the cheapest we can find with a depth 14"+ is over $700. I'll just have to go with Americast steel/porcelain or acrylic.

Anyone had luck with insulating their acrylic tubs?

[lavender444]

Apr 25, 2014 11:42:29 GMT -5 nursecramer said:

Apr 25, 2014 9:44:04 GMT -5 lavender444 said:

You can't use abrasive cleaners on most tubs, sinks and toilets anymore. It makes scratches and causes it to rust and get dirty faster since dirt gets trapped in those scratches. You have to use something that can be sprayed. I make my own cleaner with 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 water and a few drops of dish soap.

Is baking soda too abrasive? It's my go-to for pretty much anything that I want to scrub.

Yes. No baking soda. It has to be able to spray out of a bottle. Soft scrub and Comet are too abrasive, too.

[lavender444]

Apr 25, 2014 12:18:13 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

You guys are confusing me.

Thanks for all the advice. I really wish I could just get a 14-15" soaking depth tub for like $400, but that's probably not reasonable. It's interesting, b/c the same Archer is referenced on several blogs for around $400, but I can't find it for less than $600. Did it get more popular?

Anyway, I think we'll have to skip cast iron since the cheapest we can find with a depth 14"+ is over $700. I'll just have to go with Americast steel/porcelain or acrylic.

Anyone had luck with insulating their acrylic tubs?

DH did ours on his own. He didn't have any trouble at all, but he's annoyingly good at everything he does. Even my hobbies  that I've done my whole life, he can pick up fast and school me on.

[downtoearth]

Apr 25, 2014 12:34:11 GMT -5 lavender444 said:

Apr 25, 2014 12:18:13 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Anyone had luck with insulating their acrylic tubs?

DH did ours on his own. He didn't have any trouble at all, but he's annoyingly good at everything he does. Even my hobbies  that I've done my whole life, he can pick up fast and school me on.

Do you mean your DH installed it himself?  Yes, we intend to do that.  We've never hired a contractor yet to do work on our houses - DH thinks he can do it just as well for so much cheaper, problem is it always takes us longer than we planned. 

I was asking about insulating - It sounds like you can insulate an acrylic tub with spray foam and fiberglass to get it to hold heat even better. I just don't know if that's normal.

[TBM]

Apr 25, 2014 9:10:18 GMT -5 nursecramer said:

Apr 25, 2014 7:12:17 GMT -5 auntie said:

For heat retention, cast iron is best.

I wouldn't buy a steel tub. I hate mine. The previous owner it it weekly with cleanser and it's a rusty mess.

When I redid my bath at the old house, I did cast iron and my contractor put insulation in it to help hold the heat.

I wonder how typical your experience is. We have a steel tub, estimated to be 40-50 years old? It's in great condition, the one thing we didn't replace when we remodeled the bathroom. I clean it with baking soda only about once a month, though. Yay for being lazy?

My mom's house is 57 yrs old, and still has the original tub.  It has been cleaned with comet and all kinds of stuff that I would never use, and it is still in great shape...along with the pink and burgundy tile surround. lol

[lavender444]

Apr 25, 2014 12:46:43 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Apr 25, 2014 12:34:11 GMT -5 lavender444 said:

DH did ours on his own. He didn't have any trouble at all, but he's annoyingly good at everything he does. Even my hobbies  that I've done my whole life, he can pick up fast and school me on.

Do you mean your DH installed it himself?  Yes, we intend to do that.  We've never hired a contractor yet to do work on our houses - DH thinks he can do it just as well for so much cheaper, problem is it always takes us longer than we planned. 

I was asking about insulating - It sounds like you can insulate an acrylic tub with spray foam and fiberglass to get it to hold heat even better. I just don't know if that's normal.

Ooooohhhhh! Whoopsie!  Insulating... installing total samsies, apparently. lol

He did not insulate it, he says the foam he was going to use was "freaking expensive". lol We installed a tankless water heater at the same time, so the hot water flowed freely.  I like to read in the bath, so I stay in for an hour+. I didn't think it lost heat too quickly.  Ive never had a cast iron tub for comparison though..

[lavender444]

Apr 25, 2014 12:47:39 GMT -5 nursecramer said:

Apr 25, 2014 12:31:11 GMT -5 lavender444 said:

Yes. No baking soda. It has to be able to spray out of a bottle. Soft scrub and Comet are too abrasive, too.

Boo.

Thanks for letting me know.

I was bummed to learn that, too. I had to change my whole cleaning method. But really, the vinegar and dish soap combo does a fantastic job.

[prazenjc]

Research I did had me convinced that acrylic was for me. Today's holds heat way better this those of years past. Do searches online & you can find more than just experiential reviews to add to the wisdom our GBCN gals share.

[FoxInFiji]

We also have the Kohler Bancroft.


But I really like the Kohler Archer as well. It was our second choice. If cost is a factor you'll want to make sure you look at how much the drain and overflows are as well. If I remember right the Archer's drain and overflow costs a little more but it did the sleek horizontal overflow.

Installing a tub isn't extremely hard but getting it level perfectly level and connecting the drain can be tricky. We DIYed a ton of stuff on our two bathroom & three bedroom remodel (tile, demo, electrical, HVAC, finish plumbing, window install, etc.) but we didn't do this ourselves. DH and my FIL helped the plumber install but it was worth paying for 1-2 hours of a plumber's time. We mudded both of the tubs in place to give a nice solid support on the bottom. The previous acrylic tubs (also Kohler from the 70's) flexed a lot when you stood in them but these are nice and solid. I highly recommend that install if your plumber is willing to do it. Here's a blog post I did on one of the tub installs:

threeacres.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/huston-we-have-a-tub/

We went with acrylic for both the main bath tub/shower combo and the master soaking tub for cost, size options, and reduced weight. The main bath did get scratched a little when we were installing the tile (the protective cardboard wasn't taped down well and shifted) and from bathing the dog in there. But long term we plan to use the basement shower for washing the dog and we're going with a cast iron base for that shower.

HTH

[whiteyswifey]

Thank you for posting this...I know in a few weeks I'm going to have to be making this decision myself.