Bathtub Shopping! | Imamother

esther11

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 7:45 pm

We are redoing our bathroom and adding a tub. And I know nothing Smile

What are the key features to look for when buying a bathtub? I know we need it to have a right hand drain, I want white, and the space allotted is 30”x60”. What material would you recommend? What else do I need to know? We are on a budget and wouldn’t want to spend more than the $3-400 range.

Thanks!!

mfb

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 9:12 pm

tzimip wrote:

Deep is impractical when bathing small kids. Just something to keep in mind

I actually don’t see a difference when bathing I have one deep and one shallow

esther11

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 10:18 pm

I like the idea of deep! I wouldn’t go super deep, just a little more than typical. I’ll see how much that affects the price.

Anyone know the difference between an alcove tub and a skirted/apron tub?

librarygirl

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 10:42 pm

Never bought one but it's so uncomfortable when the back is straight. Make sure it slopes.

twolilgirlies

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 11:30 pm

mfb wrote:

I actually don’t see a difference when bathing I have one deep and one shallow

hmm. how do you not see a diff? I have deep in master and shallow in the kids bath. so difficult to bathe my kids in my deep bathtub!

twolilgirlies

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 11:32 pm

esther11 wrote:

We are redoing our bathroom and adding a tub. And I know nothing Smile

get cast iron. Its more expensive but will last way longer. you don't want to have to replace the tub in 5 years. Also, the other kind (forgot what its called!) is much more slippery. my kids hate showering in that one

pause

Wed, Sep 02 2020, 11:53 pm

librarygirl wrote:

Never bought one but it's so uncomfortable when the back is straight. Make sure it slopes.

Climb into the tub and try it out in the showroom. Do not buy a tub you haven't actually gotten into and felt both for comfort and for size.

esther11

Thu, Sep 03 2020, 8:43 am

Ok so test for slope and depth.
Honestly cast iron really brings up the price...is it worth it?

pause

Thu, Sep 03 2020, 9:56 am

esther11 wrote:

Ok so test for slope and depth.
Honestly cast iron really brings up the price...is it worth it?

I think it depends on the usage of the bathroom. For a master or guest I would for sure go with acrylic. For a children's or all family bathroom, cast iron might be worth it. The warehouse people will be able to tell you the differences in wear and tear of both.

twolilgirlies

Thu, Sep 03 2020, 10:02 am

pause wrote:

This. that's what I did for my 2 bathrooms.

I also wanted one with more depth for the master. the deeper cast iron were waaay more expensive so I went with acrylic for master. and stuck with cast iron for the kids. (there's a cast iron kohler tub with a 14'' depth that is on the cheaper end. check that out if you'd like)

lkwdlady

Thu, Sep 03 2020, 10:18 am

Mentioned already- cast iron!

It’s a must!
I have 2 tubs.
My “fancy” jacuzzi bathtub is not usable as a bathtub anymore. It was a cheap tub, not cast iron and is impossible to keep clean. There is corrosion and dirt build up that just doesn’t wash away from cheaper material. We just use for quick showers but it was supposed to be a luxury tub.

My simple cast iron bathtub is what we use for baths. This material cleans well.

Both tubs were installed at the same time (16 years ago). One totally fine and one barely usable.

Sat, Feb 20 2021, 9:40 pm

OP, what did you end up with? I need to replace a bathtub now and am a little overwhelmed by the options.

meme6

Sat, Feb 20 2021, 9:56 pm

tzimip wrote:

Deep is impractical when bathing small kids. Just something to keep in mind

I like my deep tub when bathing the younger ones less water comes out.

esther11

Sat, Feb 20 2021, 10:08 pm

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KO.....78199

Our contractor didn’t recommend cast iron. He said it gets water stained with time. Also, we got a Kohler toilet and not all whites are created equal, so I wanted to stick with Kohler specifically. We are happy with it overall.

shanie5

Sat, Feb 20 2021, 10:41 pm

When I wanted a deeper tub, my contractor told me to keep in mind that when I get older, it may be harder to lift my leg high enough to get it over the side of a deeper tub. (he was not a young man himself). The difference of the few inches was a few hundred dollars too. I settled for the regular depth.

A few weeks ago my back went out-so bad I could barely get out of bed. When I went to take a shower, I was very glad I listened to my contractor 20 years ago!