which tub to buy?

nikotromus11

I need some help deciding which bathtub to buy. For my hallway bathroom, I remodeled it using a fiberglass tub from home depot costing $159. I have now gutted the master bath, and I am trying to decide which tub to buy. I could either go with the same fiberglass tub I bought before, or go with a cast iron tub coated with porcelain costing $271? They look about the same. Is there a big benefit to buying a porcelain tub over fiberglass? Any input from someone who knows what they are doing will surely be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ryan

nikotromus11

Really? 30 views and not 1 reply? Nobody has any input on this subject?

Docfletcher

Ok, I like cast iron.

If you can handle the extra weight to get it in place.

nikotromus11

ok, cool. At least someone has an oppinion.

Ishmael

I think buyers are more impressed with cast iron, but in that price range it probably wouldn't matter either way.

RippySkippy

I like fiberglass...but not the cheep versions. You get what you pay for. The last one I set in a mortar bed and it really quited the shower down greatly and really firmed up the floor.

There's just something about metal and water that I like to avoid...but to each their own....

Leah Frances

If someone will be using the tub for baths go with the cast iron. For me, I want to soak when I take a bath. IMO cast iron retains the heat of all that lovely hot water much longer than fiberglass.

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Piedmont

I personally think fiberglass ones

Cast iron will always look like the day you got it for probably a century or more with a simple clean, and it doesn't fade.

I hate fiberglass ones, they scream "cheap". The ones in my inlaws house when I walk into it, it flexes I hate that. Even ones installed into cement underneath the sides flex. Their "gelcoats" don't hold up either. The coats start to get microscopic scratches in them (it's not porcelain after all) or may get a decent scratch in them and makes cleaning harder over time. You can then lose some of the gelcoat by buffing them but, why bother it's just going to get the scratches again eventually. I've noticed they also fade and become brittle with age, my brother had a fiberglass tub and slipped and slammed his foot down near the drain and his foot went through the fiberglass tub. Although he was fine, now he's got to figure out what to do it's useless.

I'm sure there's good and bad fiberglass ones out there, but nothing compared to cast iron. The cast iron is covered in porcelain, same as the plates you eat off. When was the last time you scratched, stained, or after a simple washing your porcelain plate did not look like the day you bought it? My mother has porcelain plates she's still using after 50 years and they look just like they day she got them. All the cast iron tubs I've seen (50+ years old) all look the day they were installed. Now, when was the last time you saw a faded porcelain plate, or faded porcelain cast iron tub, or were able to punch a hole through cast iron?

As stated, you get what you pay for to me you get a lot more bang for buck with the cast iron/porcelain it will ALWAYS be able to look like the day you installed it for hundreds of years and almost impossible to damage. The problem is, as stated saying they're heavy is an understatement even 4 strong men will have trouble carrying it anywhere. If it's going where previously you had a fiberglass tub you likely need to reinforce the floor, and I don't know if true or not, I was told cast iron tubs can't handle people walking on them with rubber shoes, evidently scuffing their non-slip surface will not come off. No rubber shoes stepping in the tub (when installing) but that's just something I was told don't know if that's true or not and, this is just my $0.02.

plumber Jim

You can also look into Americast.

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RDS

When it comes to cast iron tubs, is one brand as good as any other, or are there significant quality differences among brands?

I would have thought 'cast iron is cast iron', but there must be some reason for price differences among brands (besides 'paying for the brand name'). What are those reasons?

Asking because we're remodeling, and I'm set on a cast iron tub, but unsure whether there's any point in shopping at the Kohler store vs. a big box store.