The mood for the rest of the day depends on how our morning begins. That is why the morning should be comfortable and pleasant, so the bathroom’s atmosphere and conditions should be of a high level. To decorate the bath correctly, you can use beautiful and practical plumbing, unusual design and furniture, as an addition to the interior.
The bathtub is the thing that focuses all the attention in the bathroom and is considered the center of the room. As soon as you question purchasing a bathroom during a renovation or simply replacing an old bathtub with a new one, it would help if you thought about it seriously. The bath must meet all the requirements of family members, quality standards and fit into the room’s overall interior. Before going to the store, think carefully about what your bathtub should be like.
The most relevant on the plumbing market are cast iron and acrylic bathtubs. Both bathtubs are popular and outperform bathtubs made of other materials, breaking into the leading positions in sales. Both cast iron and acrylic are high-quality and convenient materials for baths, but they still have differences. To determine and choose which bath is right for you, you need to find each positive and negative side. And make a comparative description.
Positive and negative sides of a cast iron bath
Everyone knows what a cast-iron bath is because, in Soviet times, everyone who lived in apartments had the honor to get acquainted with such a bath. An incredibly heavy and durable cast-iron bathtub, for decades, stood in the bathrooms and could not help but surprise everyone with its practicality. But today, it is unnecessary to buy heavy and huge cast-iron bathtubs because the variety of materials and shapes of bathtubs that go on sale will please you. But some trust their own experience, and the rest of the baths still prefer cast-iron ones.
Advantages of a cast iron bath:
- And the cast iron bath has drawbacks, but they are small compared to how long such a bath can last. More than one generation of your family will be able to use a cast iron bathroom, while its presentable appearance and comfort in use will not deteriorate. Long service life, the most obvious plus of a cast-iron bath;
- Such a bathtub must be very durable because cast iron itself is a very durable material. Having exhausted the resource of its use for years, the bathtub can repeatedly be exposed to external factors that, as it seemed, should have ruined it. But presentability and quality, the bath will not change from bumps and falls. Only after many years, small cracks can appear on the surface of the tub. But they are also easily removable, and the restoration of the bath will not take much time and will not require high financial costs;
- Cast iron baths will keep the heat of the water for a long time since the material itself is very heat resistant. And you do not have to constantly draw hot water to carry out all the procedures you need in the bath. This will save you hot water;
- Sound absorption is another plus of such a bath. When filling the tub with water, the whole house will not hear about it;
- This bath is well kept clean. Abrasive effects do not affect it, and the bath enamel will shine for many years.
The most significant disadvantage of a cast-iron bath is its considerable weight, which ranges from 120 kg. It is not easy to transport and install such a bath, but its operation will cover all these disadvantages. The fact that the bathtub is so heavy allows it to stand firmly and not wobble. It also allows the product to fit snugly against the tile.
It would help if you also were careful with the bath cover because it is very slippery. It is recommended to put a rubber mat on the bottom of the bath to avoid injury.
How to choose a high-quality cast iron bathtub?
For a start, it is worth solving all the issues with the connection. In cases where a decision is made to replace the entire sewage system, the bath should be selected so that the drain pipe coincides with the drain hole of the bath. The dimensions must be chosen so that it is easy to make emergency replacements of pipes. By the way, they need to be selected after selecting a bath.
Which cast-iron bath to choose from. The main factor is the quality of the product. If you have already chosen a specific model in favor, it is necessary to conduct a quality assessment. It is worth studying the following more carefully: The inner coating should be high, even and smooth. Light waves are allowed on the enameled coating. The outer walls must be free from defects such as chips and cracks.
What kind of care does a cast iron bathtub need?
To maintain the coating for many years, it is necessary to carry out proper care. Here are some tips to help you with your daily routine:
- Every time after using the bath, wash it with a sponge and non-abrasive detergent;
- After rinsing with running water, you need to wipe the bath dry;
- Fresh stains can be easily removed with soap suds;
- Old stains can be removed with vinegar, regular baking soda, laundry soap, or bleach. For modern cast iron products with very durable non-porous enamel, this method is also suitable;
- It must be remembered that it is strictly forbidden to use products with abrasive components, as well as acid-based solutions, brushes with metal bristles and blades to clean the bath;
- Stubborn dirt and rust can be removed using special products purchased at any store.
Positive and negative sides of an acrylic bath
The material acrylic, as the manufacture of baths, began to be used quite recently. But in a short period, acrylic baths have gained popularity and demand in the plumbing market. The material itself is one of the types of plastic that is not very durable, and when using it, in the manufacture of a bath, it has to be reinforced. It is the degree of reinforcement (strengthening) that affects the strength of the bath and then the price for it. Even though acrylic is quite popular in plumbing, it, like cast iron, has positive and negative qualities.
Advantages of an acrylic bathtub:
- The weight of such a bath does not exceed 35 kilograms; this will greatly simplify the transportation and then install the bath. Even a person can move and install such a light bathtub alone.
- The variation in the shape of acrylic bathtubs cannot, but please. The plasticity of acrylic is its main advantage, which allows you to make baths of the most incredible and diverse forms. It is enough for manufacturers to heat the acrylic and blow the desired shape using a vacuum. The shape you need will save you from worries with the interior; the individuality and originality of the bathroom will be guaranteed to you. After all, even the height and width of the bathtub can be adjusted to the dimensions you need.
- It is effortless to care for and clean an acrylic bathtub. Any bath detergent in tandem with a regular sponge will keep your bath clean and shiny. Scratches on such a bathtub are just as easy to remove; you need to have some sandpaper.
- The installation of the bathtub is straightforward as it does not have the usual feet. The acrylic bathtub is installed on a special frame that can be adjusted.
- The heat in the bath, as well as in the cast iron, is retained for quite a long time.
- It is unnecessary to put rubber mats on the bottom of the bathtub; the bathtub surface is not slippery.
Cast Iron vs Acrylic Bathtub
A problem with installing a cast iron bath is its weight. Even a person in good physical shape is unable to move and install such a product alone. This aspect causes inconvenience when performing work on your own, and in the case of hired labor, it requires additional costs. However, the massiveness provides such structures with high stability without fastening, so it is enough to put the bath in the right place.
Acrylic bathtub are mounted on a metal frame, which must first be assembled. The structure and uprights distribute the load on the sides and reinforce the bottom of the tank to prevent significant deflections. The base assembly requires a certain amount of time, but it is not technically difficult, and the lightness of the bath compensates for the minutes spent.
Here we have some varieties and ideas for selection between cast iron bathtub vs acrylic bathtub.
