Bath Plastic or steel.??

wallbash

Need advice, replacing bath , not used with a shower.Should I go for a 5mm 'plastic' or a steel one . Cost difference is less than £30 .

Steel might need warming up , but will then keep water hotter for longer . But if I have plastic, can always add more hot water.

Steel will be slightly more rigid, but correctly installed plastic won't move either.
Has anyone got strong views on the subject???

maninthestreet

Personally, I would go for steel.

phill99

I run a Maintenance company and do quite a few bathroom installs. We often do supply and fit and we have a policy to only install steel baths, unless the customer says otherwise.

The main problem with acrylic is that it flexes. Even when installed correctly, they will still flex. Its just the nature of the product. And even when installing the silicone correctly ie filling the bath with water and then rolling your trousers up and actually getting in the tub to apply the silicone, there is always a problem of mastic splitting where the bath flexes. This results in water ingress, especially if the bath is used for showering a lot. The ingress of water can result in damage to the floor and the room below the bathroom.

Also, dropping something heavy into a steel bath will result in (at most) a chip in the enamel (which can easily be rectified). Doing the same in an acrylic bath may very well result in a crack, split or hole, which is not easily dealt with.

wallbash

Well thats 2 for steel ( so far) did/have done some research but last views on this site is three years old.
Have acrylic got better ?? Carronite looks good but adds a couple of hundred to the bill.

Red_Cat

I would go for steel as well, purely for longevity and rigidity. though the chances are that you would want to update your bathroom before either type of bath was unusable.

I guess acrylic baths are warmer, but that's about it, both come in plenty of colour choices now.

wallbash

As I said in the OP , bath is just that , no showering.
Playing devil's advocate now.Was surprised how little difference was in price.

The colour will be ... white .Will , if properly installed be a problem with seal.
Is it impossible to seal a plastic bath.

On the very practical side, how heavy is a steel bath?

phill99

No its not impossible to seal a plastic bath. However, they will flex, no matter how well supported they are. And that will always be their major drawback.

scooter012

I have fitted loads of plastic baths never had a problem with them.
I find if you level them off correctly then remove the protective coating on the edges where the bath goes to the wall and glue the bath to the wall with silicon you eliminate most of the flex where it matters.
then tile and seal using a good silicon like dow corning with the bath full of water over night you will have no problem however you may have to reseal the bath in a couple of years.

wallbash

Post I started is over three months old ... bath , bought and installed ages ago ( perfect seals)

Why did you answer such an old thread..... start your own.

diable

wallbash wrote: »

Post I started is over three months old ... bath , bought and installed ages ago ( perfect seals)

Why did you answer such an old thread..... start your own.

Steel or Plastic

Scooter must be bored after Christmas.........


lol

scooter012

Sorry guys just trying to help I didnt notice the date you started this thread I am new to this sort of thing
What did you fit steel or plastic