How To Choose An Acrylic Bathtub: Expert Advice, Manufacturer Analysis And Customer Reviews + Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

How to choose an acrylic bathtub: professional advice

When starting to renovate the bathroom, many are trying to change the bath. I want a new, modern one, especially since now their choice is huge: these are baths with hydromassage, and with lighting, and of a wide variety of shapes and volumes. An acrylic bath is a good option, the material not only allows you to create baths of non-standard shapes, but also has excellent performance characteristics. Let's figure out how to choose the right acrylic bathtub of decent quality.

Content

• 1 Advantages and disadvantages of acrylic bathtubs

• 2 What nuances you need to consider when choosing: expert advice

  • 2.1 Quality

  • 2.2 Comfort

    • 2.2.1 What form of bath is better to take
    • 2.2.2 Additional options

• 3 Rating of manufacturers and models

  • 3.1 Table: the most popular rectangular baths measuring 150x70, according to the rating on Yandex. Market
  • 3.2 Photo gallery: popular baths of a simple form
  • 3.3 Photo gallery: models of acrylic bathtubs from different companies with maximum consumer ratings 5 out of 5
• 4 Reviews
• 5 Video: how to choose a quality acrylic bathtub
• 6 Video: checking acrylic

Advantages and disadvantages of acrylic bathtubs

First of all, it is important to understand what the pros and cons are waiting for you when buying and using an acrylic bathtub, what are its differences from the usual metal and cast-iron options.

Benefits:

1. Durability. Modern production capabilities make it possible to produce acrylic bathtubs that are close to cast iron in quality.

2. Plasticity of the material. This provides an excellent opportunity to produce products of the most varied shapes.

   

   Acrylic bathtub will fit into both simple and intricate interior

3. Lightness. Thanks to this, the installation of the bath does not require the involvement of additional male power, and in the future, the load on the partitions in the apartment or house decreases.
4. Minimum porosity. This fact greatly facilitates the care of the bathroom and extends its service life.
5. Hygiene. Achieved due to the special structure of the coating. In most cases, acrylic bathtubs can be simply rinsed with warm water.
6. Low thermal conductivity. Acrylic retains heat well, for about 40 minutes the temperature of the water drawn into the bath practically does not change.
7. Eco-safety. Thanks to the special antibacterial coating, the baths are safe for humans.
8. Good soundproofing. The splashing water does not make much unpleasant noise.
9. Resistant to damage. Acrylic bathtubs are less prone to chips, scratches and cracks. If they do appear, then the acrylic surface is much easier to restore than other material.

Like any product, acrylic bathtubs have not only advantages, but also disadvantages:

1. It is necessary to use special detergents that gently clean the surface. Otherwise, there is a possibility of chemical damage to the top layer and the appearance of spots, scratches and other external defects.
2. Acrylic, which is used to make bathtubs, has a melting point of up to 160 degrees Celsius. At high temperatures, the material begins to soften, and a not too high-quality bath can even deform. Therefore, first you need to pour cool water, and then turn it on and hotter. And in any case, do not fill the bathtub with water over 40 degrees.
3. The bathtub can bend slightly from heavy loads and weights. For high-quality products, this is not a problem; possible deflections in some cases are leveled by the frame. But nevertheless, you should be careful. For example, if a heavy object falls into an inexpensive bathtub, it could cause a serious crack.

What nuances you need to consider when choosing: expert advice

Quality

With a fairly large selection, it is not always possible to quickly navigate. Here are some guidelines you can follow to buy a really good product.

1. In a good bath, the side cut should always include only two layers - acrylic sheet and reinforcement. Its service life is over 10 years. If the product has only one layer, then the bathtub is made entirely of inexpensive plastic. Bathtubs made of three layers - plastic, acrylic and reinforcement - are also of low quality. They contain a small amount of acrylic, in fact, they are acrylic coated plastic that has a short lifespan.
2. Choose tubs with the thickest possible walls. If you see a bathtub with thin walls, but at a high price, do not take it. This is the case when the price does not match the quality. The thickness can be checked by ear: knock on the wall, the sound should be muffled. Another sign: quality products do not let light through. Take into account the fact that the thickness of the acrylic layer on the side cut is maximum, on the sides of the product it is much less.
3. Check with the seller which reinforcement material was used in the production. If it is polyurethane - great, it does not conduct heat well and is non-toxic, odorless. However, many manufacturers today use fiberglass and ester resins - they have an unpleasant chemical odor. This “wrong side” of the bath is rough to the touch and can leave splinters. Fiberglass is also less durable than polyurethane and can release harmful substances into the air.
4. A high quality and durable bathtub will not have too many curves.
5. Quality bathtubs should have a perfectly smooth surface and a glossy finish. In low-quality ones, it is porous, slightly rough.
6. It is also important to evaluate the quality of the acrylic bath frame. The simplest frame is a welded or bolted-on rectangular metal frame under the bottom that can withstand water pressure and human weight. The side walls are not reinforced, but this is not required for a high-quality product of the usual rectangular shape. A complicated frame is usually included in a set of non-standard products; it has additional elements that strengthen the walls along the entire perimeter.

The frames of acrylic bathtubs depend on the shape of the product, but any frame should not be too complicated, this may indicate a low stiffness of the bath itself

Comfort

What form of bath is better to take

Acrylic bathtubs can be of the following forms:

• rectangular;
• round or oval;
• corner;
• asymmetrical.

A rectangular bathtub fits well into a standard small-sized room, it is often placed from wall to wall. It has a minimal frame and one side panel. Hydromassage and similar options on such models, if any, are rare, because additional equipment for a small bathtub with an approach only from one side is extremely inconvenient to install and further maintain or repair.

The corner bathtub is available in two versions - right and left. The free side can be made in convex or concave form, straight or rounded. These bathtubs are suitable for medium to large spaces.

Round and oval pieces take up a lot of space, while significantly reducing the space, but they can create a luxurious ambience in a spacious bathroom. Often, such models have hydromassage.

An asymmetric bathtub is the ideal solution if you want to fit the bathtub into a complex room, but it usually also requires a lot of space. Such products are also often equipped with hydromassage equipment.

Additional options

If you choose an acrylic bathtub, pay attention to the presence of pleasant options, perhaps just some of them are not enough for you to be completely happy. But be prepared for the fact that they will significantly increase the cost of the bath, and such a product will require additional maintenance from your side. The most common functions:

• Whirlpool or jacuzzi - once upon a time baths with such a function were considered a luxury, now they are available to many consumers. It is necessary to take into account the number and location of the nozzles, this affects the quality of the massage. It should be carried out from the back and from the sides. Some models have a foot hydromassage. It should be borne in mind that such baths are larger in size than baths without a jacuzzi.
• Aeromassage differs from hydromassage only in technique. The jets create air jets, so, in addition to the pleasure, you will also watch the air bubbles. Children will love this massage.
• Chromotherapy is a kind of light therapy. This feature allows water treatments to be carried out in beautiful lighting effects, which promotes relaxation.
• The water heater is designed to maintain a suitable water temperature.
• Temperature and water level sensors, footrests, headrests - all these additions are designed to increase the level of comfort.

Rating of manufacturers and models

When choosing an acrylic bathtub, you need to take into account various nuances, including the manufacturer. Here is a brief overview of the most popular of them:

1. Vagnerplast. Only the highest quality materials are used, in particular, English cast acrylic. Product warranty - over 10 years.
2. Kolo. This company has many medals and certificates confirming the high quality of its products. The choice of models is quite large here.
3. Pool Spa is a manufacturer from Spain. The choice of models is large. The acrylic used in production is very durable. The price is quite high, but the guarantee is appropriate.
4. Ravak is a quality manufacturer from the Czech Republic. Baths of this company are very popular all over the world.
5. Cersanit - bathtubs of good quality at an affordable price. The warranty period is seven years. A modern type of antibacterial acrylic is used, but because of this, it is not possible to install a hydromassage.
6. 1Marka is a Russian manufacturer. German cast acrylic is used in the production of bathtubs. 10 years warranty.
7. Aquanet is another popular domestic manufacturer with reasonable prices. The assortment is large both in shape and size. Bathtubs of this company are made of high quality acrylic 5 mm thick in several variations - oval, rectangular or asymmetric.

Table: the most popular rectangular baths measuring 150x70, according to the rating on Yandex. Market

Bath model	Manufacturer country	Acrylic type	Reinforcement	Equipment and options	Rating on Yandex. Market
Triton STANDARD	Russia	Casting	Fiberglass	-	5.0
1MarKa Melora	Russia	Casting	Polyurethane	Drain / overflow, bath curtain, headrest, pens, mixer.	4.0
BAS Verona	Russia	Senosan Acrylic Sheet	Polyester resin with glass fiber	Headrest, cascade, backlight, pens, pillow for on / off buttons, jets for back and leg massage, air massage.	3.5

Photo gallery: popular baths of a simple form

Acrylic bathtub BAS Verona 150x70 with hydromassage

Acrylic bathtub model 1MarKa Melora 150 × 70

Acrylic bathtub model Triton STANDARD 150 × 70 - rating 5 out of 5

As you can see, not all standard-shaped acrylic bathtubs receive high ratings from consumers. But the maximum or close to maximum ratings can boast of the models presented in the gallery below. These are the best options for the ratio of price and quality, according to Runet users.

Photo gallery: models of acrylic bathtubs from different companies with maximum consumer ratings 5 out of 5

Acrylic bathtub 1MarKa Love 185 × 135

Ravak Behappy 150 × 75

Bath Triton VICTORIA

Riho Future 170 bathtub without hydromassage

Aessel Bath Rio Grande

Reviews

1111

https://www.woman.ru/home/Interior/thread/3854246/

Vladimir Evteev

https://idealnijdom.ru/kak-vybrat-kachestvennuyu-akrilovuyu-vannu/

cineman

https://forum.cok.ru/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21277

Video: how to choose a quality acrylic bathtub

Video: checking acrylic

Like any other product, an acrylic bathtub must be chosen correctly, knowing the nuances and carefully weighing all the pros and cons of a future purchase. Before ordering, decide on the manufacturers that are acceptable to you, read about the materials from which the products are made. Check out the ratings and reviews of the models you like. And, of course, check the quality of the product "live": make sure that the walls are sufficiently thick and rigid, that there are no irregularities and roughness on the surface, count the layers on the side cut - there should be only two of them.