Cast iron, all the way. So much easier to keep clean and looking good much longer.

Check out Victoria Albert tubs. They are a cast limestone. I installed one in our old house and just put one in our new re-model. They have been excellent.

Otherwise, I prefer cast iron.

Another vote for cast iron.

I don't think they will make cast iron tubs in 20 years. They were made of cast iron cause that was the only material they had.

Now there are acrylic tubs. Weight 1/3 as much.

@jackfre: "ENGLISHCASTî is made from finely ground volcanic limestone mixed with resin. As the stone-rich alternative to both cast iron and acrylic it is 100% one piece, hand finished and packed with naturally desirable properties:"

Jack - it's an acrylic tub - for $3,500? Are you kidding?

Geoffrey, thanks for your input but I have to ask, do you personally do the cleaning of your tub and how easy or difficult is it to maintain? Essentially being plastic, wouldn't it scratch?
The cultured marble I have now sounds much like the cast limestone that jack mentioned and that has not held up well for me at all. The finish is gone in less than 10 years.

We have a Kohler Expanse. It's an acrylic tub - gel coated. You need to use a non-abrasive cleaner. You can clean it with a little dishwashing detergent, Lysol bathroom cleaner.

These tubs are installed with a small layer of mortar. When you set the tub - it squishes - the mortar - a really a solid install.

I know a guy who builds 'high end' bathrooms - he says he's installed one cast iron tub in the last 10 years.

When redoing the bath - install a grab bar!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohler Acrylic Cleaners.

Thanks, and yes, I will install a grab bar. I am old and need one but I would advise anyone putting in a tub these days to do the same - if only to hang a damp face cloth on.

I love to spend forever reading a good book while soaking in the tub and sometimes if the weather is bad the dog gets bathed in there so I am not confident an acrylic will hold up to the heavy use our tub gets.

But, the styles of the acrylic tubs are so much more interesting........

"I know a guy who builds 'high end' bathrooms - he says he's installed one cast iron tub in the last 10 years"

We renovated our two main bathrooms within the last 3-4 years. We installed not one, but two cast iron tubs (one in each bathroom). We also installed a cast iron shower pan in our guest bathroom about 6 years ago. Our bathrooms may be small, but they certainly have some "high end" touches. We are very glad we chose cast iron, and would do so again in a heartbeat.

I have a feeling many do not take many tub baths these days when a shower is so much quicker. The beautiful tubs I see in magazine pictures (mostly acrylics) are more for occasional use.

I'll keep my mind open and go and look and talk to more dealers but I suspect I'll fall back on what I know will hold up. Even though they don't make the porcelain on cast iron as heavy as they used to, it is just a harder finish than resin or acrylic.

We redid our two baths recently. In one we put a cast iron shower pan (Kohler Salient), and in the other an acrylic airjet tub. The cast iron feels sturdier, and with the comments about the tubs holding heat better, I wish it had been in the budget to do a cast iron tub. :/ If you can, I would. I take a bath maybe twice a month, always with a good book like you, a candle, and with my cellphone sitting in a bowl and playing Pandora.

Another vote for cast iron.

Acrylic is much less expensive and look great when new, but they dull and look old quickly, and you have to be careful cleaning them.

I tore out an acrylic about 4 years ago and put in a Kohler Tea for Two cast iron.. cost $2200... and worth every penny.

Very happy with our cast iron tub and would choose cast iron again. Through multiple houses (owned and rented), cast iron has always been easiest for me to keep clean.

Cast iron.

Cast iron tub being heavy my apartment owner doesn't allow it to be installed, so I had to get a pedestal model tub which is made from the mix of acrylic and fiber glass. It is lighter and cheap too. Till date I haven't found any issues with them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pedestal Model Tub

Cast iron is more durable, beautiful and holds heat. The plastics I've seen have spider cracks and finishes going. I don't think they are usually supported well on the base as I've read can be done to make them feel more solid and be inflexible there. They seem to be very popular even in expensive homes.

Would not consider acrylic or fiberglass unless necessary. And replacing tubs is not a small matter. It's a long term decision.

P.s. What I have seen might have been fiberglass. But the cultured marble and corian sinks get damaged too.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Feb 18, 14 at 23:00

I'm doing a bathroom remodel and after having questions about the acrylic tubs have decided to keep my cast iron tub and update rest of bathroom around it. We like to tub soak and don't see acrylic being a good choice for heat or long term looks.

I have the Victoria Albert Asia model tub. It is heavier than a straight acrylic tub. A nice tub is not cheap, so if you are happy with your current tub then good for you. But...Once you update the rest of the bathroom the old tub may not look as good as you think it will. Maybe it will be ok. On your issue of heat I can tell you that a CI tub takes a lot of heat to get up to temperature. You have a lot of mass there. Yes it holds the heat, but you have to throw a lot of hot water at it first. What is the vol of the tub? What type water heater do you have? I run a tankless and don't care how much it takes I can fill the tub and peak it as necessary

My husband and I both like to soak in a tub--I usually take showers but I do enjoy a soak. Our tub is in great condition--still has a wonderful shine to it.

We installed an Americh acrylic tub in an alcove in a hall bath. We insulated all around and added a tiled front. The tub is quite deep at 26" and as our MB has only a shower, I take long soaking baths in it. It's lovely, the water stays hot for hours. After 5 years it has no scratches and the finish is as glossy as on the day it was put it in. We love it.

For a freestanding tub, do you recommend acrylic or cast iron? I have heard of limestone too!

I comment all the time about my tub.....I went from a cast iron to this acrylic. Here's the link to see/read about it:

Love My Aquatica Tub

Love my new Acrylic Kohler Archer tub! We did our bathroom about 6 months ago, so it's had plenty of use to really compare it to our Cast Iron upstairs. I love long tubs with a good book. First thing I love that was noticeable right away: With my cast iron, I need to fill the tub before getting in, other wise my back absolutely freezes when I lie down and my skin hits the cast iron. With acrylic, it doesn't feel cold to the touch, the way cast iron does. Also, the Kohler archer has a special drain that allows you to get a really deep soak with a higher drain, which I love! No regrets with the acrylic, and no issues at all keeping it clean, either. Even with use daily, sometime multiple times.