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Tub materials, Aqua Glass brand tubs good for the price? ?

11 years ago

Hi all - Finally we are in the real hunting stages for our bathroom redo and I could use some advice please -

Specifically we are looking for a 6 foot 36 inch wide center drain drop in soaker. Have seen and sat in various ones and the acrylic seems so flimsy, my husband is a big guy and he wasn't happy with it at all. Are the fiberglass reenforced ones a better option? Or does it have more to do with how the tub is installed, with use of supporting material etc. We are trying to avoid heavier materials due to weight concerns.

Just pricing out tubs I saw this brand Aqua Glass online at the US Lowes site, Anyone have an opinion on this brand (or recommendations for a better one ) I don't think I have seen it here in Toronto Ontario so don't know about it. If it turns out to be okay the prices seem good I could go to Buffalo to get it. We can get a lot of cool stuff here but the variety and prices in general seem much better in the US ;-)

Thanks and sorry for the long message! Leslie

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Comments (3)

tuesday_2008
11 years ago
I have two Aquaglas units in my house, but they are both acrylic. Acrylic seems much thicker, sturdier to me than fiberglass.

We installed a one piece, no seams, in DH's bathroom about 18 years ago - looks as good as new. It also has the dome top with swing-out door with fixed side panels.

I have an old one pice tub/shower combo that is about 30 years old (harvest gold - dont' laugh). It is still in immaculate condition. Will be updating that soon with another acrylic shower. Will probably go with AquaGlas again.

I will point out that the one's I have looked at in bathroom fixture stores are much better quality than those at Lowe's - but they cost more also.

It is recommended by the pros to put a mortar bed under the units, but I know that we did not. DH says he thinks they put some 2 x 4 type braces under ours. Regardless, even not using the mortar bed, mine are are very sturdy - no flexing at all. When guests use our showers, they always comment that they don't feel like the typical builders grade fiberglass showers.

Tuesday
outsideplaying_gw
11 years ago
I have a 5' tub/shower enclosure in our spare bathroom. Granted, we don't use it often, but I have used it and it feels very nice and sturdy, after almost 13 years & is still bright white. It has bathed many grandkids. Plus, one of our sons weighs around 250 lbs and he says it does not flex. We too purchased ours at a bathroom fixture store, not a big box store. The side walls are textured to look like subway tile, a nice feature.
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Weedyacres, where did you find that? We just returned from a trip to France, where we saw a similar device: a glass panel that extends from the top of the tub to a point above the shower and fastened to the wall on a swivel. The panel with swivel mechanism is approximately 60-65 inches tall and 32" wide (I didn't have a measuring tape), which is enough to keep water off the floor. A gasket at the bottom of the panel makes a good seal with the top edge of the tub so that water does not leak onto the floor. It appeared that the glass was treated in some fashion because as it dried there was absolutely no streaking, despite the hard water. It is efficient, looks better and cleaner than a shower curtain. Now I want to know where to buy one for our bathroom remodel.
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I bought an AMERICH WRIGHT base level acrylic tub for $1,000 from a bath and kitchen store in 2017 and it is a piece of plastic. After two years It was stained, difficult to clean and never feels entirely clean, the caulk around the tub has needed replacement several times, and the Americh label partly wore off almost immediately. I never use any abrasive cleaning products (all organic). When I contacted the manufacturer they pointed out that I the care instructions said I was supposed to WAX my tub with high-quality carnauba paste type wax. Wax my tub? They also referred me to a very expensive tub cosmetic repair company. Unfortunately I removed an old enamel tub instead of refinishing it. Number 1 worst decision in my remodel after seeking lots of advice. I dream of ripping this one out and replacing it with an enamel tub. Taking a bath in an acrylic tub feels cheap even though it wasn't..
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I love our AquaGlass bathtubs. They are much nicer than the others I installed in my last home for replacements. Appearance, cleaning, sturdiness- much nicer. Convert here!

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