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

12 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
12 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
12 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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Wow, thanks bumble doodle! Tt is great to know that the tub works well as a shower. We are tall too--at least most of us (two of my teenage daughters are twins and one is 5'2" and the other is 5'10", so maybe the short one complains a bit but that's ok, since she complains about everything!) We are getting the non-jetted version. Also, I am hoping that building the deck at the front will help with the water spray. I am pushing the tub back into an alcove under the window the long way (so we get into the tub at the 32" side rather than from the 48" side) and we are trying to go without shower doors in order to make the bath feel open. With a deck, we buy a few more inches of length to help avoid water on the floor. We may not succeed and will put a panel on if we have to. Any thoughts on this?
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Hi and thanks for your suggestions! Jamies, thanks for the key words. I will Google again to see what I can find in Canada. On a quick search last night I did find one made by Lyons I believe that was made with some sort of clear material but not glass (apparently the same material used for race car windows). I did not love the look, but it was far nicer than a shower curtain. Beagles, your door is exactly what I was dreaming of. Your whole house might have taken so much time and thought to plan in detail. I will call to see what kind of $ it would cost to have a custom made door like yours. Can I ask if your door opens on both sides? That would be so ideal, as we set the water on the side closest to the toilet and then prefer to enter on the opposite side where there is clearer access. The bathroom is tight, so no spare room. This works well for a curtain as we can open either side, but I wondered if that could be had with a glass door. Colorfast, thanks for the HD suggestion. I will call the kitchen design department and see what they have available to special order.
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Comments (9)
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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Comments (5)
One pieces are usually crap. Fiberglass crap. Moot point in a remodel because they won't go through the door. The Sterling, Kohler and other higher quality acrylic 4 or 5 pc modules are OK quality, if a little institutional in appearance. Much better are the sold surface surrounds like Swanstone or Corian. Especially if they are custom fabricated by a shop that deals with solid surface and that can solvent weld them together in the field for (apparent) seamlessness.
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Terri Williams
3 years ago
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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