Which of these three cast-iron alternative bathtubs is the most durable?

Which of these three cast-iron alternative bathtubs is the most durable?

  • Bootz - Bootzcast

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  • Briggs - Liberty Ultracast

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Chiliarches

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Howdy! I am in the process of removing an old harvest-gold bathtub as part of my DIY - with a little help here and there - bathroom remodel.

I like the idea of cast iron, but I am intimidated by the idea of getting a 300+lbcast iron tub upstairs (unless there's some easy way to do that! I haven't seen one).

The three alternatives to cast iron I've seen are these - in your opinion, which of these three brands is the most durable bathtub? I am very worried about putting all the work in and then having a tub that goes bad quickly! I have seen horror stories about Americast and Bootzcast in quite a few places, but little or no data on Ultracast...

1) American Standard - Americast
http://www.homedepot.com/p/American...Drain-Bathtub-in-White-2390-202-020/100039736

2) Bootz - Bootzcast
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bootz-In...in-Soaking-Tub-in-White-011-7001-00/100389020

3) Briggs - Liberty Ultracast
http://www.menards.com/main/bath/ba...-14-1-4-left-hand-outlet/p-2360739-c-5871.htm

Many thanks!
 

Terry

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All of these are porcelain on steel, with a thick backing.
All of them will chip if something hard is dropped on them.

A Kohler cast iron is better for that, but very hard to install.
Lately I've been leaning toward some of the acrylic tubs, which can be repaired if needed. Maybe it's my age.
I used to think it was funny that people had a hard time installing cast, but I'm having a harder time now too.
We do install quite a few of the American Standard Princeton tubs.
 

Chiliarches

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Hey Terry - thanks for the response. So you're saying that acrylic would be a better quality tub than the options I listed above?
 

Jadnashua

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Cast iron is a VERY robust material...strong, and the porcelain enamel finish on it can last decades and with proper care, still look like new. NONE of the other materials out there will work as well. Steel with a coating is not anywhere near as strong, and because the coating is brittle and the steel can flex, what Terry was says is very true...you'll chip the finish if you drop something hard in there, compromise the finish, and it will start to rust. Acrylic is more resilient, but the plastic finish is softer. If you're careful not to grind sand into it from the beach and don't use any abrasives to clean it, it can stay looking nice for a long time, too. It's much lighter getting in. Depending on the design, any of these (other than CI) often can benefit from bedding them in something like a mortar bed. This provides the rigidity of the CI because of that support.
 
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