Help with bathtub replacement

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jill71rdh

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I have to replace my bathtub, which was installed right before I bought the home by the seller. It was his mother-in-laws house who was in a nursing home & was never used. A month or so after moving in, hairline cracks developed. I found out it is an Aqua Glass polystyrene tub and cannot be repaired. So I am in the position of having to chose a new tub (definitely NOT an Aqua Glass) I am extremely frustrated as to all the research I have done on the different materials and mixed reviews. My tub size can only be 60 x 30 so I am also limited. It is an alcove tub & I would be tiling the walls. The current tub is 60 x 30 x 18 and is a nice soaker.

I thought about the cast iron Bellwether, but it is so heavy and not very good for soaking (only 14 inches high). Next I looked at the Americast tubs but read some very bad reviews about them chipping and people receiving defective tubs so they had to reorder. Finally, I thought of an acrylic tub. I am not sure if they last long or are easily damaged. I think I would go with that if I knew it would almost outlive me (I'm 42) but have no clue on what brand to even look at. As I stated, 30 inches wide is difficult to find..especially if it is higher than 14 inches.

I know most people would say cast iron, but I sat in one at a showroom and the new anti-slip bottom was filthy and I heard it was horrible to keep clean. It also seemed very small since it is not very high. My contractor would also charge an extra fee due to the weight. I have nowhere I can look at an Americast tub at all. It also has the same anti-slip bottom. I saw several acrylic tubs, but not in the size I need. One style was by Kohler but it arched in the side to make more tub space and that took it from 30 inches on the ends to 34 inches in the center. I cannot have that.

Can anyone help me with 1) type of material I should go with that will last 2) a style or model that will fit my existing area 3) experiences with any of these type of tubs and problems / positive thoughts.

Some other things that may factor in is that I have no basement..just a slab and my bathroom is extremely small.
 

onebadhawk

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I purchased an Aquatic Infinity 2.
I called Aquatic for the template for the Stone contractor,
while I was on the phone with Aquatic I asked if this was a drop in tub, as it certainly looks like one. They told me it was. I forwarded this information to the stone contractor. He cut the stone to Aquatic's template. The stone men and the plumber broke a piece of PVC plumbing on the tub trying to get it down into the hole in the stone.The tub won't drop into the opening. It's doesn't fit being lowered into the opening of Aquatic's template by a large margin. So I looked around on Aquatic's website. I found on the Aquatic website a technical bulletin for the Infinity 2 tub. It says this tub is not a drop in model, the tub deck must be built around the tub. I called Aquatic. I offered to pay for whatever has to be done to the stone, which will be very expensive if it has to be cut in half. All I asked from Aquatic was to pay their man to repair the tub plumbing.
I couldn't believe it, they refused. They said they didn't break it.
This tub costs a small fortune. I hope and pray I never have any other reason to have to deal with Aquatic again. I would strongly recommend against buying anything from Aquatic as their cannot be any worse customer service and absolutely no sense of responsibility.
Ted Chernok
 
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