Which Bathtub and surround to get? My Sterling Saga.

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IndianaMike

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Hello, I have a bathroom that is gutted down to the studs and went last weekend to get a tub and surround to put in. I went to Menards and bought a Sterling Medley Ensemble tub along with the matching wall set. I had read reviews about people getting ones that were cracked so I opened the boxes at the store but didnt remove the tub or surround and didn't see anything obvious and figured it was ok, got it home and took the tub in and noticed that a few of the feet were not formed right or broken off, but I was going to set the tub in mortar so no problem. The surround had a huge crack at the lower lip and the back wall section. No biggie, it happens, so I made the 1 hour and 45 minute round trip back to the store to exchange it.

At this point it was cold, snowing and windy so we didn't open the box at the store. Got it home and it had a small crack on the edge of the bottom lip. It probably would have been ok if I sealed it but I was afraid of the crack spreading in the future and didn't want to deal with that mess.

I had started to think that when I strapped the second one down to my trailer maybe I cracked it, it seemed unlikely but the next day I rented a uhaul and went to get another surround. The menards guy took a total of four more surrounds out to the truck and we opened the boxes and every single one of them had a crack somewhere. That was all they had at that store and they suggested I go to another menards to try to get a good one. At this point I was done with it so I got my money back and then went back home to bring the truck back and loaded the tub into my van to return it. This is when I noticed that the tub also had a piece of reinforcing rib broken off. So the tub and wall surround were both damaged.

I really liked the Kohler Sterling series but I am done with them. After 430 miles of driving, two vehicles and over 200 dollars in fuel and rental cost I can't try another Sterling. I don't know how they can make any money with all of those charge backs. It sounds so common that they arrive broken that you wonder what they are thinking.

Does any one have a suggestion of a tub surround and tub that you would recommend? I am leaning towards a lyons elite or the delta 400. I would prefer a direct to stud installation, no caulk, and no mortar bed setup.

I need Help! I really don't know how to proceed.

Here are some pictures of three of the six surrounds that were damaged.

Thanks!
 

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Cacher_Chick

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The best tubs are made of cast iron, and the best surrounds are tile over waterproofed CBU.

Maybe not the answer you were looking for, but if you really want a bath that will function for 50+ years, this is the way to do it.
 

IndianaMike

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The best tubs are made of cast iron, and the best surrounds are tile over waterproofed CBU.

Maybe not the answer you were looking for, but if you really want a bath that will function for 50+ years, this is the way to do it.

I know this, but I am on a budget and I already have more into this house than its worth. There has to be a tub that's not cast iron that's decent, plus there is no way I am lugging a 330lb tub into that tiny bathroom.
 

Jadnashua

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A CI tub doesn't have to cost a fortune. On an older house, things generally are not plumb and square, which makes installing most tub surrounds difficult. You may end up spending a lot of time shimming and furring things to get it fit properly.

The cost of tile is all over the place, and some can be found for much less than $1/sqft (and you can spend LOTS more than that).
 
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