Handyman
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Hey Guys,
This is my first post on this forum. I have lurked in the past when I was replacing a sink. Since it has been almost two years since I started the bathroom, I am getting sick and tired of my wife complaining that it isn't done and need to finish it.
This is our first house and the bathroom my first remodel experience. I gutted the bathroom and had to replace the subfloor due to rotting and damage when I pulled up the Linoleum. I laid a new tile floor and built a new tile counter.
The house is about 40 some years old and the bathtub is a fiberglass tub. The previous owners were old and had handrails everywhere, even in the tub. When I removed the handrails there were three large holes left in the tub surround. We patched them with a fiberglass cloth and resin and had bought a special paint to resurface the surround. Since the surround and tub are a weird shape, getting a replacement surround seemed out of the question.
One of the several problems that I have with this tub is that it gives too much under me (I am 6'-4" and 285lbs). I also am a night owl and my wife isn't. Since the tub surround shares a wall with the bedroom, the noise of the water often wakes her up when I take a late shower. The third issue that I have is that the tub is starting to dull and just needs replaced.
Here is my problem. Since I have no idea about this stuff I need help deciding what to replace it with. I have visited Lowe's and Home Depot's and the most I can get out of them when I ask what the difference is between the three materials is that steel makes more noise. I have to tell ya, being a home onwer has really opened my eyes to how LITTLE those places really know about anything on home construction. That is another story for a different day.
I am a bit of a perfectionist and I like to buy the best. My wife is the opposite so I have to find a good balance here. I think that I want a cast iron tub but I know it will be heavy and harder to install. What is your suggestions/comments as to which material I should use? Can anyone shed some light on the pros and cons of each? I talked to a girl at one bath place and she told me that the cast iron of today is not like the cast iron tubs of years ago and that it will break more easily. Is this true?
I appreciate any help you can give me.
P.S. The sink that I installed was a Decolav sink and the drain was also made by them. The dumb thing did not even come with a rubber gasket to seal the drain to the sink that had like a 3-3 1/2" opening. It only came with two fiber gaskets. I called and they said I wasn't missing anything. I ended up going to a Lowe's and they pulled out a big box of mismatch rubber gaskets that they had and I grabbed one that was coned shaped. It did the trick but I can safely say that I won't be buying anymore Decolav products anytime soon. Bad customer service and the product isn't all that good either especailly considering the cost.
This is my first post on this forum. I have lurked in the past when I was replacing a sink. Since it has been almost two years since I started the bathroom, I am getting sick and tired of my wife complaining that it isn't done and need to finish it.
This is our first house and the bathroom my first remodel experience. I gutted the bathroom and had to replace the subfloor due to rotting and damage when I pulled up the Linoleum. I laid a new tile floor and built a new tile counter.
The house is about 40 some years old and the bathtub is a fiberglass tub. The previous owners were old and had handrails everywhere, even in the tub. When I removed the handrails there were three large holes left in the tub surround. We patched them with a fiberglass cloth and resin and had bought a special paint to resurface the surround. Since the surround and tub are a weird shape, getting a replacement surround seemed out of the question.
One of the several problems that I have with this tub is that it gives too much under me (I am 6'-4" and 285lbs). I also am a night owl and my wife isn't. Since the tub surround shares a wall with the bedroom, the noise of the water often wakes her up when I take a late shower. The third issue that I have is that the tub is starting to dull and just needs replaced.
Here is my problem. Since I have no idea about this stuff I need help deciding what to replace it with. I have visited Lowe's and Home Depot's and the most I can get out of them when I ask what the difference is between the three materials is that steel makes more noise. I have to tell ya, being a home onwer has really opened my eyes to how LITTLE those places really know about anything on home construction. That is another story for a different day.
I am a bit of a perfectionist and I like to buy the best. My wife is the opposite so I have to find a good balance here. I think that I want a cast iron tub but I know it will be heavy and harder to install. What is your suggestions/comments as to which material I should use? Can anyone shed some light on the pros and cons of each? I talked to a girl at one bath place and she told me that the cast iron of today is not like the cast iron tubs of years ago and that it will break more easily. Is this true?
I appreciate any help you can give me.
P.S. The sink that I installed was a Decolav sink and the drain was also made by them. The dumb thing did not even come with a rubber gasket to seal the drain to the sink that had like a 3-3 1/2" opening. It only came with two fiber gaskets. I called and they said I wasn't missing anything. I ended up going to a Lowe's and they pulled out a big box of mismatch rubber gaskets that they had and I grabbed one that was coned shaped. It did the trick but I can safely say that I won't be buying anymore Decolav products anytime soon. Bad customer service and the product isn't all that good either especailly considering the cost.
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