# Going to try to install a new bathtub



## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

I know, I know. First we turn off the water! 

Before I take out the old one, I'm wondering what kind of new one I should put it. Fiberglass? Cast iron? Any particular brand names that are better than some others?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks,

xico


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## Drabdr (Nov 26, 2007)

What are you pulling out? If it's cast iron... may want to rent a team of horses.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

I replaced a tub in my first house. It was cast iron. Been a long time since I did that but I believe I took a sledge hammer to break it up.

I replaced mine with Fiberglass one Zico that had walls that came with it in sections. It was that or redoing the plaster and tile as water got behind it.

Installing my tub was a piece of cake. I had an open ceiling in the basement and an access panel in the adjacent wall in the next room. Not always is it that simple. 

The cast iron would be a longer lived tub as long as you take care of it. But installing it is not easy due to the weight.

What you choose is going to depend on the amount of money you want to spend. Kohler is probably a brand you would not go wrong with but I think you pay top dollar. I don't get into plumbing at work but have a couple of friends in the golf league who are plumbers and can see what they have to say.


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

Drabdr said:


> What are you pulling out? If it's cast iron... may want to rent a team of horses.


I got a good laugh on that one! I think you're right. :up:


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

wacor said:


> I replaced a tub in my first house. It was cast iron. Been a long time since I did that but I believe I took a sledge hammer to break it up.
> 
> I replaced mine with Fiberglass one Zico that had walls that came with it in sections. It was that or redoing the plaster and tile as water got behind it.
> 
> ...


Thanks, wacor! I had some videos on how to do the tile, so I may try that rather than the plastic walls. Plus the baby in the family worked as a tile setter on some of the condos over looking the Gulf on Long Boat Key, so he'll give me a few tips as I screw up.Or maybe even before I screw up.


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## muppy03 (Jun 19, 2006)

Something to note (dont know if its applicable where you are) If its an older house you might find the pipes etc are different sizes as to whats on offer today. ie Australia went metric after our house was built so all fittings were wrong size (this was just on the sink/vanity). It all turned out ok but had to to a bit of fiddling. Also depending on the state of your bathtub, have you considered restoration?? These days you get good quality enameling/restoring done that have 10- 20 yr warranty? I opted for that , my bath was in good nick but was a tan colour and I wanted a white one. I am very happy with the result. It was about S450 AUD, but I thought well worth it rather than pulling out and putting in a new one.


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## muppy03 (Jun 19, 2006)

On tiling, you can buy complete waterprooofing kits from hardware stores these days and they come with everything you need and instructions.

Tiling isnt that hard BUT thought has to go into placement before you start, especially if you are doing the whole room.

Good luck


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

xico said:


> Thanks, wacor! I had some videos on how to do the tile, so I may try that rather than the plastic walls. Plus the baby in the family worked as a tile setter on some of the condos over looking the Gulf on Long Boat Key, so he'll give me a few tips as I screw up.Or maybe even before I screw up.


I had plastic tiles which looked really cheap. I did not tile the tub area as there was drywall damage and I was not confident of repairing that so that was why I did the tub enclosure. The rest of the room I did tile myself. The worst part was getting the old tile off which required some effort and a hand torch and lots of scraping. I made the tiling easy buy purchasing the kind that had small tiles a mesh. Most of the edges I did not have to trim much tile because there were enough tile pieces on the mesh that I could cut them off from the mesh.


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## muppy03 (Jun 19, 2006)

I was lucky Wacor, my old tiles were that bad that they were falling off the wall, made life so much easier.


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

Thanks, Muppy, for all the good ideasI I thought of the restoration, but unfortunately I have a drainage problem. The tub has an old fashioned (naturally) drain blocker in the form of a metal cross so that I can't get a snake into the drain. Hmmm. Maybe I can, by unscrewing the overflow air vent.

But the tub is old, and had rusted (which we restored and refinished). I think it's time to get rid of it and redo the entire bathroom. Might even knock out a wall and enlarge the bathroom. 

I went to Lowes, but all their bathtubs are up on a shelf. Nice to look at, but I'd like to climb in it and see what it feels like, especially the fiberglass or acrylic ones. To my hand they don't feel very solid. I suppose I should go with Kohler, but what's the difference quality wise with American Standard? More hunting.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

have not heard back from my buddy yet Xico but you should be able to find a plumbing wholesale house or a retail place that has displays. You might have to go to a bigger city perhaps nearby but there should be a place to see what they are like installed. A couple of my wholesale suppliers have displays and there are home improvement companies that have displays.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The only real issue with an acrylic tub is you have to take a bit more care when you clean it. We've had two of them for 20 years in this house, and they still look as good as when we built it. Once they're installed (properly), they are quite solid.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

put some insulation on the floor and the side wall if it is an outside wall and it helps to retain heat if you like to bathe


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Yep, and a fiberglass tub will be easier to warm up when you're filling it. A cast iron tub can take a lot of hot water to bring up to temperature!


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

JohnWill said:


> The only real issue with an acrylic tub is you have to take a bit more care when you clean it. We've had two of them for 20 years in this house, and they still look as good as when we built it. Once they're installed (properly), they are quite solid.


 Thank you, JohnWill! That's good to hear!


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

wacor said:


> put some insulation on the floor and the side wall if it is an outside wall and it helps to retain heat if you like to bathe


More cool (no pun) information!  Thanks, Wacor!


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

JohnWill said:


> Yep, and a fiberglass tub will be easier to warm up when you're filling it. A cast iron tub can take a lot of hot water to bring up to temperature!


Great! That's a real plus! Thanks!


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

wacor said:


> have not heard back from my buddy yet Xico but you should be able to find a plumbing wholesale house or a retail place that has displays. You might have to go to a bigger city perhaps nearby but there should be a place to see what they are like installed. A couple of my wholesale suppliers have displays and there are home improvement companies that have displays.


Okay, I'll have to do a little more looking. Thanks!


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

xico said:


> Okay, I'll have to do a little more looking. Thanks!


I tried to find some places for you but one link that was the most promising gave links that were no good.

Do you have a plumber that does work for you or a neighbor. If you do give em a call and tell them you are thinking of getting a tub replaced and where could you go to take a look at some. I have seen some displays with them installed that give you a true feel of what one should be like in your home.


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

wacor said:


> I tried to find some places for you but one link that was the most promising gave links that were no good.
> 
> Do you have a plumber that does work for you or a neighbor. If you do give em a call and tell them you are thinking of getting a tub replaced and where could you go to take a look at some. I have seen some displays with them installed that give you a true feel of what one should be like in your home.


Thanks wacor! I appreciate that. I'll do that. Definitely. Thanks again.


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## muppy03 (Jun 19, 2006)

how about you go for one with jets and really live in style?!

A lot of tile wholesalers also do a lot in baths, sinks toilets etc and quite often have displays too.


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## xico (Jun 29, 2002)

muppy03 said:


> how about you go for one with jets and really live in style?!
> 
> A lot of tile wholesalers also do a lot in baths, sinks toilets etc and quite often have displays too.


Hi Muppy! That's a good suggestion! I have a jacuzzi in the backyard waiting to be installed in the backyard. The bathroom is too small to do much with it. I thought of making the kitchen smaller and enlarging the bathroom, but we;ve got several other bathrooms. This one is next to the ktichen, and is pretty much a guest bathroom. 
Thanks for the suggestions! :up:


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## iltos (Jun 13, 2004)

xico said:


> Thanks, Muppy, for all the good ideasI I thought of the restoration, but unfortunately I have a drainage problem. The tub has an old fashioned (naturally) drain blocker in the form of a metal cross so that I can't get a snake into the drain. Hmmm. Maybe I can, by unscrewing the overflow air vent.
> 
> But the tub is old, and had rusted (which we restored and refinished). I think it's time to get rid of it and redo the entire bathroom. Might even knock out a wall and enlarge the bathroom.
> 
> I went to Lowes, but all their bathtubs are up on a shelf. Nice to look at, but I'd like to climb in it and see what it feels like, especially the fiberglass or acrylic ones. To my hand they don't feel very solid. I suppose I should go with Kohler, but what's the difference quality wise with American Standard? More hunting.


i'd stay away from acyrlic....it scratches more easily than fiberglass.....and, depending on its location (if it's over a basement, for example), the light wieght materials don't hold heat as well....plan on stuffing some insulation into the cavities.

nice thing about kohler and american standard...lots of choices (depth, width, other stuff)....their online technical drawings are pretty good too, if you've an eye for that kind of thing.


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## Teter (Apr 4, 2007)

My husband and I installed a new fiberglass tub. We took out a cast and it is now downstairs. Insulate everywhere as suggested. Are the floors level and in good shape? In our 1850 house, the floor was badly damaged from weight of tub with water and splashing on floorboards. Check the legs on a fiberglass tub if purchased. They are made different and may make a difference as to what you prefer. Some are tilted as to drain easier. Also, when putting in, I made a decorative trap door to be able to get to the pipes should anything go wrong. It's a lot easier than ripping out the tub again. Also, the color is a consideration. If using a color for tub, sink and so on, all brands are different and the color varies slightly which could be a problem. Even whites are not 100%.


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## oil painter (Jun 6, 2007)

We had our bathroom redone about 10 years ago and used a fiberglass liner that they put right over the old metal tub It looks as good today as the day it was installed. You just have to care for it right. It is good if you have a regular retangular tub, but it wouldn't fit over a clawfoot or anything. It is low in price and is good if you like the shape of your tub but it is looking the worse for wear


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## Sins (Nov 11, 1999)

Here's a couple of thoughts for you:

The first thing I urge you to consider is what size unit can you get in and out of the doors, corners and stairs? Smile but it is really embarrassing to buy the super deluxe jaccuzzi and then find it won't go in the door!

Price (in order from low to high: (1) Fiberglass (2) Steel (3) Cast iron
Weight will follow the same order.

The steel and cast iron units will likely be porcelain which eliminates the cleaning problems. Fiberglass and acrylic will have limitations on types of suitable cleaning products due to scratching and abrasive issues.

If you plan on making it a shower capable tub, the fiberglass unit is the easiest to obtain as a single piece unit (again think access). The other 2 will be strictly tubs with add-ons for walls. 

I agree with those posting to insulate the cavity around the tub. I would tell you that you can use the expanding foam for that if you (1) partition off the plumbing areas at the head of the tub - why have to chip the foam away later for connection access? (2) don't use so much that its expansion lifts the tub off of the floor (been there and done that on a fiberglass garden tub).

Wall coverings to go around the tub come in various types.

MDF (medium density fiberboard) has a vinyl cover and is cheap and falls apart if water penetrates the board or the edges of the material (don't use it).

Acrylic / Plastic wall board - works fine, a little 70's looking but a viable option

Tile - the longest lasting solution.

All of the above should have greenboard or concrete board installed behind them. I would also urge you to consider the floor beneath the tub. Making it water resistant now could save you a bunch of work later.

Hope that gives some food for thought!

Oh, the drain problem .... take the overflow / toggle switch plate off and drop a coat hanger wire with a tight fishhook shape down there. You'll find what looks like a drowned rodent comes back up but it really really makes it drain better!


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I got this in the mail the other day on redoing my bath but I rent so don't know why I got it.
But I looked at the website and it's cool how they redo things.

Check out http://www.bathfitter.com/
TV Commercials
http://www.bathfitter.com/commercials.html


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