Replacing a bathtub - questions on selection of new tub

[Anonymous]

We have one bathtub in our house (1950s colonial) and are in the process of redoing that small bathroom. I hadn’t planned to replace the tub but spouse pointed out it has rust stains and if we are spending the money to improve everything else in the bathroom, it is a good time to replace it. The tub is about 60”L x 32”w, so standard sized.

I am going crazy looking at replacement tubs online. What material (acrylic or cast iron?), what depth (standard or soaker), what features matter (some say have good slant for comfort when bathing, some of those same tubs say too narrow inside as a result and/or the lip of the tub is slanted, too, so hard to keep shampoo on it). I am 55 years old, have always lived in homes with standard older bathtubs, and have never thought so much about them as I have in the past week 😊. I went right to the Kohler website, and on its own site its tubs get plenty of poor reviews - the acrylics seem to crack, the cast irons seem to bubble.

If you replaced a standard bathtub, can you please share if you like your tub and/or what features were or later proved important to you?

Also, I had briefly considered getting keys of some sort in this tub since I was replacing it anyway - I probably will abandon that idea since I can’t even pick out a basic tub, but if you did that do you think it was worth it (and again, can you recommend your tub).

This is a small pretty traditional bathroom, fwiw.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Went with a Koehler acrylic and are happy
The cast iron isn’t really necessary
I feel you I spend hours looking

[Anonymous]

If you don’t want to replace, you can re glaze.

[Anonymous]

Don’t reglaze if you can help it. Mine started chipping after only 1-2 years. Replace if you can.

[Anonymous]

Just here to say you're not alone. I went through this in our old house 10 years ago, and now am going through it again planning another remodel. In our old house we replaced the ancient damaged tub with a Kohler cast iron and were very happy with it. I'm likely to do the same again, but have seen the same reviews you referenced. It kinda seems like they're having some QC issues, perhaps pandemic/labor shortage related.

If you go with acrylic, my sense is that the quality of the material and the installation can make a big difference.

[Anonymous]

We also have an old house with a small bathroom, and we put in a soaker tub with slanted bath - I love taking baths and use it all the time, very happy with our choice. I believe it's acrylic.

[Anonymous]

We installed a cheap enameled steel tub and have had no problems after ten years of bathing kids in it daily. Our next remodel we'll do sometihng similar, but choose an insulated tub to keep the heat in longer.

[Anonymous]

I am doing this project right now.
We are doing cast iron because I think acrylic feels cheap.
You want to look at how deep it is / how high the water will go. I assume your current tub is ~ 16 inches from floor to top of tub.
Option 1 = Kohler Irvine. Talk to your contractor. This weighs a ton and make sure you have a plan to get it where it needs to go. (Kohler also has the Mendota - but I liked the lines on the Irvine better)
Option 2 = American Standard Americast Cambridge

If you want to see it in person - call the Kohler store in Bethesda to see what they have on the floor. I ordered blindly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am doing this project right now.
We are doing cast iron because I think acrylic feels cheap.
You want to look at how deep it is / how high the water will go. I assume your current tub is ~ 16 inches from floor to top of tub.
Option 1 = Kohler Irvine. Talk to your contractor. This weighs a ton and make sure you have a plan to get it where it needs to go. (Kohler also has the Mendota - but I liked the lines on the Irvine better)
Option 2 = American Standard Americast Cambridge

If you want to see it in person - call the Kohler store in Bethesda to see what they have on the floor. I ordered blindly

- I hit enter too soon.

We ordered American Standard Americast Cambridge. It is in my living room right now.
Be aware - for many tubs you can not do a glass enclosure - we were not planning on doing it so it was a non-issue.

For the ledge to put in shampoos etc, we will have niche built into the wall. There are a lot of options / styles that come "pre configured" that the contractor installs and you just pick out the tile for it.

[Anonymous]

We went through same issue a year ago and ended up with a Jacuzzi brand (although the tub itself does not have jets) acrylic soaker with angled back. I love it and have had no issues. I had initially planned on Kohler but the terrible review turned me off.

[Anonymous]

I just had this one installed last month. No long term reviews from me but so far it’s great. Very clean looking, 2 inches deeper than my old tub.

https://www.build.com/american-standard-2946-202/s1240206

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am doing this project right now.
We are doing cast iron because I think acrylic feels cheap.
You want to look at how deep it is / how high the water will go. I assume your current tub is ~ 16 inches from floor to top of tub.
Option 1 = Kohler Irvine. Talk to your contractor. This weighs a ton and make sure you have a plan to get it where it needs to go. (Kohler also has the Mendota - but I liked the lines on the Irvine better)
Option 2 = American Standard Americast Cambridge

If you want to see it in person - call the Kohler store in Bethesda to see what they have on the floor. I ordered blindly

Coming back as our project is now over and the tub is in.

Really like the American Standard Cambridge. If you order and are trying to match "whites" the Artic color is more of a bright white that matches the Toto Cotton White toilet line. American Standard "White" is a little off white.