Acrylic bathtubs - how to choose a quality one?

If you plan to make repairs in the bathroom, then replacing the plumbing is one of the prerequisites for updating the room. Today, acrylic bathtubs are in great demand among consumers. How to choose high-quality and practical similar plumbing, because a huge assortment of these products and advanced manufacturing techniques will make you doubt even an experienced craftsman. We will deal with this in this article.

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Does the manufacturer matter?

When choosing a product, each buyer wants to purchase high-quality and modern sanitary ware, because he plans to use it for a long time. Acrylic bathtub - the best combination of price, workmanship and useful life. The material from which plumbing products are made is very plastic, which makes it possible to produce goods of non-standard shapes.

Sometimes a situation occurs when a consultant in a store may not disclose important information regarding the quality of a product. Some manufacturers want to save on the material of their products, so the market has many fakes: instead of a real acrylic bath, you can buy ordinary plastic plumbing, which is sold as acrylic. How to choose an acrylic bath? Expert advice, as well as selection criteria for plumbing, are described in detail below.

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Which acrylic is better for a bath?

One name makes it clear that an acrylic bathtub is made from acrylic. What is this raw material? The technical definition of acrylic is the so-called component mixture of complex polymeric compounds of esters and methacrylics. In simple words - this is a modification of plastic, which has good strength and perfectly smooth coating.

Manufacturers use two types of raw materials for the manufacture of products. Let's try to figure out which acrylic for the bath is better.

ABS / PMMA:

• A two-component polymer containing a mixture of acrylonetrile butanediene styrene (a modification of plastic) and polymethyl methacrylate (a type of organic glass).
• 90% of the raw material for the casting of the bath is ABS, it is the basis of the finished product. For the outer layer add 10-15% PMMA.
• The disadvantage of the process is that the outer coating layer is too thin, as a result of which it erases very quickly.
• The base has a porous structure, which has the ability to absorb moisture, which soon leads to the destruction of the material.

Polymethylmethacrylate:

• Plastic has high strength and wear resistance.
• It has a smooth and beautiful surface.
• In this case, in the manufacture of plumbing, there are no ABS components in the composition. Thanks to this, a high resistance to damage is achieved.
• PMMA products have a long service life.

Important! These characteristics do not mean at all that combination baths should not be purchased categorically. Before choosing a composite product, determine how intensively you use it:

• By purchasing plumbing for a summer cottage, not intended for permanent residence, the option of a not too expensive bath is perfect for you.
• In the case of installing a sanitary object in an apartment or house, it is advisable to choose a product from whole PMMA. Despite the increase in the cost of the product, such a bath will last you and your family members many times longer.

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Advantages and disadvantages of acrylic bathtubs

Like any other product, acrylic products have certain advantages and disadvantages that manifest themselves during operation. To have an idea of ​​all the intricacies of this type of plumbing, as well as its advantages over metal and cast-iron options, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with some of the features.

Benefits:

• Strength. Modern production technologies make it possible to produce plumbing in quality close to cast iron.
• Plastic. The material has high elasticity, which allows the production of products of various shapes and, thus, to satisfy the desires of the most demanding customer.
• Ease. Installation of this element of the bathroom does not require the attraction of additional male power. Due to its light weight, the load on the room partitions is reduced.
• Minimum porosity. This property extends the life of the product, and also simplifies the care of the bathroom.
• Hygiene Due to the special structure applied to the surface, there is no need to clean the bath with chemical agents. To clean it, just wash it with warm water.
• Low thermal conductivity. Acrylic bath has low thermal conductivity, which is very good for fans to take a bath, because for 30-40 minutes the water retains its original temperature.
• Ecological safety. For added safety, products are treated with a special antibacterial agent.
• Soundproofing. The included water does not create a lot of unpleasant noise and splashes.
• Wear resistance. Acrylic is less prone to chips, scratches and cracks. But if such a situation occurred, it is much easier to restore acrylic than any other material.

Disadvantages:

• For care and cleaning of the bath, it is necessary to use products that do not contain abrasive substances. Otherwise, spots, scratches and other defects appear on the surface.

Important! In the departments of household chemicals, special detergents are sold to care for this type of product.

• Raw materials for the manufacture of bathtubs have a melting point of up to 160 degrees. When the bathtub is filled with too hot water, it can soften, and poor-quality products can become deformed.

Important! To avoid this situation, pour cool water first, gradually increasing its temperature. Do not fill the bath with water exceeding 40 degrees.

• The product may bend slightly due to heavy weight or heaviness. Expensive models are reinforced with the help of a frame, but still, be careful.

Important! Try not to drop heavy objects into the bath - this can cause cracks and chips.

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How to choose an acrylic bath?

To choose a quality product, you should pay attention to important aspects. Consider the main ones.

Manufacturer:

• The plumbing sales market is almost full of Chinese-made products that are notable for their high price and unsatisfactory quality. Accordingly - rely only on the value of the item is not worth it. So you risk purchasing goods of poor quality, and its service life will be a maximum of a year or two.
• Choose a product of a trusted brand. As a rule, well-known manufacturers maintain the quality and credibility of their brand.
• Check out the reviews and recommendations of real users on the Internet.

Acrylic coating thickness

• It is important to know what acrylic thickness is good for a bath. Naturally, the thicker the sheet, the stronger and better the product will be.

Important! The most wear-resistant and durable product variants have a sheet thickness of 5-6 mm.

• A large assortment of products presented in the plumbing department has a sheet thickness of 2 to 4 mm. These options are also in great demand.

Important! Determining the thickness of the acrylic sheet is quite simple: you need to look under the edge board at the place where the sheet ends.

• Among all varieties of bathtubs, ABC combined products are also found, coated with a thin layer of acrylic 1-2 mm.

Important! Acrylic sheet thicknesses over 8 mm are rare. The cost of such products, as a rule, is much higher, and sometimes acrylic is replaced with multilayer plastic.

Coating quality

In addition to the thickness of the sheet, pay attention to the quality of this sheet:

• The high-quality coating has a snow-white color and a glossy shiny surface.
• Take a closer look at the surface of the bath. High-quality - always perfectly smooth, there are no roughness, scratches and other defects.

Important! If during the inspection of the surface you notice flaws - you are facing a real fake.

Number of layers

Good quality products have two coating layers: acrylic + polyurethane.

Important! If the bath of your choice has a larger number of layers applied, we do not recommend purchasing this product.

Bath strength:

• In order to check its strength, you must sit on the edge of the side. Durable bath should not bend.
• The second way to check the bath: you should press on the bottom of the product, since in the center it has low rigidity. Durable and high-quality products do not bend when pressed, but retain their shape.

Important! Products made of plastic or plastic are not cast, therefore, under the influence of the load, they easily bend.

External coating

To finally determine the quality of the product, look under it, carefully inspect the outer coating layer:

• A high-quality and wear-resistant bath has an outer coating layer of polyurethane, which retains heat well inside the bath, is harmless to humans, and increases the strength of the finished product.
• The coating has a dark shade and a smooth surface without flaws.
• There are options that have the opposite quality coating. It is carried out using a mixture of fiberglass and ether resins.

Important! This product has a pungent smell when in contact with a hot surface. The coating has a rough structure with obvious streaks of fiberglass. This variation of the coating is inferior to the strength of the variant described above.

Acrylic Transparency

In its composition, acrylic is not a transparent polymer, so when viewed from a bright light, the edge of the side of the bath should not be visible.

Otherwise, the coating was produced with a low-quality thin layer or in front of you a cheap fake.

Acrylic Bath Frame

After you have carefully examined the product, and all of the above criteria satisfy you, you should pay attention to another important aspect of choosing a quality product - this is the frame that is used when installing the bath.

What should be the frame?

• The legs regulated on height allow to establish a bath, proceeding from features of a floor covering;
• The frame is made of a solid square steel pipe, which provides additional structural rigidity;
• Additionally treated with anti-corrosion coating, because it is installed in a room with high humidity;
• It is made individually for each product, repeating the shape and bends of the bath;
• Additionally, supports are installed in the corners.

Important! Please note that if the frame is installed around the entire perimeter of the product under the side, this indicates a low quality bath. Thus, the manufacturer has previously strengthened the basis of its products.

Shape and size of the bathroom:

• Advanced technologies allow to produce plumbing of non-standard shapes and sizes. But it is worthwhile to understand that it is much easier to make a custom-sized bathtub with a variety of bends from a thin sheet of acrylic.

Important! When stopping your choice on non-standard products, carefully inspect it, because such bathtubs are overpriced and not always of appropriate quality.

• In turn, the usual sizes of bathtubs, as a rule, are made from a durable, thick sheet of acrylic.
• The optimum height of the product is 65-70 cm. These sizes are perfect for use by all members of the family, from small children to an adult.
• The average depth of the bath is 50 to 60 cm. The height is measured from the plane of the bowl to the overflow hole in the bathroom.

Important! If the depth of the container is less, water may not completely cover the human body, which makes bathing uncomfortable. If it exceeds - the location of the body may not be quite convenient.

• A comfortable width for bathing is 75-80 cm, a length of 150-180 cm, but nevertheless, when choosing, the constitutional features of all family members should be taken into account.

Overflow system

Well-known manufacturers of quality products try not to save on components for their goods by installing brass siphons with a semi-automatic valve system, which allows you to open and close it when the water overflows.

Bath screen

An important factor when choosing plumbing is a screen that separates the legs of the frame from the bathroom:

• Well-known brands that produce bathtubs offer a complete set of screens that are made of the same material and color as the bathtub. Thus, you will retain the shade of the frontal cover of the screen and the bath.
• Screen installation does not take much time. It is installed on the clips, if necessary, they are easy to dismantle.

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Additional bath features

When buying new plumbing, pay attention to additional features that can increase the pleasure of taking baths. However, the cost of additional equipment significantly increases the cost of production.

Whirlpool or Jacuzzi

In recent times, the presence of such functions was an extraordinary luxury. Products were produced by certain manufacturers, and the choice of bathtubs was small. Today, many companies have improved models of sanitary ware and equipped many bathtubs with this useful function:

• Pay attention to the location of the nozzles from which water is supplied. This significantly affects the quality of the massage.
• An excellent effect is given by massage, which is carried out by water from the back and sides, in some models the option of foot massage is installed.

Important! Please note that these bathtubs require more free space for installation. Consider this when buying.

Air massage

This option differs from the previous version solely in technology:

• Installed nozzles create air jets.
• In addition to excellent massage, air bubbles are additionally formed.
• Children like to take such baths very much.

Chromotherapy

Thanks to the supply of multi-colored rays, maximum relaxation is achieved. In practice, this is a kind of light treatment.

Water heater

Some models have a specially installed sensor that monitors the temperature of the water. When it is lowered, the device automatically turns on and heats the water.

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Manufacturers rating

When choosing plumbing, it is necessary to consider not only technical specifications, but also the manufacturer. How to choose an acrylic bathtub by manufacturers? A small list of brands whose products are in great customer demand will help you make the right choice.

Vagnerplast:

• For production, the highest quality raw materials are used, cast acrylic bathtubs are made.
• They guarantee the quality of their products for 10 years.

Kolo

Repeated holder of certificates and prizes confirming the high quality of products.

Pool Spa:

• Products manufactured by the company are of high quality and have extra strength.
• The main production points are located in Spain.
• The cost of production is relatively high.

Ravak:

• The quality of the products of this company leaves no doubt.
• A manufacturer from the Czech Republic supplies its sanitary ware around the world, and represents a worthy competition to other brands.

Cersanit:

• Products are of high quality at an affordable price, the warranty covers 7 years of operation.
• The manufacturer additionally treats the bath with an antibacterial coating.
• Unfortunately, the company does not provide the ability to install hydromassage in the bath.

1Marka:

• The Russian manufacturer produces products for the manufacture of which uses high-quality German raw materials.
• Product Warranty 10 years.

Aquanet:

• The leading plumbing sales company.
• Domestic manufacturer showed a high level of quality and variations in the performance of bathtubs.
• For production use acrylic 5 mm thick.

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Stock footage

As you can see, if you know the main points of the choice, acquiring high-quality and practical plumbing will not be difficult. Use good advice and recommendations from the article. This will greatly facilitate the selection process and help you buy the perfect bathtub, which will bring real pleasure for you and all members of your family.