Features To Look For When Buying A Bathtub

Features To Look For When Buying A Bathtub

The bathtub comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, styles and construction materials. A new bathtub can be had for as little as $300 or for more than $5,000. These prices do not include the cost of installation, which can add $2,000 to $3,500 more to the bill. It is important to do your homework when choosing the best bathtub for your home. And, if you’re renovating an existing bathroom, the price tag can run even higher if you choose to relocate plumbing fixtures.

The most important attribute when looking for a bath tub is the drain placement, you need to make sure where you would like to place the drain. Basically there are four outlets; center, left, right and universal.

Types and Styles – All of the bathtub types are constructed with a variety of materials: Acrylic, fiberglass, enamel-coated steel or cast iron are the most common, but bathtubs are also made from copper, stone and composite materials and wood. White and cream are standard bathtub colors, but you can also find other colors such as blue, brown, maroon, green and even pink. In terms of shapes, the most common is the rectangle, but selection abounds here also. Consumers can find heart-shaped, oval, round, corner-style, alcove, freestanding, drop-in and much more. Your shape selection will depend largely upon the size of your bathroom and the material used in the manufacturing of your bathtub.

Soaking Tub – A soaking tub allows you to relax in much deeper water unlike a regular bathtub. Your own soaking tub changes bathing from a utilitarian daily activity to a time for pure relaxation and reflection, especially when you add essential oils and bath salts to your bath water.

Clawfoot Tub – The clawfoot tub or claw-foot tub is originally made from cast iron and lined with porcelain. Modern technology has contributed to a drop in the price of clawfoot tubs, which may now be made of fiberglass, acrylic or other modern materials. Clawfoot tubs usually require more water than a standard bathtub.

Whirlpool Tub – A whirlpool is a tub fitted with piping, an electric pump and water jets. The pump circulates the water through the pipes using an underwater suction fitting and several underwater jets. Each jet contains a venturi, a vented constriction near its opening that injects air into the water. In most cases, the ratio of air to water can be adjusted–at a central control, at each jet or both sites.

Air Tub – Air Tubs have small holes that jet into the tub a steady stream of air that create a soothing, therapeutic stream of air bubbles. The intensity of the air streams can be adjusted by the individual using the air tubs.

The bathtubs can be installed in the corner which are designed to fit into a corner of the room. Corner tubs can come in Freestanding or Drop-in installation types. A drop-in bath can be any shape. A tub deck is created for the tub and the tub is dropped into the surround. The size of the tub deck is a matter of preference. Access will be needed for the whirlpool pump or air bath motor. Free Standing bathtubs are installed away from the wall, even in the middle of the room. They have a skirt that surrounds the bath. Free-standing baths may require a finished drain and a freestanding or wall mounted bath faucet. Most Freestanding tubs are offered as an air bath or soaking tub. A tile flange is used when the walls surrounding the bath are going to be tiled down to the top of the bath

And last but not the least he bathtub’s depth is an important feature. Many people enjoy soaking in a warm bath to rejuvenate the lost energy and to ease the pain in tired muscles. Soaking in a tub even reduces the stress levels that most people resort to a warm bath before going to bed. Soaking tubs are designed to allow a person to immerse the whole body with comfort unlike that with a standard tub that is only designed to soak the lower part of the body. The least depth available for a bathtub is 14-inches and the maximum is 72-inches.

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