Bathtub Material Review by Bathtub Experts

If there's a new whirlpool bathtub, claw foot bathtub, or simply a new soaking bath tub in your future, allow us to share some of what we've learned about bath tub material in the hope that our knowledge will help you choose the best bathtub for your needs.

Selecting the right bathtub or bathtubs for your space, your body, and your wallet can prove to be one of life's little challenges. At Tubz, we understand that a visit to a bathtub showroom like ours can be a bewildering experience. And we're here to help make the purchase of a new bathtub less daunting. Our knowledge of hundreds of bathtubs and the bath tub manufacturers, has given us a lot of experience with bathtub materials. The subsequent marketing of thousands of jetted "Jacuzzi" bathtubs, soaking bathtubs, air baths, and freestanding bath tubs has left us ‑ perhaps even given us the right to be ‑ fairly opinionated about bathtub material, what's good about certain bathtub material...and what's not.

If there's a new bath tub in your future, allow us to share some of what we've learned about bathtub material with you in the hope that it will help you formulate your own conclusions, and shorten your search for the "The Perfect Bathtub Material".

We strongly recommend acrylic bathtubs, more specifically, gleaming, cast, cross‑linked, thermal‑formed acrylic bathtubs, reinforced with fiberglass. Acrylic bathtub material is naturally lustrous like glass. Bath tubs made with acrylic are non‑staining, and non‑fading. Acrylic bathtubs have a non‑porous finish that is easy to clean and warm to the touch. Acrylic bathtubs are lightweight, yet amply strong. Acrylic material is perfect for various bath tub shapes and sizes because it lends itself to creative designing ‑ affordably.

Acrylic deservedly enjoys the lion's share of the growing whirlpool bathtub market, and this bathtub material's popularity continues to increase every year. Yes, it is a relatively soft material that can be scratched, especially if you wear your spurs or your golf shoes while you bathe. Yet, unlike other bathtub material, acrylic allows scratches to be easily removed through a simple process of sanding the area with inexpensive fine‑grit wet and dry sandpaper.

The high gloss of an acrylic bathtub can be quickly restored by light buffing with the heel of your hand and toothpaste or baking soda if you don't have rubbing compound or a buffer. Acrylic is chemically inert, immune to almost every chemical that we know of, and requires only a mild liquid, non‑abrasive cleaner to keep it looking like new. Nearly every outdoor spa is acrylic because it withstands ultraviolet rays, temperature fluctuations, and harsh chemicals. What else can you ask for in a bath tub material?

Porcelain coated cast iron bathtubs are heavy, expensive, cold, and permanently unforgiving of scratches or chips. Porcelain bath tub sand‑blasted, "non‑skid" bottoms can be hard to clean. In fact, these bathtubs are nearly impossible to clean if its "fractured, sand paper‑like" bottom is scuffed with, say, a workman's rubber heel, which is something that can easily happen.

There are very few porcelain bathtub models longer than five feet; fewer still that can accommodate two adults, and almost none that were designed with whirlpool therapy in mind. Other than these objections, we think cast iron is just great ‑ for cookware and manhole covers. As far as bathtub material, we're equally fond of porcelain coated steel bath tubs for all the same reasons.

Cultured marble bathtubs tend to cost a bit more than acrylic tubs, though less than cast iron. While they do come in many unique shapes, and the onyx finish is a look not found in acrylics, cultured marble bath tubs have some properties that are problematic. The surface of these bathtubs is finished with gelcoat, which is essentially plastic paint. This is the very product that has relegated ordinary fiberglass fixtures to the motel bathroom. They are very brittle and even the heaviest marble bath tub can crack from thermal shock, and should that occur, the only viable cure would be to replace it with a new tub.

Lastly, there is the gelcoated fiberglass bathtub. It is strong, lightweight, less costly than the other bathtub material, and can be fabricated in just about any color or shape. We might even recommend this bath tub material if it were as naturally shiny and as easy to clean as acrylic, if its pigmented surface layer were 4 or 5 times thicker, and if it wouldn't oxidize, fade and discolor like an old jalopy. The fiberglass bathtub, in our minds, makes a better boat than it does a bathtub!

Still not sure which bath tub material is a good fit for you? Ask a Tubz expert. We'll work with you to find a bathtub material suitable for your bathroom and your needs.