Acrylic bathtub - a highlight of the modern interior

Most of our compatriots, when planning to repair a bathroom or decide on replacing an old bathtub with a new one, are considering purchasing plumbing from the currently popular material - acrylic. After reading conflicting customer reviews on the Internet, listening to the “sweet” speeches of consultants in plumbing stores, many homeowners are even more in doubt about the newfangled material than at the beginning of their research. Many are lost when they discover a large assortment of models, variations on the theme of shapes and sizes. The price range also varies in a wide range - domestic and foreign manufacturers offer products with so different prices that there are doubts about the identity of the manufacturing material in modern bath models. Let's try together to deal with the now popular plumbing device - an acrylic bathtub.

Acrylic bathtubs have gained their popularity by chance. After all, there are a lot of similar products merits:

• excellent plasticity of acrylic allows you to create products of various shapes. For the implementation of design ideas, acrylic raw materials are used. Each buyer can be sure that he can find a bath model that will not only fit into the interior of the room in size, but will also decorate the bathroom with its design;
• low weight of finished products (from 15 to 30 kg) creates all conditions for easy transportation and installation. The acrylic bathtub can be transported and installed alone. The installed product creates the least effort on flooring in apartment buildings;
• minimal porosity of the material ensures functioning with the least pollution of the surface, absorption of odors and cleaning agents;
• environmental safety and hygiene - if there is an antibacterial coating, bacteria (harmful microorganisms) will not multiply on the surfaces of the acrylic bathtub;
• due to the low thermal conductivity of the material, the bathroom is able to maintain the temperature of hot water for a long time (much longer than cast iron products);
• acrylic has high soundproofing properties - a set of water in the bowl is not accompanied by loud sounds (which can not be said about steel baths);
• simplicity in leaving - it is impossible to clean an acrylic bathtub with abrasive means. But if you use special gels and sprays for products made of acrylic, then surface cleaning will occur rather quickly and rarely;
• minor surface damage can be repaired independently by grinding, polishing, using special means for acrylic products.

But, like any material, acrylic has its own limitations and for many buyers, they can become determining factors when choosing bathroom fixtures:

• it is difficult to determine externally - the bath is made of high-quality acrylic or non-hardened material that has not passed quality control (such a product will lose its shine in the first year of operation, the surface will turn yellow, and after 3-4 years the bath will have to be changed at all);
• the need to use a metal frame - the plasticity of the material in this case does not play into the hands of buyers;
• very hot water cannot be poured into the acrylic bath - the material may become deformed (the acrylic has a melting point of about 160 degrees);
• falling heavy objects can lead not only to deformation of the surface, but also to a hole (although such a malfunction can be eliminated independently or with the help of specialists, depending on the level of damage).

Nevertheless, an acrylic bath has much more advantages than disadvantages.If you decide to purchase acrylic plumbing, then follow the simple recommendations of specialists and your purchase will be successful:

• when choosing acrylic plumbing, carefully consider all surfaces - examine them for gaps, finer places of execution, tuberosity, unevenness of the layer (the presence of any imperfections is a reason for refusing to purchase this particular model);
• study the side cut - it must contain, in addition to acrylic, a layer of resin (otherwise, they try to sell you cheap plastic, which will not last 3 years);
• ask your consultant about the use of bath reinforcement material (fiberglass is used in quality products);
• the wall thickness of the bath can say a lot about the structural strength (quite expensive, but durable models have wall thicknesses from 4 to 8 mm, cheaper ones from 2 to 4 mm);
• you need to clearly know the dimensions of the model you need - the overall range of acrylic bathtubs is very diverse, the concept of a standard practically does not exist, each manufacturer adheres to its own criteria for the production of sanitary ware of one or another size);
• when buying an acrylic bath, experts advise you to immediately purchase cleaning products for it (you will need to forget about powders and chemicals forever - acrylic requires careful care, as one of the main criteria for extending the product's life).

If we talk about the price qualities of acrylic products, then experts say that the cheapest options can be found at Russian, Chinese and Turkish manufacturers. But in the pursuit of cheapness, it is important to understand that such products can lose their luster and snow-white appearance during several years of operation, because low-quality polymers are used in these countries (and our country, including).

The best solution for choosing an acrylic bathtub will be the European brand. Bathtubs made in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands represent the best combination of strength and performance characteristics, longer life. But not always the most expensive means the best. Among domestic manufacturers, you can find plumbing of a fairly high quality, which will easily fit into the budget of an average buyer.

Features of the production of plumbing from acrylic allow you to create a wide variety of shapes and sizes, to realize the wildest fantasies of designers. That is why you can choose a bathtub that is ideal for your utilitarian space in terms of size, style of execution and shape. The advantage of this modern material is that bathtubs are made from it in a wide price range. The owner of a modest-sized room decorated in a modern style and the buyer with a spacious bathroom furnished in a classic style will be able to find their option.

Among our compatriots, corner models of acrylic bathtubs gained particular popularity. It is not surprising that plumbing in the form of a circle sector is acquired by the owners of both very small and medium-sized rooms for the adoption of water procedures. Compactly fitting into the corner of the bathroom, acrylic plumbing, meanwhile, provides the opportunity to enjoy a fairly roomy useful capacity of the font. And such a model looks worthy, decorating the interior of a utilitarian space.

For an even more rational use of the usable space of small bathrooms, experts recommend the use of square and rectangular font shapes. When using a rectangular bath, you get the maximum possible useful capacity of the bowl with the minimum cost of room space.

Rectangular shapes with rounded corners slightly reduce the useful capacity of the bathing bowl itself, but at the same time it looks original and allows minimizing the case of collision with corners of plumbing, which for many homeowners is an important criterion for choosing a font and other plumbing devices.

Acrylic bathtubs of a trapezoidal shape, with an extension of the bowl from the base to the top, look original. Such models will require a larger amount of usable bathroom area than for rectangular products, but the original appearance and convenient location inside the font more than cover the need for large room sizes.

A round or oval acrylic bathtub will organically look in the interior, in which smooth lines and shapes have already been used in other design elements - the performance of plumbing, storage systems or trim elements. A harmonious combination of rounded shapes will create a truly unique bathroom interior.

A cylindrical acrylic bathtub that looks a bit like a big snow-white barrel will become an original element of the interior of your room for taking water procedures. But such models have high enough sides and are not suitable for use by elderly people and young children - or you will need to equip such plumbing with a safe step.

An acrylic bathtub of an original form can become not just a key element of the interior, but increase the uniqueness of the design of the entire bathroom. Round, oval, in the shape of an egg, trapezoid or asymmetric modification - for unusual versions of the bath, you will need a medium and large bathroom. And not only because it is difficult to integrate rounded shapes in a modest size of the room and at the same time maintain a sense of spaciousness, the scale is necessary for viewing the original plumbing - for the correct visual perception of objects.

Acrylic bathtub is not only a modern style and unusual design solutions. Acrylic plumbing in the classical style or even Baroque style is not difficult. A traditional-shaped bathroom with beautiful carved legs (the material can imitate copper, gilding or silver plating) will become a decoration of a utilitarian space, decorated in a classic style or one of its varieties.

An acrylic bathtub in the shape of a sauceboat looks original - one of the edges of the product is very elongated, like a spout of dishes. In such a bath it’s convenient to lie reclining, for the back and cervical spine a sufficiently spacious surface is provided. Well, talking about bringing originality to the interior of the bathroom with such bathtub models is not necessary - the unusual shape is obvious.

On request, you can purchase an acrylic bathtub of any modification and stylistic design. At your request, the manufacturer can artificially age the facade of acrylic sanitary ware to make your bath organically fit into the style of shabby chic or vintage.

The frame, the base of the bath can be executed in a rectangular or square shape, in which a circle or oval is inscribed. Such models will require a large area of ​​the bathroom, but their appearance will certainly bring originality and charm to the interior of a utilitarian space.

We are all used to snow-white execution of plumbing devices. And there are important reasons for that. No other color is capable of evoking such strong associations with purity, freshness and lightness as a white tone. But the facade of the bath can be done in any color. For example, to create an original design for the entire utility room, you can use a bathtub with a dark execution of the base. In a light interior, such a dark element of the facade of the bathtub will look contrasting and act as a color accent (most likely - the only one).

An original shaped acrylic bathroom does not need any decoration.Rounded forms, smooth lines, unusual design solutions and original design are not accepted to hide behind screens and facings. You do not want to hide the plumbing, which can become a key element of the interior.

To make your original acrylic bathtub look the most advantageous in the interior of the bathroom, use contrasting combinations. Snow-white plumbing on a dark flooring looks incredibly expressive.

But in some cases, finishing the facade of the bath is necessary or desirable. In such situations, it is easiest to resort to cladding with ceramic tiles or mosaics. For simple and clear forms (rectangle, square, polyhedron), you can use ceramic tile lining from the main decoration material. If your bathtub has rounded shapes, then there is no better way to facade cladding than using mosaics.

The acrylic bath lining plays the role of not only decorating the facade, creating a harmonious combination of all interior elements, but also carries a very serious functional load. By using ceramic tiles, you can strengthen the entire frame of the plumbing structure. Indeed, even high-quality acrylic products are inferior in strength to cast-iron and steel bathtubs.

Experts advise designing the facade of the bath so that in the future you have the opportunity to access the bottom of the product, its base and verify the operation of engineering systems. A viewing window or small door will be enough to, if necessary, repair, replace or otherwise manipulate the elements of the water supply and sewage systems.