Bathtub Reviews and Buying Guide:

If you move into an older home these days, odds are you will probably redo the bathroom to your liking. Older showers and bathtubs seems to lose their style within a decade or so and ugly tile or out of date fixtures make bathtubs one of the first things to go in a bathroom. What kind of bathtub is best in your bathroom you ask yourself? Do you go with the classic clawfoot bathtubs or pedestal bathtubs or choose something more modern like a Kohler bathtub. The ever popular jacuzzi bathtubs are rampant in newer homes and we will discuss those further (see below). As for the best clawfoot bathtubs, you need to determine what you want - acrylic clawfoot tubs, cast iron clawfoot bathtubs, or clawfoot whirlpool tubs. Acrylic clawfoot tubs with air spa or jetted whirlpool systems are hot sellers these days with an antique look with modern features. The Caspian Whirlpool Tub sells for $4688 and has a deluxe whirlpool tub with 7 jets, a 1.5 horsepower motor, and a choice of feet and pump mounting. The cast iron clawfoot bathtubs come in 4 styles - roll top tubs, slipper tubs, double ended bathtubs, and double slipper on feet tubs. Our preference has always been the roll top tubs and we like the 57" Cast Iron Roll Top Tub on Feet which sells for $1395. You can see a wide range of designs and options on the web at Clawfootsupply.com.

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Kohler has a recognized name in bathrooms with sinks, faucets, and bathtubs/showers. They are a trusted name brand that makes quality bathtub products and their latest line of tubs looks impressive. The Kohler Portrait 5' bath ($998) is designed for a single bather with a traditional oval style and is intended for drop-in installation and is constructed of high quality acrylic and backed with a solid layer of fiberglass to ensure durability and resistance to chipping, cracking and flexing. The Kohler Windward™ 5' bath ($605) has a bathing depth of 21" and includes armrests for a comfortable experience. There are multiple faucet deck locations for convenience. The Kohler Escale drop-in bath retails for about $1250. Kohler has a complete line of whirlpool baths that we will review below. You can visit their website at US.Kohler.com. Other top bathtub manufacturers are Americh, Barclay, and Swirlaway. For a complete line of discount showers and bath tubs, we suggest visiting Directbathroomremodeling.com. They offer great wholesale pricing on bathroom tubs, whirlpool bath tub, corner bath tubs, garden bath tubs, copper bath tubs, and jacuzzi bath tubs. I recently was replacing the bathtub in my guest bathroom and got involved in a do-it-yourself (DIY) project with my neighbor who is a certified plumber (I couldn't have done it without him). I didn't want to spend too much on the tub, so I went to Lowes and checked out their inventory of bathtubs. I was surprised at how cheap they were - American Standard 60" White Right Hand Princeton Americast Bathtub ($249), Sterling 60" Left Hand Ensemble Bathtub ($222), American Eleganza Right Drain Bathtub ($198), Sterling 5' White Right Hand Performa Bathtub ($178), and the Crane 5' White Left Hand Steel Bathtub ($99). Most were in stock and I choose the American Standard and have been very happy with it.

Whirlpool/Jacuzzi Bathtub:

Whirlpool bathtubs are not only relaxing, but they are also very therapeutic for back and body aches. They can be a great stress reliever after a long days work. The top brands for whirlpool tubs are Mansfield, VitaBath, The Venetian, Jason Hydrotherapy, Ariance tubs, and American Bath Factory Clawfoot tubs. We prefer the Mansfield whirlpools - Swirl-way whirlpools, Pro-fit whirlpools, and the Ariance Air Massage Baths. Whirlpoolbathtubs.com carries all those brands and you can research them further online with photos and complete product descriptions. The best selling Swirl-way Whirlpools are the Aegean whirlpool tub ($2276), the Baywood 5.0 whirlpool tub ($1633), and the Palermo whirlpool tub ($3481). In the Pro-fit series, we like the 6060 Wave Whirlpool tub ($1750) and the 3660 Alto tub ($885). The Ariance Heathrow air massage bath for $2664 is a best seller with customer satisfaction rankings that are quite high for comfort, relief, and complete relaxation. The McKenzie whirlpool tub from Jason Hydrotherapy sells for $2857 and has recessed back jets, 3-speed pump (signature edition), and adjustable jets. The Venetian is the latest product from Vita Bath and retails for $1483 - has 3 cluster jets, 6 flow adjustable jets, tubside on/off, and a 100% self draining pump. For jacuzzi whirlpool tubs, go to Whirlpooljacuzzitubs.com and pick from American Standard, Aquatic, Jacuzzi, Jason, Kohler, or Pearl. The top of the line Pearl Wisteria for $3553 is beautiful, but for the $$ we would go with the Aquatic Whirlpool Bathtubs - Millennium IX Series. Although expensive (some close to $10,000), standard equipment includes 24 Hydrotherapy Jets (12 Shiatsu-Pro Neck and Back Jets, 2 Recessed Fan Jets, 4 Rotary Massage Elite Foot Jets, 2 Rotary Massage Elite Knee Jets, 2 Pressure Plus Wrist Jets and 2 Pressure Plus Elbow Jets), waterproof remote control, fast-fill waterfall spout, 2 reclining loung seats with armrests, slip resistant floor, and a limited 15 year warranty. For a more economical model, the American Standard - Ellisse Oval for $1565 performs just fine with 6 jets, 1 hp motor, and has an acrylic finish.

Bathtub Refinishing and Repair

Refinishing a bathtub is not easy, but it saves money versus replacing the bathtub. Tearing out an old bathtub can involve 3 tradesman (plumber, tile setter, carpenter) and can cost from $1700-$3000. Do it yourselfers can save up to 70% on a bathtub repair and refinishing project. Integritycoatings.com offers a refinishing bathtub repair kit for $149.95 plus shipping. You get 2 qt. EP- Acrylic white gloss base, 1 pt. EP-Acrylic catalyst, 1 qt. EP-Acrylic reducer MED, 1 qt. Ultra Primer base, 1 qt. Ultra Primer catalyst, 1 qt. Ultra Primer reducer, 1/2 qt. Chemical Adhesor - blue, 1 qt. Step I cleaner, and 1 qt. Step II cleaner along with complete easy to follow procedures. For those of you who are less inclined to do repair jobs, check with some local bathtub refinishers to see what they will charge.

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