Acrylic vs. Cast Iron tub - look, feel, other considerations

12 years ago

Planning a bathroom remodel, like the look of Kohler's Tea for Two tub or Duravit's Vero or Daro. The Kohler's tub is cast iron vs Duravit's which are acrylic. Appreciate any help in understanding the pro's and con's.

I've read some articles, but would like to hear from others who may have first hand experience.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

PRO

Baths of Distinction Inc.

12 years ago

We actually tested two of our tubs. One was made from our own CoreAcryl acrylic and the other was a cast iron tub we sell. They were almost identical in size. We added hot water to both at the same time from the same source. Immediately, as you might expect, the water in the cast iron tub had dropped 6 degrees below the water in the acrylic tub. This is quite logical. Cast iron is a super conductor of heat and it drew the heat from the water to heat itself up. The acrylic doesn't conduct heat at all and the water temperature was 6 degrees higher than our cast iron tub. We monitored the temperature in both tubs for 30 minutes and throughout that time, the heat difference remained consistent, with the acrylic always being about 6 degrees warmer. One thing I will say, not all acrylic tubs are made equally and these results may not hold up for thin skinned acrylic tubs.
I feel almost embarrassed to offer a conflicting view to Kohler on this as they are such a well known and highly respected, knowledgeable company, but these are the facts, and from an engineering point of view, the results are quite logical.
www.bathsofdistinction.com

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Comments (9)

hayleydaniels
12 years ago
I don't know the ins and outs of tubs, but when I my husband and I were looking at tubs at Home Depot, he said he refuses to go with acrylic as they don't hold up. I was concerned about how much a cast iron tub weighs as we're doing the renovations ourselves, and he pointed out that the sticker said it only weighed around 80 lbs.
stonedog123
12 years ago
We just did a total re-gut of our bathroom & replaced the cast- iron tub with another cast iron tub from Kohler (Memoirs K-722-0) - Love it - I think personal preference as both have there pros & cons. Our personal preference was cast-iron & it will last a lifetime. We just didn't like the feel of acrylic it looked & felt cheap. Very few manufacturer's make cast-iron now-a-days - so style is very limited. Overall we are very happy with our tub.
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saratogaswizzlestick
12 years ago
I prefer the feel of a cast iron tub, I agree with your husband.
stonedog123
12 years ago
@hayleydaniels - Our cast-iron tub weighed 350 lbs. it will require at least 3+ big guys to install - well worth in my opinion!
PRO
User
12 years ago
Cast Iron is a great material. The enamel finish is fantastic against wear and tear. It will hold the heat of the water a lot longer than acrylic. It will weigh and cost more, but it is well worth it when you factor in how long it will be in your home.
Kohler has a lot to offer in Cast Iron and Acrylic:
http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Bathing-Styles-of-Bathing/category/429296/429204.htm?page=merchStyle#id=filters&chk-4294958840=4294958840
User
12 years ago
Remember when building the floor, to factor in the weight of the water, which will increase with the volume of the tub.
PRO
User
12 years ago
We have worked around acrylic and cast iron tubs. The acrylic tubs are too easy to scratch.
PRO
Baths of Distinction Inc.
12 years ago
Definitely agree with you there, acrylic is much easier to scratch than cast iron, but it's also much easier to repair, so long as it is a good quality acrylic tub with good thickness acrylic skins. Depending on how deep your scratch is, just take sand paper and sand to smooth out the damaged area. Do it gently and use different sand grits ranging from about 320 up to finishing with a 2000 grit wet sand. Instead of using water on the 2000 wet sand, we find denatured alcohol works very well. You will now be left with dull looking smooth area. Now you just need to use any car polish and polish like you would a car. The acrylic will shine up like new.
www.bathsofdistinction.com