Acrylic baths - how to choose high-quality?

If you planned to make repairs in the bathroom, the replacement of sanitary ware - one of the mandatory conditions for renovation of the room. Acrylic baths are very popular among consumers today. How to choose high-quality and practical similar plumbing, because a huge range of these products and improved manufacturing techniques will make one doubt the choice of even an experienced master. We will deal with this in this article.

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Does the manufacturer matter?

Every buyer in choosing a product wants to buy quality and modern plumbing, because how to use it plans for a long time. Acrylic bath - the optimal combination of price, workmanship and life. The material from which the plumbing products are made is very plastic, which makes it possible to produce goods of non-standard forms.

Sometimes a situation occurs when a store consultant may not disclose important information regarding the quality of a particular product. Some manufacturers want to save on the material of their products, so the market has many fakes: instead of a real acrylic bath, you can buy the usual plastic plumbing, which is sold as acrylic. How to choose an acrylic bath? The advice of specialists, as well as the selection criteria for plumbing, are described in detail below.

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Which acrylic is better for a bath?

One name makes it clear that the acrylic bath is made from acrylic. What is this raw material? The technical definition of acrylic is, so-called, a component mixture of complex polymeric compounds of esters and methacryls. To put it in simple terms, it is a modification of plastic that has good strength and an ideally smooth coating.

Manufacturers use two types of raw materials for manufacturing products. Let's try to figure out which acrylic for a bath is better.

ABS / PMMA:

• A two-component polymer containing a mixture of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene( plastic modification) and polymethyl methacrylate( a kind of organic glass).
• 90% of the raw material for casting the bath is ABS, it is the basis of the finished product. For the outer layer, add 10-15% PMMA.
• The disadvantage of the technological process is that the outer layer of the coating is too thin, so it is very quickly erased.
• The base has a porous structure that has the ability to absorb moisture, which soon leads to the destruction of the material.

Polymethyl methacrylate:

• The plastic has high strength and durability.
• Has a smooth and beautiful surface.
• In this case, there are no ABS components in the manufacture of sanitary ware. Due to this, high resistance to damage is achieved.
• PMMA products have a long service life.

Important! These characteristics do not mean that combined baths should not be purchased categorically. Before you decide on a composite product, determine how intensively you will use it:

• Buying a plumbing system for a suburban area not for permanent residence, the option of a not too expensive bathtub is perfect for you.
• In case of installation of a sanitary item in an apartment or house, it is desirable to choose a product from one-piece PMMA.Despite the increase in the cost of the product, such a bath will serve you and your family members at times longer.

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Advantages and drawbacks of acrylic bathtubs

Like any other product, acrylic products have certain advantages and disadvantages that manifest themselves during operation. In order to have an idea of ​​all the subtleties of this type of sanitary ware, as well as its advantages over metallic and cast iron variants, we suggest familiarizing yourself with some peculiarities.

Advantages:

• Strength. Modern production technologies make it possible to produce plumbing for quality approximate to cast iron.
• Plasticity. The material has a high elasticity, which makes it possible to produce products of various shapes and, thus, satisfy the wishes of the most demanding buyer.
• Lightness. Installation of this element of the bathroom does not require the use of additional male power. Due to the low weight, the load on the partitions of the room is reduced.
• Minimum porosity. This property increases the service life of the product, and also simplifies the care of the bathroom.
• Hygiene. Thanks to a special structure applied to the surface, there is no need to clean the bath with chemicals. To clean it, simply wash it with warm water.
• Low thermal conductivity. The acrylic bath has a low thermal conductivity, which is very good for fans to take a bath, because for 30-40 minutes the water retains its original temperature.
• Ecosystem Safety. For additional safety, the products are treated with a special antibacterial agent.
• Soundproofing. The included water does not create much unpleasant noise and splashes.
• Wear resistance. Acrylic is less susceptible to the appearance of chips, scratches and cracks. But if such a situation has occurred, to restore acrylic is much easier than any other material.

Disadvantages:

• For the care and cleaning of the bath, it is necessary to use products that do not contain abrasive substances. Otherwise, stains, scratches and other defects appear on the surface.

Important! In the departments of household chemicals special detergents are being used to care for this type of products.

• Raw materials for the manufacture of baths have a melting point of up to 160 degrees. When filling the tub with hot water, it can soften, and poor-quality products - deform.

Important! To avoid this situation, pour cool water first, gradually increasing its temperature. Do not fill the bath with water exceeding 40 degrees.

• The product may slightly bend due to its large weight or heaviness. Expensive models are reinforced with a frame, but nevertheless, you should be careful.

Important! Try not to drop heavy objects into the tub - this can cause cracks and chips.

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How to choose an acrylic bath?

To select a quality product, you should pay attention to important aspects. Let's consider the main ones.

Manufacturer:

• The plumbing market is almost filled with products of Chinese production, which are distinguished by their high price and unsatisfactory quality. Accordingly - rely only on the value of the subject is not worth it. So you risk buying a poor quality product, and its service life will be a maximum of a year or two.
• Choose a product of a proven brand. As a rule, well-known manufacturers support the quality and credibility of their brand.
• Read reviews and recommendations of real users on the Internet.

Acrylic Coating Thickness

• It is important to know which acrylic thickness is good for a bath. Naturally, the thicker the sheet, the stronger and more quality the product will be.

Important! The most wear-resistant and durable versions of products have a sheet thickness of 5-6 mm.

• The wide range of products represented in the plumbing department has a sheet thickness of 2 to 4 mm. These options are also in great demand.

Important! Determine the thickness of acrylic sheet is quite simple: you need to look under the edge to the place where the sheet ends.

• Among all varieties of bathtubs, there are also combined products from ABC, coated with a thin layer of acrylic in 1-2 mm.

Important! The thickness of acrylic sheet over 8 mm is rare. The cost of such products, as a rule, is much higher, and sometimes acrylic is replaced by multilayer plastic.

Coating quality

In addition to the thickness of the sheet, pay attention to the quality of this sheet:

• High-quality coating has a snow-white color and a glossy shiny surface.
• Take a good look at the surface of the bathtub. Quality - always perfectly even, there are no roughness, scratches and other defects.

Important! If you notice blemishes when inspecting the surface - there is a real fake in front of you.

Number of layers

Good quality products have two coating layers: acrylic + polyurethane.

Important! If the selected bath has more layers applied, do not recommend purchasing this product.

Strength of bath:

• In order to check it for strength, it is necessary to sit on the edge of the rim. A strong bath should not bend.
• The second way to check the bath: should be pressed to the bottom of the product, because in the center it has a weak stiffness. Strong and high-quality products do not bend when pressed, but retain their shape.

Important! Products made of plastic or plastic are not cast, therefore under the influence of the load they easily bend.

Exterior coating

For final determination of the quality of the product, look under it, carefully inspect the outer layer of the coating:

• A high-quality and wear-resistant bath has an outer layer of polyurethane coating that keeps the heat inside the bath well, harmless to humans, improves the strength of the finished product.
• The coating has a dark tint and a smooth, flawless surface.
• There are options that have the opposite in quality coverage. It is carried out with a mixture of fiberglass and ether resins.

Important! This product has a sharp odor when exposed to hot surfaces. The coating has a rough structure with obvious veins of fiberglass. This variation of the coating yields to the strength of the variant described above.

Transparency of acrylic

Acrylic is not a transparent polymer by its composition, therefore, in case of detailed examination in bright illumination, the edge of the side of the bath should not be visible.

Otherwise - the coating produced a substandard thin layer or before you a cheap fake.

The frame for the acrylic bath

After you carefully examined the product, and all of the above criteria satisfy you, you should pay attention to another important aspect of choosing a quality product - the frame that is used for bath installation.

What should be the framework?

• Height-adjustable feet allow the installation of a bath, based on the features of the floor covering;
• The frame is made of a single square steel pipe, which provides additional rigidity of the structure;
• Additionally treated with anti-corrosion coating, because it is installed in a room with high humidity;
• It is produced individually for each product, repeating the shape and bends of the bath;
• Additionally, angles are supported.

Important! Note, if the frame is installed along the entire perimeter of the product under the edge, this indicates a low quality bath. Thus, the manufacturer strengthened the basis of its products in advance.

The shape and size of the bathroom:

• Advanced technology allows you to produce plumbing of non-standard shapes and sizes. But it is worthwhile to understand that it is much easier to make a non-standard sized bath with various bends from a thin sheet of acrylic.

Important! Stopping your choice on non-standard products, carefully inspect it, because such baths have an overestimate value and not always the appropriate quality.

• In turn, the usual sizes of baths, as a rule, are made of strong, thick acrylic sheet.
• The optimum height of the product is 65-70 cm. These dimensions are ideal for use by all family members, from small children to adults.
• The average depth of the bath is 50 to 60 cm. The height is measured from the plane of the bowl to the overflow opening in the bath.

Important! If the depth of the container is less, water can not completely cover the human body, which makes the bath uncomfortable. If it exceeds - the location of the body may not be very convenient.

• Comfortable width for taking baths 75-80 cm, length 150-180 cm, but still, when choosing it is necessary to take into account the features of the constitution of all family members.

overflow system Known manufacturers of quality products try not to save on components for their goods, installing brass siphons with a semi-automatic valve system, which allows you to open and close it with water overflow.

Bath screen

An important factor in the choice of sanitary ware is the screen that separates the legs of the frame from the bathroom:

• Famous brands that produce baths, offer a complete set of a screen that is made of the same material and color as the bath. Thus, you save the shade of the front cover of the screen and bath.
• The installation of the screen does not take much time. It is installed on clips, if necessary they can easily be dismantled.

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Additional functions of the bath

When buying new plumbing, pay attention to additional features that allow you to increase the pleasure of taking baths. However, the cost of additional equipment significantly increases the cost of production.

Hydromassage or whirlpool

In the near future, the presence of such functions was an extraordinary luxury. Products produced by certain manufacturers, and the choice of baths was not large. Today, many companies have improved their plumbing models and equipped many useful baths with this useful feature:

• Note the location of the nozzles from which water is supplied. This significantly affects the quality of the massage.
• Excellent effect gives a massage, which is carried out by water from the back and sides, in some models the option of foot massage is installed.

Important! Please note that such baths require more space for installation. Consider this when buying.

Aeromassage

This option from the previous version differs only in technique:

• The installed nozzles create air jets.
• In addition to excellent massage, air bubbles are additionally formed.
• To take such baths is very like children.

Chromotherapy

Thanks to the multicolored rays, maximum relaxation is achieved. In practice, this is a kind of light treatment.

Water heater

Some models have a specially installed sensor that monitors the water temperature. When it is lowered, the device automatically turns on and heats the water.

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Rating of manufacturers

When selecting plumbing, it is necessary to take into account not only the technical characteristics, but also the manufacturer. How to choose an acrylic bathtub by manufacturer? A small list of brands, whose products have a great customer demand, will help you make the right choice.

Vagnerplast:

• For the production of raw materials of the highest quality, we produce baths made of cast acrylic.
• They guarantee the quality of their products for 10 years.

Kolo

Repeated holder of certificates and awards confirming the high quality of the products.

Pool Spa:

• The products produced by the company are of high quality and have additional strength.
• The main production points are located in Spain.
• The cost of production is relatively high.

Ravak:

• The quality of this company's products leaves no doubt.
• The manufacturer from the Czech Republic supplies its plumbing throughout the world, and is a worthy competitor to other brands.

Cersanit:

• The products are of high quality at an affordable price, the warranty covers 7 years of operation.
• The manufacturer additionally processes the bath with antibacterial coating.
• To our great regret, the company does not provide an opportunity to install a hydromassage in the bath.

1Marka:

• The Russian manufacturer produces products for the production of which uses German raw materials of high quality.
• The warranty for the product is 10 years.

Aquanet:

• The leading company among plumbing equipment sales.
• The domestic manufacturer showed a high level of quality and variations in the performance of the baths.
• For production use acrylic 5 mm thick.

As you can see, if you know the main points of your choice, you will not have much work to buy quality and practical plumbing. Use good advice and recommendations from the article. This will greatly facilitate the selection process and help you buy the perfect bath that will be a real pleasure for you and all members of your family.