By Emmanuel Onsomu
Taking a long leisurely bath in a bathtub is both soothing and relaxing after a stressful day. Very stylish types of bathtubs are available.
But acrylic bathtub beats them all. Due to increasing demand, acrylic bathtub manufacturers are coming up with a variety of designs, colors and sizes.
Acrylic bathtubs are the most common type of bathtubs. Most people prefer acrylic bathtubs for bath tub installations and bath tub remodels because they are easily maintained, require less intensive cleaning, and last longer than many other tubs.
Instead of buying expensive cleaning products that may be harmful to your bathtub, vinegar and water or a weak bleach/water mix works well to clean the acrylic surface.
Maintenance
There are specific chemicals that can damage acrylic such as acetones and paint thinners. Care should be taken to keep these harmful chemicals away from acrylic bath in order to prevent surface damage.
Acrylic has a nonporous surface. This makes it difficult for mold and mildew to get a hold in your bath tub. Acrylic bathtubs have fiberglass in them.
During their creation process, they are heated, stretched out on the mold, and then vacuumed into their final shape.
The vacuum process means acrylic bathtubs generally have a ceiling. This further makes them more durable and scratch-resistant. Minor scratches can be sanded out of acrylic. The durability of acrylic baths is due to the fiber glass that reinforces the external shell of the tub. Essentially, acrylic bathtubs are lightweight but at the same time very strong.
Colors
A wide range of common colors and sizes is offered by most acrylic bathtub manufacturers. You can get any size you want.
In terms of colors, you can get white, gray and any number of shades of beige. Shopping around will get you your most desirable size and color. Convenience, durability, and beauty put acrylic bathtubs at the forefront of bathtub installations.
An excellent feature of the acrylic bath is that the color will not fade. Acrylic tubs are manufactured using color fast techniques. This means the acrylic raw material has its natural coloring at the start of the manufacturing process. The colors of the baths therefore are embedded through the acrylic and not painted on its exterior.
That is why it is almost impossible for acrylic baths to fade because they do not have external paints. Due to the color fast process, the hue and tint of an acrylic bath will be equally distributed. This makes acrylic baths extremely attractive and very elegant.
Installation
Acrylic is a grand material for bathtub surfaces. A layer of resin (called a gel-coat) helps create the backing for the bathtub.
Fiberglass, foam, and wood are then added to bolster the support of the acrylic bathtub installation, making it extremely durable. Using different material for the tub surface and the backing, gets you the best of both worlds—the smooth, low-maintenance surface with years of longevity.
A more distinctive feature about acrylic is that, it can be installed on top of another bathtub. Any sized or shaped tub can have an acrylic liner heated and vacuumed right over it.
This becomes a perfect choice when one wants a new tub on a tight budget. It remodels the bath tub and makes it new. In most cases, installing an acrylic tub liner isn’t cheap, but it costs a fraction of the price of completely removing an old tub and replacing it with a new one.
They can even accommodate small imperfections in an old tub. However, if the old tub has fallen into complete disrepair, the liner may not be plausible. Acrylic baths are very modern bathtubs suitable for everyone and they have the durability of steel because acrylic-made tubs are shatter proof.
The original beauty of your acrylic bathtub can be restored using a special smoothing solution. If you are planning to redesign your bathroom and buy a new bath, acrylic is a superb option.
