Let's talk Bathrooms!!

Hey Janster, here are some pics of our mstr. bath tub. It's made by BainUltra and I honestly don't think it cost much more than a standard whirlpool tub. The cool thing is that it blows every last bit of water out of the tub and air lines when you're done using it. It's kind of loud when that drying cycle is running but it's nice to know that no junk will be growing inside the air lines. Ours just blows air or tiny bubbles I think.........I can't say for sure because I never use it .

 

More procrastination....
Needless to say, our original contractor guy (our cousin) hasn't been prompt in getting the ball rolling (so to speak). So - we've talked with a friend of ours who specializes in bathrooms (I'd trust his work better anyway).

So..... I'm really hoping I can find an airbath tub somewhere. I haven't had much time to research working 60+ hours a week.

Our tub area is 60x30 alcove (3 wall) with shower above it. Not many companies make air tubs for this size. We might be able to squeeze 32" in there, just not sure.

BAIN ULTRA tubs are awesome - but they're like $3000 I don't want to spend that much on a tub.

I just stumbled across some Mansfield brand - air tubs.
Paticularly the Camden
http://mansfieldplumbing.com/v3/pdf/9253.pdf
This could reach $2000 or slightly more. Talked with a sales guy who mentions they have other tubs not listed on the website that are in our size. I can deal with $2K better than $3. Atleast, in the rough estimates anyway.

So - just as a last resort.... is anyone familiar with these Mansfield brand and/or their air tubs? Quality? Reliability? Customer service?

If you know of any other brands I should check out - please let me know!!
Thanks!!

 

Nice............

 

Bam.

 

Sorry, can't give you any input on the Mansfield Tubs but the plumbing company I work for has installed A LOT of their water closets, ped lavs, & lavs. The customer service has never been a problem on our end, might be because we buy so much. The only problem I run into with their products is the availability on some of things they carry.

Most of the tubs we install our Kohler, Jacuzzi, Hydrosystems and some Lasco here and there.

 

That feedback definately means something. I might actually have issues with availability also. We have a Hajoca here and they don't deal with some brands. I need to call them and ask if they carry Mansfield. I called them the other day about another brand, and the guy never heard of them...?? Go figure.

Question - if I don't have a local dealer, how much of a 'problem' (in terms of customer support, product tech, warrantee) is it if I order a tub online and have it shipped? Should I be concerned about 'making sure' I have the local support?

 

^^^I have a Mansfield EcoQuantum dual flush toilet I picked up at Lowes. It is awesome, and when we had a problem with the flusher a year into owning it, the customer service was great and very helpful and mailed replacement parts to us free and quickly (which to hawaii is a big deal because hardly anyone ever does that). I like Mansfield

Also, Kohler makes great tubs. I have a deep soaking (non jet) Kohler tub that I special ordered from Lowes for $290 and I love it! Do you have a Home Depot or Lowes nearby to shop at? They have a great selection of tubs that you can actually sit in and/or special order for decent prices...

 

Good to hear!! We have both HomeDepot & Lowes nearbye.

If we decide to just get a standard tub (soaker), we'll probably get it at Lowes or HD. We're still 'on the fence' of what to get. Kinda frustrating.....
I'm half tempted to just go with a standard tub again and be done with it!!!

 

Ahhh, we're getting there slowly but surely.

Ordered 2 vanities & 2 countertops this past weekend. My husband ordered a toilet through Amazon. We're getting the exact same tub as we have now, it'll just be a different color (kohler villager, white). We've decided on tile/color but need to decide on a design patterns. My husband made up some graph paper of the bathroom layout so we can play with designs -and not to mention, know how much tile to order.

I'm still looking around for tile accessories. The tile we've chosen doesn't have corner shelve options. I'm considering just getting 'white' shelves that'll match the tub color (white).
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/113202-bathroom-tile-accessories.html

Question for the bathroom guru's - we currently have a shower massage fixed shower head. We definately want to get another shower massage. But now, I'm considering one of those hand helds. The only thing that really stands out is the fact I can use it to help wash the shower walls with it. Is there other pros/cons to having these things? Does the hardware/tubing last without leaking? I realize they're pretty cheap to replace even if they do leak.....
Any thoughts?
Any brands to recommend?
Thanks ahead of time!!

 

We're staying with a shower curtain (just a new rod & new inner and outter curtains).

 

Got a question for ya'll.... What size grout lines are recommended for the tub/shower walls versus the floor?

The grout lines in the shower now I'd guess are just ever slightly bigger than 1/16". Very tiny.....

All I can say is....before you order tile from any other places, make sure you shop around including LOWES. We almost got ripped off for tile from a specialty store. They wanted to charge us $2400 for tile that we got at Lowes for only $1200 (same tile, brand, & amount).

 

I did 1/4" grout lines between 12"x12" tiles that I put on my shower walls.

 

It depends what kind and size tile you use...stone vs porcelain/ceramic. Smaller grout lines for the stone (1/16"). It really is personal preference though what size you end up going with...I did 1/4" in my tub/shower area (12"x12" porcelain tiles), not sure why, just did. It's been a couple years and it's holding up great and looks great, it was just a lot of messy grouting at the time. Also, you wanna use unsanded grout for smaller grout lines like 1/8" or 1/16". Smaller grout lines make for less grout cleaning, easier shower cleaning Yes, Lowes is great for remodeling!

 

Thanks Gang!!
The tile is porcelain (thru color) and a combination of 12" on bottom with border and 6" tiles (diamond design) above the border. The floor will be the same 6" tiles (diamond design).

We want to get a grout that doesn't need sealing, mildew & stain resistant. Can't remember what its called....is it an Epoxy grout?

The layout of the tiles will affect it all...and I guess our installer will make suggestions either way. I'd personally like smaller lines just to reduce exposure to dirt/etc.

 

We do.....1 shower.

I'll have to do some more research. The guy at the specialty store mentioned a certain type of grout, but he never said anything about the cure time. That would be nice to know.....

Any suggestions? I really don't want anything I have to maintain (apply sealer) on a regular basis.

 

The time has finally come!! Finally got all the parts/grout/tiles and set a day for the installer to come today.

While I was working this weekend both days (noon-12am) - my husband demo'd the entire bathroom. Our installer is a friend and we're saving ourselves a lot of money by doing the demo/cleanup. So yesterday, our only bath/shower was out of commission and will be out of commission for a couple weeks. What a wrinkle in your lifestyle - trying to coordinate where/when you can take showers. Luckily for me, there are showers where I work and I take showers before and after work.

Here's a shot today - first day the installer was on the job. He (I helped) slid the 300lb+ behemoth in place for dry fitting. It's a Kohler Villager (cast iron) tub. Exact same tub we replaced, just a different color.


My vanity...or what used to be where my vanity was.


We went with American Olean tile & border and the Bostik True Color grout.
The grout is supposed to be the latest and greatest on the market in terms of durability, ease of install, and maintenance free. It takes 1 week of cure time before it can be exposed to moisture. It's more expensive but I really love the maintenance free aspect.

Thanks for all the help/thoughts. I'll be extremely happy when its done. It'll be nice to have a shower again!! It's about damn time this thing got started!!!

 

Looking forward to the finished product!

 

i need to do this also. my bathroom is very very ghetto.

i am going to put a japanese style soaking tube in. they are deep and you sit in them, upright. you take up less floor space. i can then enlarge my shower stall..i just need to figure exactly what i want..and get the cash together.

 

I just redid mine about 10-11 months ago. I'll try and offer any advice I can. Mine was an entire gut job and came out like this:

 

I did the same thing. Couldnt shower at my place during the project, lol. Glad to see you went w/ cast iron for the tub too. Gonna be nice when its all done.. keep the thread updated w/ progress pics!!