I have been advised to only consider an 8mm acrylic bath not a 5mm. Why?

Acrylic bath thicknesses seem to cause the most confusion when purchasing a new bath. The main thing to remember is that the strength of a bath relies not just on the acrylic thickness but a number of other factors. The outer resin/fibre glass coating, thickness of base board and leg fixing kit or cradle are critical to the baths overall rigidity. The bath also needs to be carefully installed following the manufacturers instructions especially regarding the leveling, allowing for settlement when full of water.

It is worth noting that many top-end baths including whirlpool tubs costing thousands are still made from 5mm sheet. It all boils down to the quality of the original construction coupled with good installation. With baths you do get what you pay for.

I have chipped my metal bath. Can I repair it?

Yes you can. There are a number of bath repair kits available on the market. Most utilise an enamel paint spray or brush to touch up a small area of damage. If the chip is quite large you will need a kit containing a filler paste. Use this to fill the hole to the required depth, sand until smooth and then paint.

I want a whirlpool system and a spa system in the same bath. Is this possible?

Yes it is possible, although your overall range of bath choices will be more limited. There are two ways to solve this query. First option would be a single factory fitted unit with the bath and system supplied and fitted by the same manufacturer. This will depend on whether you like their range and style of baths.

Second option would be buying the bath you like and then sending it to a specialist whirlpool/spa company to have their system fitted and then returned to you. Use our manufacturers contact list to enquire further.

I live in a Victorian house and would love an original looking freestanding bath. Are these still obtainable?

Yes, in a variety of sizes and different materials. Cast iron is still very popular (especially with the Victorian purist) although you will have to paint the external face. Acrylic freestanding baths are rising in popularity due to the lighter weight factor and the availability of a pre-finished exterior in a choice of colours. The Acrylic freestanding baths with a raw exterior (again for painting) are usually classed as a stonecast or resincast bath. The feet tend to be in either a primed, white, brass or silver finish.

I really like a bath from one manufacturer and sanitaryware from another. Am I forced to buy the same make and, if not , what about colour problems?

No, you are not forced to buy a manufacturers bath as well as their sanitaryware, although the design of a bath in a suite generally echoes that of the sanitaryware. If you are not concerned with this then there are a huge choice of other baths available from specific bath manufacturers, in all shapes and sizes.

Colour isn't a problem because, as detailed in the bath section earlier, Acrylic baths are made from sheet in an industry standard colour. Metal baths are more limited in colour choice but as these are normally the popular best-sellers anyway ( White, Pergamon, Cream ) this shouldn't pose a problem either.

My bath has lost its sheen and I am reluctant to replace it as it is so comfortable. Is it repairable or can the bath be resurfaced?

A bath that has lost its sheen or has become discoloured is a difficult problem to overcome with the paint/filler kits available. As mentioned previously these kits are really designed for small areas and for metal enamel baths. For a larger area the only option is either a new bath or some form of resurfacing. In your case a new bath is not the favoured option, besides which replacing baths can be difficult with the problems of differing sizes, tile breakage etc.

The traditional method of resurfacing metal enamel baths is to "respray" the bath in situ with an enamel paint. This is obviously a convenient method as the bath doesn't have to be removed and the bath is out of use for the a minimal time while the finish cures. The only drawback to this system is the lack of an option for refinishing acrylic/fibreglass baths.