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Sanctuary Bathrooms Blog
Posted on Thursday 4th July 2019 by James Roberts
Choosing the perfect bath for your bathroom involves more than just selecting a design.
To get the right bath for you, you also need to consider the material your bath is made from. This often leads to our customers asking one key question…
“Should I get a steel bath or an acrylic bath?”
And it’s more of a rabbit-hole than you might think. Each material has benefits and drawbacks, covering everything from temperature retention, strength, ease of cleaning, and so on.
So, we’ve written this article to cover off as many features of each type of bath as possible. After reading you should have a better idea of whether a steel or acrylic bath would suit your bathroom.
We’ll cover:
Here goes.
First, a little bit about acrylic.
This is an incredibly versatile plastic that is used in all sorts of products. It is shatter resistant, relatively cheap to produce, and can be dyed to almost any colour: all reasons that make it very well suited to baths.
However, acrylic does have a bit of a bad reputation with some people, because earlier baths made from the material were nowhere near as sturdy as newer models.
If this describes your opinion on acrylic baths, give them a second chance!
What are the benefits of an acrylic bath?
Here are some of the main reasons people like acrylic baths:
What are the drawbacks of an acrylic bath?
It’s not all good, though. Here are some reasons people dislike acrylic baths:
What about steel?
Steel is a hard, strong alloy metal, made from iron and other materials which vary depending on the type of steel. It is used in buildings, ships, cars, machinery, and many other things.
What are the benefits of a steel bath?
Steel baths are perennially popular and for good reason. Here are some of the main things people like:
What are the drawbacks of a steel bath?
There are many legitimate reasons why people are put off steel baths, too. Here they are:
What else should I bear in mind when choosing a bath?
What are your bathing habits?
If you spend a long time soaking in a bath, you may decide to spend a bit more money for something that feels that little bit more luxurious.
If you have young kids in the house, you probably just want something that does the job and is easy to clean.
If you are prone to feeling particularly cold or find yourself soaking for so long that you top up your bath with hot water a few times, you can add insulation around the tub to keep it hotter for longer.
Some people find themselves drawn more to one material or the other, but if you don’t have a strong preference after reading this piece, just go for the one whose design you like most.
Does acrylic or steel hold temperature better?
This is a question that crops up a lot, so we’ve included some information.
The answer to the question varies depending on where you look, but what seems most likely is that acrylic offers more insulative properties than steel, but because most of the water's heat is lost upward, the effect is smaller than you might expect.
There you have it…
Hopefully, this article has answered all the questions you have about the benefits and drawbacks of steel and acrylic baths.
Each material has properties that people like and dislike, and for some people, these will be a deal-breaker. If you’re not one of these people, you can decide based on design instead.
When choosing a bath, please feel free to ask our team any questions you may have. They are experts in all things bathrooms and will be happy to help you make the right choice!
Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm, Saturday: 9am - 4:30pm, Sunday: Closed