We are refurbishing our bathroom and my wife fancies a couple
of the baths in Homebase.

they are largeish double ended ones. I think i had heard rumours about the
robustness of 'DIY Shed' baths before with a minimum acceptable thickness.

With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles) and was
told it was 5mm acryllic.

Is this acceptable or should i stick to a plumbers merchant ? Trouble is
that we have been to a few this is my wifes preferred bath.


thanks in advance


D

"dkh" wrote in message
...
We are refurbishing our bathroom and my wife fancies a couple
of the baths in Homebase.

they are largeish double ended ones. I think i had heard rumours about the
robustness of 'DIY Shed' baths before with a minimum acceptable thickness.

With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles) and
was
told it was 5mm acryllic.

Is this acceptable or should i stick to a plumbers merchant ? Trouble is
that we have been to a few this is my wifes preferred bath.

I prefer 8mm, but a lot also depends on how well the bath is supported.
There should be a solid, usually ply, moulded-in support under the bottom of
the bath, with a central support leg as well as two pairs towards the ends.
You should also look for timber moulded under the bath edge. That is so that
you can screw up into it from the bath edge support timbers, which should be
firmly fixed to the walls or, on sides away from a wall, supported from the
floor on a strong frame.

Colin Bignell

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:58:03 +0000, dkh wrote:

We are refurbishing our bathroom and my wife fancies a couple
of the baths in Homebase.

they are largeish double ended ones. I think i had heard rumours about the
robustness of 'DIY Shed' baths before with a minimum acceptable thickness.

With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles) and was
told it was 5mm acryllic.

Is this acceptable or should i stick to a plumbers merchant ? Trouble is
that we have been to a few this is my wifes preferred bath.


thanks in advance

Try a plumbers' merchant - the sort that has bits on the pavement.

Bad 5mm - 6mm - 7mm - 8mm good.

You get what you pay for.
When you go to a shed - you are paying for it to
a) be open longer esp w/e.
b) have nicely laid out displays so you can see what you are getting.



--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

Ed Sirett wrote in
news
On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:58:03 +0000, dkh wrote:

We are refurbishing our bathroom and my wife fancies a couple
of the baths in Homebase.

they are largeish double ended ones. I think i had heard rumours
about the robustness of 'DIY Shed' baths before with a minimum
acceptable thickness.

With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles)
and was told it was 5mm acryllic.

Is this acceptable or should i stick to a plumbers merchant ? Trouble
is that we have been to a few this is my wifes preferred bath.


thanks in advance

Try a plumbers' merchant - the sort that has bits on the pavement.

Bad 5mm - 6mm - 7mm - 8mm good.

You get what you pay for.
When you go to a shed - you are paying for it to
a) be open longer esp w/e.
b) have nicely laid out displays so you can see what you are getting.




Cheers Ed,
forgot to add that the bath she most likes is a double ended one (fairly
large) which tends to suggest 5mm is not up to the job.

Bit confused about what you meant above
Bad 5mm - 6mm - 7mm - 8mm good.

does this mean all but 8mm are bad or is 7mm ok too ?

With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles) and
was
told it was 5mm acryllic.

Personally, I wouldn't touch plastic with a bargepole however thick it is. I
know they come in all sorts of wonderful shell shapes and suchlike, but
being a porky sort, I like to know the bath will remain approximately where
it is when I'm getting into it.

Christian.

nightjar nightjar@ wrote:
told it was 5mm acryllic.
Is this acceptable
I prefer 8mm,

I prefer steel

but a lot also depends on how well the bath is supported.

We've all been very tactful and not asked the OP how much he and his
missus weigh :-)

Owain

nightjar nightjar@ wrote:
"dkh" wrote in message
...

We are refurbishing our bathroom and my wife fancies a couple of
the baths in Homebase.

they are largeish double ended ones. I think i had heard rumours
about the robustness of 'DIY Shed' baths before with a minimum
acceptable thickness.

With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles)
and was told it was 5mm acryllic.

Is this acceptable or should i stick to a plumbers merchant ?
Trouble is that we have been to a few this is my wifes preferred
bath.

I prefer 8mm, but a lot also depends on how well the bath is
supported.

I'd certainly go along with that; I tend to ignore (or rather augment)
what fittings the manufacturer provides, which are invariably inadequate
especially for a thin bath. If you use plenty of extra support, eg at
the corners, you can compensate in part for the lack of thickness IMHO.

When I went into a specialist bathroom outlet recently, the proprietor
launched into a tirade against cheap'n nasty you-get-what-you-pay-for
suites at the sheds before I'd barely had a chance to open my mouth.

He affirmed that the 'diy shed' baths were all far too thin, and his
were of decent thickness; the interesting part for me was that he said
that the reason that 'diy shed' baths always have lots of ribbing and
designs built into their fabric is to give them a bit of stiffness so
they don't collapse under their own weight; he reckoned if you wanted a
very plain bath with no drip grooves, soap recesses etc, you had to go
for thicker material.

David

"Owain" wrote in message
...
nightjar nightjar@ wrote:
told it was 5mm acryllic.
Is this acceptable
I prefer 8mm,

I prefer steel

but a lot also depends on how well the bath is supported.

We've all been very tactful and not asked the OP how much he and his
missus weigh :-)

Are you assuming they're in the bath at the same time? I've heard that it
happens :-)

Isn't there a standard weight which the manufacturers are supposed to allow
for?

Our bath is an ancient, large, cast iron one. All I worry about is the
strength of the floor holding it up when it's full of water. And me. Yes I'm
big (11 st 9lb and going down) but not as heavy as most of the men I know.
Spouse is 9 st dripping wet, before anyone makes a comment :-)

Mary


Owain

"Lobster" wrote in message
...

When I went into a specialist bathroom outlet recently, the proprietor
launched into a tirade against cheap'n nasty you-get-what-you-pay-for
suites at the sheds before I'd barely had a chance to open my mouth.

He affirmed that the 'diy shed' baths were all far too thin, and his
were of decent thickness; the interesting part for me was that he said
that the reason that 'diy shed' baths always have lots of ribbing and
designs built into their fabric is to give them a bit of stiffness so
they don't collapse under their own weight; he reckoned if you wanted a
very plain bath with no drip grooves, soap recesses etc, you had to go
for thicker material.

And did you buy one from him?

Mary

David

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
et...
With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles) and
was
told it was 5mm acryllic.

Personally, I wouldn't touch plastic with a bargepole however thick it is.
I
know they come in all sorts of wonderful shell shapes and suchlike, but
being a porky sort, I like to know the bath will remain approximately
where
it is when I'm getting into it.

Me too. The work of the devil. And if a child tries out Grandpa's drill on a
plastic one you end up with an expensive colander ... :-)

Mary

Christian.

Mary Fisher wrote:
We've all been very tactful and not asked the OP how much he and his
missus weigh :-)
Are you assuming they're in the bath at the same time? I've heard that it
happens :-)

He was talking about a double-ender IIRC. Double-enders are for sharing,
so I assume.

Owain

Mary Fisher wrote:
Isn't there a standard weight which the manufacturers are supposed to allow
for?

I presume that it should hold a full bath of water. We are not that much
denser than water I think. (There would have to be a saftey margin.)

Rem

"Rembrandt Kuipers" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
Isn't there a standard weight which the manufacturers are supposed to
allow for?

I presume that it should hold a full bath of water. We are not that much
denser than water I think.

A bit less in fact, we float. Well, I do, Spouse doesn't. But that's a good
point which I should have thought about!

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Rembrandt Kuipers" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
Isn't there a standard weight which the manufacturers are supposed to
allow for?
I presume that it should hold a full bath of water. We are not that much
denser than water I think.
A bit less in fact, we float. Well, I do, Spouse doesn't. But that's a good
point which I should have thought about!

Of course that does not cover five people standing in the bath, or
jumping up and down.

Rem

"Rembrandt Kuipers" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
"Rembrandt Kuipers" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
Isn't there a standard weight which the manufacturers are supposed to
allow for?
I presume that it should hold a full bath of water. We are not that much
denser than water I think.
A bit less in fact, we float. Well, I do, Spouse doesn't. But that's a
good point which I should have thought about!

Of course that does not cover five people standing in the bath, or jumping
up and down.

You've been watching!

It's a long time since our five children did that though :-)

Mary

Rem

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Lobster" wrote in message
...

When I went into a specialist bathroom outlet recently, the proprietor
launched into a tirade against cheap'n nasty you-get-what-you-pay-for
suites at the sheds before I'd barely had a chance to open my mouth.

He affirmed that the 'diy shed' baths were all far too thin, and his
were of decent thickness; the interesting part for me was that he said
that the reason that 'diy shed' baths always have lots of ribbing and
designs built into their fabric is to give them a bit of stiffness so
they don't collapse under their own weight; he reckoned if you wanted a
very plain bath with no drip grooves, soap recesses etc, you had to go
for thicker material.

And did you buy one from him?

Well I did as it happens! - a combination of believing what he said; a
bit of a desire to support a local business rather than Wickes/B&Q et
al; but mostly that it was a really nice-looking, well made, plain bath!

David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
"Lobster" wrote in message
...

When I went into a specialist bathroom outlet recently, the proprietor
launched into a tirade against cheap'n nasty you-get-what-you-pay-for
suites at the sheds before I'd barely had a chance to open my mouth.

He affirmed that the 'diy shed' baths were all far too thin, and his
were of decent thickness; the interesting part for me was that he said
that the reason that 'diy shed' baths always have lots of ribbing and
designs built into their fabric is to give them a bit of stiffness so
they don't collapse under their own weight; he reckoned if you wanted a
very plain bath with no drip grooves, soap recesses etc, you had to go
for thicker material.

And did you buy one from him?

Well I did as it happens! - a combination of believing what he said; a bit
of a desire to support a local business rather than Wickes/B&Q et al;

Good for you!

but mostly that it was a really nice-looking, well made, plain bath!

Another good reason.

Mary

David

"Owain" wrote in message
...
nightjar nightjar@ wrote:
told it was 5mm acryllic.
Is this acceptable
I prefer 8mm,

I prefer steel

Acrylic is a better insulator.

Colin Bignell

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
et...
With this in mind I asked the thinkness of the said bath (antilles) and
was
told it was 5mm acryllic.

Personally, I wouldn't touch plastic with a bargepole however thick it is.
I
know they come in all sorts of wonderful shell shapes and suchlike, but
being a porky sort, I like to know the bath will remain approximately
where
it is when I'm getting into it.

I doubt mine is going anywhere. Each of the five feet is screwed down with
three screws and there are screws up into the rim timber at about 6"
intervals all around the rim. On three sides, the support timber is fixed
firmly to the wall and on the fourth side, it is held up by 2" x 2"
well-jointed framing, which is screwed to the floor.

Colin Bignell

I presume that it should hold a full bath of water. We are not that much
denser than water I think. (There would have to be a saftey margin.)

Being pedantic though this is a well distributed load.
Nothing like the weight of a heavy person standing at one end - this is the
case that shows up the flexibility of the bath!

Phil

"Ed Sirett" said:

Bad 5mm - 6mm - 7mm - 8mm good.

I spoke to a couple of bath manufacturers before buying last year.
They claimed it wasn't quite as straight forward as Ed describes.
They claimed that the forming process tends to thin the bath wall more as
the wall thickness increases.
So the best option is a 5mm bath with a secondary coating. Ideal Standard
make one whose name eludes me.
I actually went for an "Aquanited" model from Aquabeau - guaranteed 25
years.

There were one or two quality issues, but structurally it seems solid.

Phil

"TheScullster" wrote in message
...
I presume that it should hold a full bath of water. We are not that much
denser than water I think. (There would have to be a saftey margin.)

Being pedantic though this is a well distributed load.

Of course.

Nothing like the weight of a heavy person standing at one end - this is
the case that shows up the flexibility of the bath!

Our bath isn't flexible, I could stand on any part of the rim and it
wouldn't shift in any direction. What's more it isn't fixed, it just stands
on four legs.

It took two strong men to get it up the stairs though!

Mary

Phil

I doubt mine is going anywhere. Each of the five feet is screwed down with
three screws and there are screws up into the rim timber at about 6"
intervals all around the rim. On three sides, the support timber is fixed
firmly to the wall and on the fourth side, it is held up by 2" x 2"
well-jointed framing, which is screwed to the floor.

I bet the sides bend, though!

Also, the metal one you just put on the floor. Job done.

Christian.

It took two strong men to get it up the stairs though!

Mary

Tell me about it!
I had to remove a small(ish) 1970s cast iron bath which I could just about
slide and tip.
Didn't dare risk man handling it down the stairs and broke it up carefully.
One of those tasks that is really daunting to a weakling like me - but it
went OK.
Also the "bits" fit in the car for removal to tip - bonus!

Phil

TheScullster wrote:

I had to remove a small(ish) 1970s cast iron bath which I could just about
slide and tip.
Didn't dare risk man handling it down the stairs and broke it up carefully.
One of those tasks that is really daunting to a weakling like me - but it
went OK.

Me too. Hope you wore your ear defenders - an unbelievable racket!
David

"TheScullster" wrote in message
...
It took two strong men to get it up the stairs though!

Mary

Tell me about it!
I had to remove a small(ish) 1970s cast iron bath which I could just about
slide and tip.
Didn't dare risk man handling it down the stairs and broke it up
carefully.
One of those tasks that is really daunting to a weakling like me - but it
went OK.
Also the "bits" fit in the car for removal to tip - bonus!

You'd have had a slightly bigger bonus if you'd weighed it in :-)

Mary

Phil

I considered whether to have cheap plastic or cheap metal bath and
eventually settled for a cheap plastic one (probably 5mm, although I
must admit, I haven't measured it).

Although the metal ones were more solid I noticed that they tapered
considerably towards the bottom, meaning that lying in it would produce
a "penned in" sensation, so much so that even when showering and
standing up, it would difficult to lay my feet completely flat. I am
only a lanky streak of **** as well.

I assume the cheap metal ones are made this way because they are easier
to cast in this shape.

I spent ages building a very substantial wooden frame for my plastic
bath using bits of 3" x 2" and the result is a very solid cheap plastic
bath. It does stay warmer for longer too, as somebody else has already
mentioned.

Although the metal ones were more solid I noticed that they tapered
considerably towards the bottom, meaning that lying in it would produce
a "penned in" sensation, so much so that even when showering and
standing up, it would difficult to lay my feet completely flat. I am
only a lanky streak of **** as well.

I have no problem at all and I'm 6'2" and not exactly slightly built. I find
standard steel baths to be very comfortable. Perhaps the shop you went to
had a particularly unusual shape.

Christian.

In article , Owain
URL:mailto
He was talking about a double-ender IIRC. Double-enders are for sharing,
so I assume.

Certainly true according to http://www.lovehoney.co.uk :-)

--
AJL

"Owain" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
We've all been very tactful and not asked the OP how much he and his
missus weigh :-)
Are you assuming they're in the bath at the same time? I've heard that it
happens :-)

He was talking about a double-ender IIRC. Double-enders are for sharing,
so I assume.

Oh ... I see. I think.

Ours is a conventional Victorian bath, taps at one end, rounded at the
other, but it's had two of us in it often. I always eleced to sit at the
non-tap end.

Mary

Owain

Mary Fisher wrote:
Ours is a conventional Victorian bath, taps at one end, rounded at the
other, but it's had two of us in it often. I always eleced to sit at the
non-tap end.

Ah, the mark of a true gentleman (tap mark between the shoulders, that is)

David

dkh wrote:
We are refurbishing our bathroom and my wife fancies a couple
of the baths in Homebase.


I don't think homebase will allow this? :-)

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
Ours is a conventional Victorian bath, taps at one end, rounded at the
other, but it's had two of us in it often. I always eleced to sit at the
non-tap end.

Ah, the mark of a true gentleman (tap mark between the shoulders, that is)

LOL!

Two, actually, we have separate hot and cold taps. I tell you, it's an
antique, our bath. Even older than us!

Mary

David

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
et...
I doubt mine is going anywhere. Each of the five feet is screwed down
with
three screws and there are screws up into the rim timber at about 6"
intervals all around the rim. On three sides, the support timber is fixed
firmly to the wall and on the fourth side, it is held up by 2" x 2"
well-jointed framing, which is screwed to the floor.

I bet the sides bend, though!

They don't with an 8mm thick acrylic bath.

Colin Bignell