Russian manufacturers of cast marble bathtubs review. The advantages of bathtubs and sinks made of cast marble include a whole list of characteristics

Despite the appearance of functional, compact shower cabins on the construction market, bathtubs traditionally occupy a strong position in Russia. This is due to the fact that this plumbing fixture is considered in the country not only as a means of maintaining hygiene, but also as a place of rest, relaxation, and health promotion.

Therefore, homeowners are responsible for choosing a container for washing, comparing the pros and cons of models from different materials. The last word in the design was a stone bath, characterized by a long service life, aesthetic qualities and increased wear.

Due to the appearance of artificial stone, the price of products made from this material has decreased, but they still belong to the “luxury” category, therefore they are produced in very limited quantities. In this article we will talk about the types, popular forms, features of the manufacture of stone sanitary bowls.

Varieties

A stone wash basin is a durable, strong, hygienic sanitary ware with excellent performance characteristics. The use of this natural material indoors makes the interior stylish and modern. The price of stone models starts from 100 thousand rubles and depends on the size, quality or complexity of the product.. For the manufacture of bathtubs, the following types of stone are used:

Important! Many homeowners are put off by the high price of natural or artificial stone when choosing a bathroom. However, professional craftsmen claim that these investments quickly pay off, because stone bowls have a longer service life than other types of baths.

Forms

For the sophisticated modern buyer, the variety of models and dimensions of the bathtub plays an important role. Stone models are produced in a symmetrical or asymmetrical form, therefore they are used in rooms of any size. They produce the following from stone:

Professional designers note that a stone corner bath is more suitable for small spaces, because it allows you to increase the comfort of performing hygiene procedures, saving free space. In addition, often such models are equipped with hydromassage equipment, built-in lighting, storage places, which contributes to maximum relaxation and recovery.

Advantages

The exorbitant price often makes buyers wonder if the performance of stone baths justifies the high cost. More often people pay attention to the external attractiveness of stone products, however, in use they show their practicality and functionality. According to professional craftsmen, stone bath models have the following advantages:

• High strength. Artificial and natural stone have increased strength, so it is almost impossible to damage models made of this material during operation.
• Long service life. Bathtubs made of stone are considered almost eternal, therefore, having bought such a model once, you can use it for the rest of your life.
• Hygiene. The surface of the stone does not absorb pollution, does not allow mold, fungus and other pathogenic microflora to spread, therefore bathtubs made of this material are considered the most hygienic and safe for health.
• Low thermal conductivity. The low coefficient of thermal conductivity of the stone allows you to keep the temperature of the water for a long time, which ensures the comfort of hygiene procedures.
• High decorative potential. Bathtubs made of natural and artificial stone in the interior look exclusive, expensive, stylish. By complementing the wash basin with a sink or countertop, you can get a modern, relevant and memorable design.

Interestingly, a bathtub made of artificial stone has its own advantages, despite the fact that the price for it is less than for natural models. High-quality stone bathtubs are covered with a layer of polyester resin during the production process, due to which they have a non-porous surface. Due to the absence of pores, artificial stone products have antibacterial properties and a self-cleaning effect.

disadvantages

Every material has disadvantages, including natural and artificial stone. Before purchasing a plumbing product, the price of which reaches hundreds of thousands of rubles, it is necessary to study the features of installation and operation, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of such a choice. A bath made of artificial stone or natural raw materials has the following disadvantages:

1. Low maintainability. Repairing stone bathtubs is quite difficult, so restoring a damaged coating can be expensive for the owner. It is more difficult to repair a product from natural raw materials. Artificial stone products are much easier to restore. It is best to close the crack immediately after detection, without tightening, so as not to bring the case to the formation of a through hole.
2. Prohibition of the use of abrasive detergents. Every housewife knows that sometimes the easiest way to remove dirt is with a hard sponge or abrasive detergent. However, it is not allowed to use stone products for cleaning, as they abrade the outer coating of the bathtub and leave scratches.
3. risk of staining. Care should be taken when using hair dye or other coloring compounds in a stone wash basin, as they can soak into the material, changing color. The cup must be rinsed after each use.

Important! The main disadvantage of stone sanitary ware is the high price, which makes this type of bathtub out of reach for many homeowners. It is believed that low cost indicates internal defects and questionable product quality.

Video instruction

Acrylic or cast iron, quartz or cast marble - what is the best material? When buying a bath, all buyers have the same question - and today I propose to consider in detail the properties of each material, compare the pros and cons in order to make the right choice.

First hand information: this article presents conclusions based on many years of personal experience - and not copying disparate information scattered in the vastness of the network.

Expert staff when creating the material, they are represented by the company's specialists HydroMAS who know firsthand what each bathtub looks like and what it consists of from the inside – over many years of work, we have drilled and installed thousands of bathtubs.

Your new bath: what's inside?

It is no secret that modern technologies and industrial design possibilities allow you to create a bathtub from almost any material. From steel, whose only advantage, as you all know, is low cost, to exotic ones such as glass, stone, and even wood. In most cases, the choice is presented from acrylic bathtubs, classic cast iron, cast marble and a relatively new material - quartz. We will consider them in the article.

Acrylic: versatile and popular

So let's start with some of the most popular - acrylic bathtubs . When choosing, pay attention to two key characteristics: the type of acrylic sheet and its thickness.

Of course, you already know about the variety of shapes and sizes that acrylic allows you to create, but I would like to highlight a lesser known fact. So, did you know that the acrylic sheet from which the bathtub is made can be of 3 types: cast, extruded, and combined. Depending on which acrylic is used in production, the final cost of the bath is added up.

cast acrylic - the most durable, reliable, but at the same time the most expensive material. Its feature is in a specific manufacturing technology by casting. Due to this, cast acrylic has a longer molecular chain, which means that your bath becomes much stronger and more reliable.

Extruded Acrylic Sheet manufactured by rolling molten acrylic granules between rollers. The molecular chain in such a material is shorter and directed towards rolling - accordingly, it is less durable than cast acrylic, but still reliable enough for use in standard conditions. There is also a definite plus - the price of a bathtub made of extruded acrylic will be less due to the low cost of production of the material itself.

Combined sheet consists of two layers glued together - ABS plastic at the bottom and acrylic extruded sheet at the top. The percentage of layers can be different, depending on this, the price also changes - as you might guess, the thinner the layer of acrylic, the cheaper. Such material is quite reliable, affordable and very popular among manufacturers of economy segment baths.

Acrylic: what you need to know about the thickness of your bathtub?

Speaking of thickness, it is necessary to divide into two concepts: the thickness of the bathtub wall and the thickness of the acrylic sheet. By itself, acrylic is a very plastic material, which in its pure form will not withstand even the weight of a person, not to mention the weight of water in the bathroom. For strength, acrylic is reinforced (reinforced) with a layer of fiberglass with epoxy resin and embedded elements (usually plywood inserts) are installed in the bottom and upper sides of the bath.

When we talk about the thickness of the bathtub wall, we mean the total thickness of the acrylic sheet and the reinforcing layer. The thicker the reinforcing layer, the stronger, and the thicker the acrylic sheet, the longer the bath will serve you. The normal thickness of an acrylic sheet is 4 - 5 mm, but it is worth remembering that this is the thickness of the initial material and during the molding process the sheet is stretched and in some places it can be 2 times thinner, which is absolutely normal.

It is interesting: the thickness and number of layers can be clearly seen on the cut of the tub or on the overflow hole.

Acrylic bathtubs: a few more nuances

What else can affect the longevity of your acrylic bathtub? I also recommend paying attention choice of frame (frame). It must be strong and must have support posts that rest against the upper sides of the bath and prevent them from bending. It is better if the frame is solid (welded), and not twisted from longitudinal and transverse parts with bolts. The monolithic structure is more stable and will not loosen over time.

Another tip for those who buy bathtub with hydromassage . Acrylic would be a good choice for bowl material as it is the easiest material to use and does not require expensive tools to install. It is worth knowing that 95% of these baths are equipped with hydromassage systems already in Russia, even if the bath itself is made in Europe. This is due to the fact that a hot tub brought (already assembled) from another country costs several times more than a bathtub assembled from us - while the same European components are used in the assembly.

Cast iron bathtubs - an ageless classic of the genre

Cast iron- the next most popular material after acrylic. The reliability and harmlessness of this material is known, probably, to everyone. Indeed, from a professional point of view, cast iron is the safest material, it does not emit any toxins, and all possible bacteria were killed when enamel was applied at 900 degrees Celsius. In turn, the large weight of the material makes the bathtub resistant to tipping over.

At the same time, weight may seem like a certain disadvantage - the buyer is often afraid of the difficulties in delivery and installation. In our opinion, this minus is very conditional, since you encounter delivery once in 20 years, and even today all stores have a delivery service that will take care of all the worries.

Also, the limitations of the design can be attributed to the disadvantages. - if you choose an angular or asymmetric shape, then you can not look for cast-iron bathtubs, they do not exist. But the hydromassage is installed on cast iron without any problems - you can easily buy it in our salon.

Categories of cast iron bathtubs: what determines the cost?

• Category 1 - "Euro" - European standard "CE"
• Category 2 - "Standard" - first grade
• Category 3 - "Commercial" - second grade

Depending on what grade the bath belongs to, its quality and cost depend. The difficulty is that when buying it can be difficult to find out the category of a cast-iron bath - you have to determine this yourself.

How to determine the category and quality of a cast-iron bath? Here are some professional tips:

On my own behalf, I can advise manufacturers for whom I will not be ashamed:

• cast iron baths (Spain)
• cast iron bathtubs (France)
• cast-iron bathtubs Recor (Germany)

The quality of bathtubs of these brands has been pleasing our customers for many years and does not make sellers blush.

Cast marble bathtubs

Such baths as soon as they are not called. On the Internet and in the markets they can be found under the names: marble, stone, artificial stone, stone mass. But their production process is the same.

Making bathtubs from artificial stone can be compared to building a foundation for a building, only instead of crushed stone and sand, the composition includes ground natural marble or quartz sand, and polyester resin instead of cement. The surface of the bath is covered with a layer of gelcoat, which, like armor, protects the bath from various kinds of damage. To understand the strength, I can say that yachts and boats, as well as billiard balls, are covered with a layer of gelcoat, and they usually get great.

What are the main advantages of an artificial stone bath?

High coating strength - about which I spoke above.

• Great stability to tipping - on average, the wall thickness in a marble bath is 2 - 3 cm, while the weight is not much inferior to a cast-iron bath.
• Long-term preservation of water temperature.
• Simple and inexpensive restoration. Even if you dropped a hammer into the bathtub and a chip formed, this trouble can be easily fixed at home using a repair kit for 100 rubles.
• Design variety. Marble bathtubs can be absolutely any color - from classic white to imitating the structure of any natural stone.

Note: the cost is usually indicated for a bathtub in white, and for the color version, manufacturers ask to pay about 25% of the price. Colored bathtubs are made exclusively for the customer's order, and this may increase the delivery time.

And of course, as a specialist in hydromassage systems, I cannot but add: they are suitable for hydromassage equipment. This is made to order, the installation period for the hydromassage system is 5 working days.

Kvaril bathtubs - a new word in the world of plumbing

Kvaril- This is a relatively new material in the production of bathtubs. The process of its manufacture is quite interesting: particles of quartz sand are enclosed in an acrylic granule, due to which the latter becomes much stronger.

Then these granules
heated to a certain temperature and pour the resulting mass into special forms. This method allows you to make bathtubs of any shape and any size.

In my opinion, this is exactly what the main nuances that you need to consider when choosing a bath material look like. If you still have questions - feel free to write in the comments or through the form on this site, I will try to answer in detail.

Novikov Alexander Evgenievich, a specialist in the installation of hydromassage systems.

Work experience - 9 years.

The range of modern plumbing amazes consumers with its diversity. In stores, you can choose a bathtub from almost any material: steel, cast iron, wood, glass. But in order to give the bathroom a noble and aristocratic appearance, it is worth installing marble bath.

It will emphasize the impeccable taste and high status of the owner, and will also please you with good technical characteristics, which are described in more detail in the article.

Plumbing fixtures made of natural stone began to be made quite recently.

But even despite the high cost, such products are in demand among buyers, because they are reliable, durable and give the room a special aristocratic charm, bring an atmosphere of luxury and sophistication into the interior.