Type of Bath advice

[pixxyco]

Hi, I'm putting a new bathroom in and am undecided on what type of bath, acrylic or metal.
I like the look of the Ideal Standard Acrylic Jasper Morrison double ended bath.
Does anyone have any views on the quality of this bath (we will be using it as a shower bath), or is it better to get a steel bath. I live by the see so it would be subject to sandy kids, which I assume could scratch acylic.

Thanks for any advice

 

[bengasman]

By and large, Ideal Standard is not what it used to be, you can get better stuff for less money. The only decent thing they sell is radiators, everything else should go straight into the bargain basement, or even better: the dodgy corner at the bootfair.
Markings fade, ceramic cracks, surface scratches when you look at it.

 

[pixxyco]

By and large, Ideal Standard is not what it used to be, you can get better stuff for less money. The only decent thing they sell is radiators, everything else should go straight into the bargain basement, or even better: the dodgy corner at the bootfair.
Markings fade, ceramic cracks, surface scratches when you look at it.

Cheers for the reply Bengasman.
What makes would you recommend?

 

[fatplumber]

Kalderwei for heavy pressed steel

 

[bengasman]

I can't really say which ones are good in the long run as I only see things when they are bust, or brand new.
On the whole, it seems that when you go to diy stores, you get diy quality.
Little local shops buy whatever they think looks nice and is cheap, and often lead to compatibility issues.
Established chains tend to use established manufacturers, but always worth checking out the brand wherever you get it from, before you buy it.
One thing that never hurts is to ask the installer if he has any preferred suppliers as you may get better conditions that way.

Quality plastic baths are as good as proper steel baths, and the cheapos in both are prone to problems.
I would have plastic for myself at any time, as I find steel cold where it is above the water, and less slippery, but that is as personal as the colour.

 

[pixxyco]

I can't really say which ones are good in the long run as I only see things when they are bust, or brand new.
On the whole, it seems that when you go to diy stores, you get diy quality.
Little local shops buy whatever they think looks nice and is cheap, and often lead to compatibility issues.
Established chains tend to use established manufacturers, but always worth checking out the brand wherever you get it from, before you buy it.
One thing that never hurts is to ask the installer if he has any preferred suppliers as you may get better conditions that way.

Quality plastic baths are as good as proper steel baths, and the cheapos in both are prone to problems.
I would have plastic for myself at any time, as I find steel cold where it is above the water, and less slippery, but that is as personal as the colour.

Hi Bengasman, I'm fitting the bathroom myself, so I have no installer to ask.
I've avoided the DIY chains as it seems expensive cheap stuff, if you know what I mean.
We had settled on the Ideal Standard Concept Cube design toilet and sink, as I assumed Ideal is a good make, and it has the style we like. The only other supplier at a reasonable price was QX Bathrooms and Lecico, but seeing as these are smaller companies it's hard to judge the quality.

As far as the bath I do prefer steel as I've always had steel, but saying that I have a cheap B&Q plastic one in a student house that is still going strong. I liked the Ideal Standard double end Jasper Morrison (£300 about) as it looked comfortable (most seem horrid deep sided, flat bottomed things), but it did seem to flex a bit when you pushed the sides. We would prefer a double ended, but I'm not paying £400+ for the privalage when I can get a standard one for under £200. What would you expect to pay for a quality bath and what thickness is minimum, 5mm, 8mm?
Cheers