You can make a really big Barbecue pit out of a couple of old cast iron tubs, fiberglass ones just melt and give an off flavor to the brisket.
All other things being equal, color, size, etc. fiberglass is cheaper to purchase and install. Usually.
Cast iron tubs feel nice and solid when you stretch out in one. Fiberglass ones can feel flimsy and insecure, especially if they aren't skillfully installed with proper padding underneath. The bottom can actually flex and you feel like your gonna break right thru. A cast iron tub can feel cold when you first get in, a glass tub will usually be at room temp, but use hot enough water and the iron will absorb the heat, cooling off the too hot bath, and then hold the heat, the glass one, even tho insulated, will just not feel as cozy.
Porcelainized cast iron is stain resistant and easy to clean, at least when new and unscoured by overly abrasive cleansers. Fiberglass will actually absorb some of the dyes used to color regular shampoos and stuff, it is soft and easily scratched, especially by the wrong cleanser, ya need a cleaner specifically for fiberglass, no problem really. In fact ya shouldn't really be using things like Comet on your tub despite what their ads say, use softer cleansers like DUZ or Barkeepers Friend, is Bon-Ami still around?
Fiberglass is light weight, important when remodeling an existing bathroom, cause there just ain't much room in there, it does take some care and proper packing and padding when installing. Cast iron is way heavy, you need three big men and an elephant just to carry it in there. All you gotta do is make sure it is level when you install it but sometimes that requires renting a real strong midget or hiring a small but strong monkey to do the final adjustments cause there just aint no room in there. It's not quite so difficult in new construction B4 the walls are up.
Cast Iron is strong, it won't break or bend under usual household conditions. Fiberglass is wimpy, a three year old with a croquette mallet can break it. That elephant will put a tusk right thru it, don't even think about bathing your sword fish in a fiberglass tub. Dog claws can really scratch up fiberglass.
Porcelain does chip but it takes somethin heavy and with a narrow edge, say the small pipe wrench you dropped while changing a shower head or the shower head that came off way easier than you thought. Fiberglass can resist a small wrench but when that big fancy shower head and attached pipe, that I wasn't, uh.. you weren't expectin to come off with it, falls it can crack it severely, to the point of damaging the structural integrity of the tub. Repairs of minor chipped porcelain and minor scratches to fiberglass cost just about the same, a minor repair to cast iron usually looks better than a repair on fiberglass, if the skill and integrity of the repairer are comparable. On the other hand, if the integrity of a cast iron tub is compromised, (and it can happen) that's it, it cant be repaired. Sometimes a fiber glass tub can be repaired. And surprisingly usually look better than minor repairs. Just to aggravate you, the cost of repair is usually just enough to make you wonder if you should just replace it, but not quite enough to make the question moot.
Either tub can be "resurfaced" when the porcelain just becomes too worn and grainy or the resin is gettin fuzzy. The results are the same for either, disappointing. Ya might as well replace it. It is way easier to remove a lighter weight fiberglass tub than a cast iron one. Once its loose a glass tub can be twisted, turned, and toted by a couple of regular sized husbands. An iron tub is usually busted into three sections, easily totable by the beer swillers, by somebody that knows just where to give a few whacks with a cold chisel and sledge, perhaps assisted by the judicious use of a metal cutting blade in the skillsaw.
If your concerns are budgetary and you are hiring the work done, a fiberglass tub is cheaper, but the labor costs of a quality installation are gonna be about equal to a more expensive tub with sloppier but acceptable level installation. Get three estimates on each option. A glass tub needs careful padding, insulation and anchoring, once you get an iron tub set, three or four screws driven, it ain't goin nowhere.
If it is a Do-It-Yourself project of remodeling an existing bathroom I'd go with fiberglass just because it easier to handle, especially since the elephant ran off and joined the circus, takin the monkey with him and steppin on the midget on his way. I would spend way too much time makin real sure I had it set securely with lots of support under the bottom. When I put in our totally new bathroom I am gonna get me the biggest, longest, deepest cast iron tub I can find and afford, I'm gonna set it in place before I even know where the walls and plumbing are gonna be, much less put up the sheetrock.
I had no idea I had such fervent feelings about tubs, I'm as surprised as you are. Lounging back in a humongous cast iron tub in a candle lit room, perfumed aromas from exotic incenses wafting thru the air, muted Vivaldi on the stereo, notmrs feeding me peeled grapes, scrubbing my back, seeking the wadded up muscles; now that's a quality bathing experience. Scrunched up in a shallow fiberglass vat, fluorescent lights flickering, the reek of disinfectant in my nostrils, the weather channel blaring, anticipating the 'complementary Continental breakfast ' of Grapenuts and 2% milk, a two dollar floozy scrabbling thru my Levi's searching for my wallet; now that's a Quality Inn experience. Ooops, please don't tell mrsnot about the $2 floozy, I told her I never spent less than 20 on a floozy. I wonder if Quality Inn is gonna get underlined and linked, I wonder if they are gonna get upset about that $2 and where their ad dollars is goin? They really shouldn't Quality Inn floozies go for $10.75 maximum.
S'anyway, if you can swing it and tote it, go for cast iron.
Comments
LMMFAO!!! Funny and 100% correct!
by ptrask on May 4th, 2006
LOL! Loved your answer! One of the most detailed answers I've ever received, and funny too! :-)
by HungryGuy on January 13th, 2007
I expected some good information and got it. The entertainment was an unexpected and very pleasant surprise.
by Anonymous on September 28th, 2009
WOW, So much information....... Do you sell bath tubs?
You should and would make a fortune!!! LOL
by Pintapride on August 3rd, 2010