When it comes to renovating a bathroom, people often want to know approximately how much they need to spend to complete an update or overhaul. Unfortunately, this is one of those questions that can vary largely depending on the size of the room as well as the materials which you choose. Selecting the latest and most in fashion materials will likely cost you a premium. This mostly can be due to a lack of market competition for such new products, but sometimes is because you’re paying for a prestigious name or even freight shipping from overseas.
This can especially be the case for bathtubs, which due to their large size, and depending on their construction material can be expensive to import from overseas. Many modern baths are now constructed from acrylic to keep this overall weight down for just this reason, but a brand new bath might not always be the right choice for you.
Quite often the thought of still owning a bathtub in your bathroom can be a contentious issue. This is sometimes justified depending on an individual’s lifestyle, but it’s undeniable that owning a bathtub definitely has some benefits. These benefits are quite evident if you have young children or a baby, where a free-standing shower is not practical.
The construction of new baths are made from much softer material than their predecessors, which while are easier to transport and look clean, might not be quite durable enough. This is especially the case if you use your tub to wash your pet. Large heavy dog breeds can sometimes claw the bottom of the bath, which while may not puncture the structure, it could damage the lining making it uneven or sharp to the touch, which is not ideal.
Luckily an innovative solution of resurfacing older bathtubs has gained some recent popularity. This works great as a solution to the scenario above and the process actually will cost you less than a new bathtub. In addition to this there are some other considerations as to why resurfacing might also be practical.
If you have limited bath space and require a bath with specific dimensions, or which is no longer in production, you now have an easy solution. Best of all the resurfacing can often be done without needing to remove the tub, which will again potentially reduce costs.
Older bathtubs are usually a little bit larger than modern ones. Ironically as a population we’re all gradually getting taller, so this seems odd, but can likely be attributed to water conservation. But if you’re over 6 foot tall and want to relax in the bath, this might be the only way.
Another consideration is if you have a federation or heritage era home, a brand-new fancy acrylic bathtub might not be in keeping with the rest of your décor. Of course, there are always new products designed to look old, for which you will likely pay a premium. After all, many of us have seen that everything old will eventually come back into fashion.
Of course, if you do have your heart set on a new bathroom design such as changing over to a free-standing tub, it still could be possible find another home or a use for your old bath. A consideration would be to repurpose and convert your old bath to become a luxurious outdoor “feature bath” which you could surround with some of your favourite plants.
