Freestanding baths: pros and cons

Creating an original interior in your living room is the dream of any modern homeowner or landlord. Bathroom is no exception. Manufacturers of plumbing and bathroom furniture offer many options through which you can create a truly unique and original style. The leader in the line of this product is a free-standing bath, represented on the market today in a large variety.

This kind of plumbing has long been considered the highlight and decoration of the interior, allowing by its very presence to give a unique and luxurious bathroom style, demonstrating the beauty and sophistication of the entire room. A freestanding bathtub is not just a plumber, but a peculiar landmark of the overall design.More recently, similar products were sold individually, but today the trend of arranging a bathroom using such products is growing rapidly.

But, besides the aesthetic component of such baths, they still have certain functional tasks, therefore, the choice of product must be approached with special care so that the design not only pleases the eye, but also provides convenience and comfort in the operation of its man.

To choose a free-standing bathtub for already residential apartments and houses, or to purchase products for housing under construction should be based on different criteria. However, the features of such a design, for example, its weight and size, will be important in any case.

To thoroughly examine this type of plumbing, it is worth noting its positive and negative characteristics.

Based on the practical experience of using products, properties declared by the manufacturer, as well as the opinions of specialists in the installation of structures, You can select certain advantages of free-standing baths.

• High level of external attractiveness of the product.
• Such a bath can be placed in any part of the room, but only with one fundamental requirement - the presence in this place of the supply of sewage and plumbing systems. If a residential building is at the construction stage, then, having determined in advance the location of the bath, you can equip all the necessary support for its operation.
• Some designs of freestanding plumbing with thick walls of the additional structure make it possible to hide the communications connected to it as much as possible. An example is a bath located on the podium.
• Based on the location of the bath in the room, you can achieve free access to it from either side.

This product also has some drawbacks.

• Models on decorative legs require special strength of the floor surface. Ideally, the floors must be laid out of tile, tile, natural or artificial stone.As for the laminate, its laying in the room can be fraught with problems, because the material will not be able to withstand the impressive enough point load that the legs will give. The way out of this situation can serve as the acquisition of a separate floor structure, where the weight is evenly distributed over the entire bottom, without the presence of any steps.
• As a result of accidental shearing of the structure during use or during the cleaning, there is a risk of damaging the tightness of the sewage connections made, which will lead to the formation of a leak in the place of integrity. However, all sorts of unpleasant situations associated with the flow of communications, there are also in the bathrooms with ordinary plumbing.

• The supply of all necessary systems is a rather complicated process, as regards further maintenance.
• Due to the specifics of the design and its installation, it is not possible to warm the bath. Such nuances contribute to the fact that the product gives off heat very quickly, as a result - the water in it cools faster than we would like. To ensure more comfort, you will need to constantly add hot water, which will increase its consumption.

In the course of studying the presented range of models of baths, you can find designs made from very different raw materials.

• Cast iron productswhich can be made in the style of classic or models of ultramodern direction. Previously, almost all the baths were made from this material, today it is rather a tribute to fashion trends in the design of their homes. Manufacturers highlight the main advantage of using bathtubs made of cast iron - the possibility for a long time, in comparison with other materials, to keep water at a comfortable temperature. The disadvantages of products include a lot of weight and some difficulties of installation, due to the fact that to sum up the communications, the bath must be turned over, and for one it is quite difficult to do. Also during the installation work there is a chance to deform the floors. Due to this specific installation of cast iron, the cost of the product increases.

• Acrylic Products popular due to a wide range of models (including colors), sizes (from very small designs to overall products), as well as varieties of forms.Plumbing devices and furniture made of acrylic in the modern bathroom have become familiar attributes, which is explained by the positive properties of the material - high manufacturability and performance, which is important for bathrooms, where there is a rather specific microclimate.

The positive quality of acrylic baths is their minimum weight, due to which the structure is arranged along the edges or around (depending on the shape) with different legs. During the operation of such plumbing there is no risk to spoil the floor covering, since the load on it will not be so significant, concentrated in certain areas.

The disadvantages of free-standing acrylic baths include a low level of strength., due to which the structures require distribution of an emphasis throughout their area. Because of this, there may be some problems with the installation of the mixer to the board.The small mass of the bathroom in an empty state allows the design to easily roll over when pressed from either side. This can be fraught with damage to the water communications supply. Do not forget that the material needs special, careful processing, without the use of abrasive compounds.

• Steel Products They are inexpensive products, the installation of which is not associated with special difficulties. Steel baths are a little inferior in exterior luxury to other models, however, for arranging rooms in the style of minimalism or high-tech, such constructions will be very appropriate.

• Fake diamond will help create an exclusive model where the imagination of the designer and the customer will be realized in the form of a real masterpiece. Casting marble allows you to make baths, where the positive features will be the strength and stability of the structure on the floor.
• Copper baths are demanded due to the wide range of color registration that gives the chance to get model for any design of the room. Among the presented range there are interesting models with internal and external parts, made in different colors.
• Quartile sanitary products is a modern variety of products, where a combined composition based on quartz sand and acrylic is used as a raw material. This composition is characterized by increased strength compared to simple acrylic and lower weight compared to cast iron.

Depending on the shape, material and manufacturer, free-standing baths may have different dimensions. The length of the product is sometimes more than two meters, the width can be similar or less, for example, 170 cm. In the assortment of similar plumbing, you can find structures of small size, for example, 150x70 cm, such baths are preferred to be installed in combined bathrooms, where every square meter is very important rooms

The configuration and shape of the bath are not limited to standard types - round,rectangular or oval products. Designer models are asymmetrical and quite complex. Constructions adjacent to the wall are generally square or semicircular. Bowls in the form of a quarter circle are popular for placing in the corner. Rectangular plumbing perfectly fit into the interior, even small rooms.

Round-shaped baths become the decoration of the roomtherefore, in spacious bathrooms, they are usually given a central place. Competently placed accents will allow you to very effectively arrange the bowl, even the most intricate shapes and colors.

In their configuration, free-standing baths can be of several types.

• Built into the floor surface of the room. Such models are distinguished by a high level of stability, however, the installation of water and sewer communications should be carried out even at the stage of laying the floor covering. The specificity of caring for a bath of such a configuration requires the use of special strainers for draining, since after installation it will be impossible to clean the drain from accumulated dirt.

• Models that are placed on a specially equipped podium.
• Bowls on the legs. This type is distinguished by a large variety of legs, they can have a standard look or they can be shaped in the form of columns, paws of animals, a tree trunk, supplemented with stucco and precious stones.

In order not to be mistaken with the choice of model, first of all, you should decide on the place in the room where it will be located.

Experts give several recommendations that will help in such important matters.

• In order for the bowl to become a decoration in the bathroom, it must be in harmony with all other furniture, including the mixer and the other smaller elements, which also play an important role in shaping the overall style in the interior. Floor-mounted version of the mixer, located at a distance and made in the same style as, for example, the legs for the bathroom, will help to complement the overall direction of the design.
• Since the product configuration assumes that most of the water pipes are visible, it is useful to use special chrome plating for the system or to stop at purchasing models that are installed on its lower surface,hiding these important details.

• Stone bowls need enough hot water to warm all the walls to a comfortable temperature. If the device installed in the house for heating cannot provide the required level of heat, it is necessary to take care in advance of acquiring a more powerful counterpart. It is necessary to monitor the serviceability of the overflow in the siphon. The fact is that most of the components are designed for short-term operation, and regular replenishment of the volume of fluid with a new portion of hotter water will require frequent use of overflow in the bathroom.
• Cast iron baths, in addition to the reinforced floor in the room, require the purchase of special accessories - a mixer and a drain. A faucet mounted on the floor next to the bathroom or mounted on the edge will effectively complement the appearance of the structure.

• Careful attention when buying products should be given precisely the legs, if any, are provided in the selected design. These details are very important, because at the entrance to the bathroom, they attract attention in the first place.
• In the interior of the room, designed in modern style,It is better to install a bath on the podium or built into the floor, its color can be the most daring, setting a certain contrast with the rest of the color scheme, for example, lilac.

• A classic design or retro style, where the walls are decorated with decorative plaster under natural stone, should be supplemented with a classic-shaped bathroom in white or beige color located in the center. The original legs will emphasize the refinement of the design, but the location of the bowl on the podium in such an interior would be inappropriate.
• Built-in round and oval bowls are ideal for bathrooms, the interior of which is made in ethnic style, for example, in the east direction.
• Rectangular bowls, located in the corner of the bathroom, are suitable for areas such as modern or baroque, it is best if the bowl is made of natural material, for example, stone.

Thematic and ethnic notes that are used in the bathroom, help emphasize the round bathroom of dark marble, built into the floor. For example, Japanese themes in the interior, combined with lush greenery and a noble stone, will give a feeling of unity with nature and complete relaxation during hygiene procedures.

Modern high-tech style does not have any limitations in terms of shape, color and design of baths. A steel rectangular bowl in the center of the room, located on the podium, will be a fresh and stylish solution that does not require additional decoration. It will be enough only to correctly position some accessories that emphasize the general tone in which the room is sustained.

All about free-standing baths, see the video below.