Steel, Fiberglass or Cast/Tub Replacement Questions

The installation instructions that came with my acrylic tub were quite clear: you were REQUIRED to install it in thinset. (They also explicitly warned against the used of drywall mud as an alternative.)

My wife and I looked at some tubs today and liked the Sterling Ensemble Curve tub and surround. Anyone have any feelings on this? What are the better brand fiberglass tubs to go with? Thanks.

Sorry no, but I was glad to find this thread as it's exactly what I'm having to deal with now. I removed a cast-iron tub and have to put in a new one, but cringe at the thought of installing another 350 lb tub.
The cast-iron tub that I removed had a dull, stained finish after 22 years. I would have thought that with all the hubbub about durability of cast-iron that this thing would last much longer still looking good. I don't see the point of dealing with all that weight if the finish is not going to hold up anyway. I guess the stability and sound dampening is a good reason to buy one. I'm still open to considering cast iron if I can be convinced that it's worth its weight. Maybe I just had a cheap one with a mediocre finish. I'm going to look into the Americast that was mentioned earlier.
One note about thinset under tubs. I used Custom Speedset to embed a neo-angle shower base. the base was spongy and flexed when I stood on it prior to the installation. It's really nice and solid now in the thinset. Speedset is a fast drying thinset that is kind of spooky to use for regular tiling since it dries so fast. But, it worked great for this application where it's beneficial for it to dry quickly. Also thinset isn't really supposed to be applied in thick pours
like for this application. So, I'm surprised that it's specified to be used for shower and tub installs. That's another reason I went w/ speedset though.

jeff_bathroom said:

One note about thinset under tubs. I used Custom Speedset to embed a neo-angle shower base ...
... thinset isn't really supposed to be applied in thick pours like for this application. So, I'm surprised that it's specified to be used for shower and tub installs. That's another reason I went w/ speedset though.

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Yes. I can imagine the person writing those instructions thinking of anything that comes in a bag as "thinset" without considering one of the possible reasons certain mixtures are designated thin-set.

I'm with you on that. The only reason I went with thinset instead of mud was that I looked at the only mud I could find at HD (don't remember the name) and it stated clearly the materials it adheres to (subfloors basically). I had tiled beneath the shower base so that I wouldn't have to make all those complex cuts to meet up with the shower base edges. I'm glad I did that because it does look really nice and clean. I was afraid that mud would not "stick" to polished porcelain beneath even when I roughed it up.

The mud under a shower or tub insn't intended to adhere it to the floor, it is for support - a bond is not required. Some instructions say to put plastic under and over it so subsequent removals are easier. The goal is to fully support the bottom to prevent flex, and make it feel more substantial than it is.

Does anyone have any input on the best brand or even model of fiberglass tub to get? Any feelings on Sterling?

Sterling tubs are solid acrylic. Aqua glass, Lasco, Universal Rundle are some of the bigger names in fiberglass tubs. I don't have a recomendation one over the other. I have sold the Aqua glass fiberglass tubs and they seem to be well made, much better than their acrylic tubs.

Each material used for tubs has it's benefits, and it's faults. I for one wouldn't use a steel tub, but I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the other materials.