Installing Americast Tub with styrofoam bottom

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RemodelBob

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I have a 4'6" American Standark Mackinzie tub. The installation instructions provided are for a different model tub, but same concept (my tub is shorter in both height and width).

I followed instructions. Installed stringer, but to get tub level I had to shim the front of the tub up about 1/4" to make it all level. So I pulled tub, lowered stringer 1/4" and to my surprise, the tub is still sitting off the ground in the front.

Is this tub supposed to rest fully on the Styrofoam pad with the apron off the ground? Or is some of the load supposed to be on the apron?

The tile guy is coming on Monday and I need to figure this out by then.

Thanks.
 

Krow

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The stringer should be set at the recommended height using the highest point from your existing floor/subfloor, and then adjust to make level. (I'm assuming its a steel tub). If the apron is slightly elivated on one side, Not to worry. Just shim to level. The thin set and tile will hide any gaps.The styrafoam is there to defen the metal noise as the shower water hits the metal tub, not for total support. The tub is supported by the level stringer and the apron (I would recommend any gaps under the skirt be filled with thin set). The foam has to much play to have full support.
 
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Jimbo

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(I would recommend any gaps under the skirt be filled with thin set). .


Back the truck up! l Get the real instructions for YOUR tub. Every americast I have done says DO NOT put any mortar or whatever under it. Doing do voids the warranty.
 

Krow

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Back the truck up! l Get the real instructions for YOUR tub. Every americast I have done says DO NOT put any mortar or whatever under it. Doing do voids the warranty.
no, do what jimbo suggests.......... let it float on air


What sort of warrenty do you need on a steel tub? are you afraid its going bend on a 90 degree angle?
 
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RemodelBob

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There were no instructions in the box. The link I provided above is the link from the Mackinzie tub on the American Standard website. The tub is pretty much identical to the one in the instructions except the dimensions are wrong. My tub is 54" not 60".

The tile will hide the gap for sure.

But what I am worried about is if the apron is supposed to support any weight or if that is the purpose of the styrofoam.

I also tried to call American Standard today, was stuck on permahold and by time I was able to call back they were closed...stupid east coast hours.
 

Jadnashua

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Most tubs are NOT designed to hang from the ledger boards. Now, a CI tub is strong enough to do it, but I'd still want something underneath it.

The tub I have (a Jason International acrylic air tub) came with a high density foam slab on the bottom. The instructions say to just set it on a flat floor, resting on the foam. The weight, spread out over that large area is not very much, and, if the type of foam is chosen properly can hold it up.

The ledger board is to support the edges from deflecting if you stand or press on them while moving around getting into or out of the tub, not to hold up the hundreds of pounds of tub, water, and people that may be inside it.
 

Jimbo

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OK, you have us confused now! You mentioned an Americast Tub. But the link you posted is for a steel tub......HUGE difference. I don't think you have an Americast, because I don't think it is made in 54".

Do not use any bedding material. It you just have a steel tub, then by all means follow the directions for that.
 

RemodelBob

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Don't know what happened with the link. The tub is an American Standard Mackinzie

It is a steel tub. I thought the shop that sold it said americast because it was like cast iron but much lighter.

Product Detail:
· Porcelain on steel construction
· Conventional installation
· Integral apron
· Full slip-resistant surface
· Fully bonded support pad 54" x 30" x 15-1/4" (1372 x 762 x 387mm)

I spent some more time screwing around with it today. Of course now I can't fully pull the tub out because the drywall is in the way.

Further observations. My floor is not level. There is a hump in the middle. The stringer is level.

If I set tub on bare stringer it wobbles. I kept adding spacers (2x4 ripped down) to find a height that felt snug. A 3/8" spacer on the stringer did the trick, but I end up needing to shim the front up over 1/2" in some places. Is this just how it is or am I doing something wrong?

I want the tub to be as solid as possible because there is tile going in over it and a lose tub will lead to tiles falling off in short order.
 
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Jimbo

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Your instructions are quite clear....the 2X4 stringer provides most of the support, the styrofoam pad must be resting on the floor, and DO NOT put bedding material.

You were misled about it being americast. Steel tubs are not bad....good porcelain finish. They are more easily chipped than cast iron, so don't drop things in there. And be careful installing the waste and overflow so not to scratch the enamel.
 

RemodelBob

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Yes the instructions are clear, almost a little too clear--I laughed the first time I saw them. Only problem is that they don't talk about any of the edge cases. Like how much you can actually shim or what you should shim with.

So lots of big shims in the front it is. I love old houses that are not level or plumb. I am glad they don't build them like they used to.

And yes it chips super easy. A carpenter already dropped his hammer on it and put a few nice ships and dents in it. I started touching it up with PorcaFix. One coat and it doesn't look so hot, but we are just going to have to live with it. I think it will get better with more coats.
 

Jimbo

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Instructions say the floor should be level! If it is not, you should fix that first.
Honestly, porc-s-fix only sticks for a year or two. I would seriously get that tub out and start over. Seriously.
 

RemodelBob

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We considered a new tub, but there is no way to get it out. It is lodged in with the drywall. We have about four million other things going on in the house and we just need to finish so we can move in. We are several months behind schedule. We are reaching critical mass living in a small apartment with a newborn and toddler. Trust me I want to pull it out and replace it. I have lost sleep over it, but I have to let this one go.

On the birght side, it is just the guest bath and will only get used about a few five times a year.
 
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RemodelBob

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Is there some trick to getting the tub out that I don't know about? If there is maybe I can pursue the new tub option again, not sure the tile guy is going to like me very much.
 

RemodelBob

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Well several hours later and a lot of head scratching it is in there as good as it is going to get.

I will never buy a steel tub again.

My floor wasn't perfectly flat. There was a little bit of a hump in the middle. The stringer was perfect. However, the floor must have rubbed off on the tub. The tub had a slight bow in the opposite direction. So the part of it on the stringer was bowed ever so slightly down in the middle. I ended up adding a few tiny 1/16ish shims to the outside edges of the stringer which cured my stringer wobble.

I took care of the front the only way I could. I laid down an 1/8" strip and ran shims into that. Most all the shims were on the sides where the floor dipped down. This is where I noticed the second deflection in the tub. The apron seems to be pushed in about 1/4"over the right half of the tub. I tried to pull it a litle, but since the toiled is going to be blocking most of it I gave up on that pretty quick.

Then I screwed it to the wall per the instructions. The enamel finish made quite a pop when it cracked off because I tightened the screw too far.

It is level and as solid as a steel tub can be now. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have spent the cash and gotten the cast iron tub. They are so much easier to set and so much more stout. But $180 versus $700 was a tough pill to swallow at the time. Now that I am at the stage of the project were I don't care how much stuff costs it is a different story. I just want it done.
 
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