So the second floor bathroom is done and I'm moving on to the first floor. I have an opportunity to pick up a barely used bath tub for $200. A cast iron enameled alcove tub with a front apron. Very similar to the one upstairs. A construction company installed it and then removed it, presumably an error on their part. Pretty good deal I'm thinking for an almost new CI tub.
I'm reading through the installation instructions here: http://www.us.kohler.com/webassets/kpna/catalog/pdf/en/1084177_2.pdf and this part stopped me dead in my tracks.
I actually called up Kohler tech support and asked them if the warning in these instructions actually meant to not use a ledger board. Kohler cautioned me that the tub is liable to crack if supported by the rim and it will void the warranty too if installed this way. Well then how are you going to level the tub was my question? A ledger board is an easy way to set the tub into the alcove, level the ledger board so when you hang the rim of tub on that, the tub is also level. We literally leveled our tub in 5 minutes before installation.
Kohler's response was to use metal shims under the feet. If I slide the tub into the alcove, the surrounding walls and the front apron prevent access to the feet for shimming. Meaning I need to move the tub for every adjustment. Meaning I need to wrestle hundreds of pounds of cast iron out of the way every time I need to insert a shim. With a house like mine, as old as it is, there is nothing straight or level on any of those floors/walls/ceilings etc...
This goes against 100 years of traditional cast iron bath tub installation procedure. They never dicked around with shims under the feet. I also dont like how hundreds of pounds of weight is pressed into the 4 small feet. I feel as if the wooden subfloor will compress at the points of these 4 small feet and slightly sink the tub over the years.
My plumber was in disbelief when I spoke to him about this. His solution was to install a ledger board anyway for the purposes of leveling the tub. But pour a mortar base under the tub anyway for purposes of supporting it under the feet and base. He said normally you dont need mortar for CI, its way overkill to mortar a CI tub. But this is the only place he would mortar one considering the strange installation requirements of this tub.
The price of this tub makes it attractive but I'm reluctant to buy when thinking about the installation hassles of using shims under the feet. I like my plumber's solution, which seems to get around all of this. The mortar is extra weight which I will have to budget for when I look at the joists/subfloor condition. What do you guys think? Should I avoid the tub or buy it and mortar under it?
I'm reading through the installation instructions here: http://www.us.kohler.com/webassets/kpna/catalog/pdf/en/1084177_2.pdf and this part stopped me dead in my tracks.
I actually called up Kohler tech support and asked them if the warning in these instructions actually meant to not use a ledger board. Kohler cautioned me that the tub is liable to crack if supported by the rim and it will void the warranty too if installed this way. Well then how are you going to level the tub was my question? A ledger board is an easy way to set the tub into the alcove, level the ledger board so when you hang the rim of tub on that, the tub is also level. We literally leveled our tub in 5 minutes before installation.
Kohler's response was to use metal shims under the feet. If I slide the tub into the alcove, the surrounding walls and the front apron prevent access to the feet for shimming. Meaning I need to move the tub for every adjustment. Meaning I need to wrestle hundreds of pounds of cast iron out of the way every time I need to insert a shim. With a house like mine, as old as it is, there is nothing straight or level on any of those floors/walls/ceilings etc...
This goes against 100 years of traditional cast iron bath tub installation procedure. They never dicked around with shims under the feet. I also dont like how hundreds of pounds of weight is pressed into the 4 small feet. I feel as if the wooden subfloor will compress at the points of these 4 small feet and slightly sink the tub over the years.
My plumber was in disbelief when I spoke to him about this. His solution was to install a ledger board anyway for the purposes of leveling the tub. But pour a mortar base under the tub anyway for purposes of supporting it under the feet and base. He said normally you dont need mortar for CI, its way overkill to mortar a CI tub. But this is the only place he would mortar one considering the strange installation requirements of this tub.
The price of this tub makes it attractive but I'm reluctant to buy when thinking about the installation hassles of using shims under the feet. I like my plumber's solution, which seems to get around all of this. The mortar is extra weight which I will have to budget for when I look at the joists/subfloor condition. What do you guys think? Should I avoid the tub or buy it and mortar under it?
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