Acrylic Vs Fiberglass Bathtub

Fiberglass tubs can quickly fade and cracks and scratch happen often.

Acrylic vs fiberglass bathtub.

Monday february 24 2014. Acrylic tubs tend to get thin around the edges where the mold bends. Its color also tends to fade easily. This is mainly due to fiberglass being thinner and more brittle when compared to acrylic.

Producing tubs using acrylic particularly tubs with formed seats and other molding details requires a more complex manufacturing process than producing the same tub with fiberglass so acrylic tubs will generally cost a little more than fiberglass tubs. Acrylic used in tubs is thicker than fiberglass. Acrylic is exceptionally durable and the likelihood of this material chipping cracking or fading is rare. Fiberglass is sprayed with a gelcoat mixture over a mold.

To be shiny and easier to clean fiberglass tubs are usually coated with acrylic. This means that the acrylic process is more hands on and not as manufactured. Fiberglass is thinner and more brittle than acrylic. Both are easy to install and maintain but differ on price durability and lifespan.

Fiberglass tubs are typically thicker than acrylic tubs. The problem with fiberglass is that it is less resistant to scratch compared to acrylic. To help you decide on which is best for your project let s go over the advantages and. The two most popular cost effective bath tub and shower options are acrylic and gelcoat fiberglass.

Acrylic however has a slight advantage over fiberglass when it comes to lifespan. The average lifespan of a fiberglass tub is 10 15 years. Acrylic and fiberglass bathtubs last about the same time. The typical lifespan of a fiberglass tub is 15 years while the lifespan of an acrylic tub is about 30 years.