Roll top baths- impractical?

[RoseAddict]

Something like this is what I’m after but I’ve always wondered how do you keep the floor clean round the back? Also we’d need it to double as a shower is that even possible? I’ve seen it in pictures with a shower but does anyone have one? Is it awkward to stand up in? I’m assuming you’d need a shower curtain all round and you might get tangled in it. We don’t have room for a separate shower

I had one in one house I lived in and would not entertain this type of bath again. They are so deep so take a lot of water to fill, also the one I had did not have much of a slope on it so it was not comfortable to relax in at all. Yes, they can get dusty underneath and it is awkward to clean under them. They look nice is all I can say.

I agree. My mum had one and it was always hard to keep clean and to use. Spiders seemed to love it and it had loads of webs spun underneath.

We have one and thankfully the plumber convinced me to leave a sensible gap all around it for cleaning.
But I have a separate shower as I did not like the option of an oval shower curtain.
I wouldn’t do it again. It does suit the house and looks good but it’s not as long as I would want nor as comfy as PPs have said,

As they are usually metal they take a lot of heat from the water so you are sitting a tepid bath.
There is no where to put the soap etc.
Try and refill with hot water and you will boil your delicates as the taps are in the middle of the bath

They really are surprisingly uncomfortable. I used the one in my sister’s house thinking I was in for a lovely treat and it was very disappointing.

We bought a house with one and I was so excited but ended up pulling it out within 6 months as it was such a bugger to keep clean.

Ok I think I’ll pass on the beautiful bath!

My parents house has a freestanding bath, it's not got feet but it's egg shaped and it's so so deep! Don't want to be trying to regularly bath a child in it and if you lean back to get comfy and aren't very tall you're fully IN the bath 😅 cleaning isn't a huge issue as the tool is big and it's plopped in there away from the walls.

Our bathroom is small so no option to leave a space around for cleaning. I think it’s a bad idea

I'm looking at baths at the minute too. Would something suit? Sort of classic but modern but would it be easier to clean? What do you do when the kids little shits chuck water over the side?

https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/1650-x-750-luxury-modern-double-ended-curved-freestanding-bath?utmsource=bing&utmmmedium=cpc&utmterm=7533&utmmcampaign=BingShopping&PS2PVV1=6265&msclkid=2711fc12cb871090a13e9d140288e8b4&utm_content=Free%20Standing%20Baths%20%5BHIGH%5D&gclid=2711fc12cb871090a13e9d140288e8b4&gclsrc=3p.ds

Yeah @ParadiseLaundry that’s a good compromise but I still think it’ll be a pain to clean because it’ll be wedged in at both ends. I think we’re going for a modern insulated bath with a naice panel to make it look a bit more ‘Edwardian’ maybe this one

That looks gorgeous. It would really work in my bathroom too so thank you for sharing. The easiest to keep clean is usually the best choice. This reminds me of when I was looking at hobs for the kitchen and really wanted a gas hob as it was more in keeping with the classic shaker style kitchen I was after, but decided to go for an induction hob as it was easier to keep clean and it was definitely the right choice!

I've got one in each bathroom. Hate them. There's currently several bottles stuck down the back of one of them that need prodding out somehow. Awful

This is proving fairly unanimous!

I should probably start a new thread but my other bathroom question is: tiling halfway up the wall is fashionable and elegant, but if it’s a small bathroom with a lot of showering happening twice a day does the paint peel off the plastered section of wall?

I have one of these, although it’s the slipper version, so higher at one end, it’s very comfortable and easy to keep clean, it was also installed with a gap all around so you can clean round it. So it’s not wedged in. It’s also better that way than being right up against the wall, feels more spacious.

We have a seperate shower though. I don’t understand the comments, we like ours, it looks lovely, it’s easy to clean and it’s comfy, it’s not overly deep though. But for me I’d recommend.

I love my claw fitted bath, it's huge, I got it from a reclamation yard. Cleaning under it is no biggie, I use a dry mop to dust under it. Pic for illustration:

The other thing to say about freestanding baths that they are a nightmare with tiny kids! We’ve moved into a house with a beautiful one like paradise has posted, and the water slops out at every side. It’s comfy to lie in though.

I can see it’s all about having space around it on at least 2 sides. We wouldn’t have the luxury of space round it, it would be wedged in on 3 sides.

We had one when we moved in. It had all the downsides already mentioned - dusty underneath, the iron drew all the heat from the water so it cooled quickly, nowhere to put shampoo bottles. I’ll add that the kids kept standing up under the edge of it and banging their heads - sooo many tears! It was comfortable and visitors used to say ‘Ooh nice bath’ so I’ll give it that.

We have recently replaced it, and the bathroom feels more spacious with the new bath along the wall under the window instead of plonked in the middle of the room.

I've got one and I love it. Came with the house I bought and i had planned to change it but don't want to now. It is a bit dusty along the skirting next to it but I really don't care - it's dusty on most skirting boards behind furniture here !

Interesting thread which has completely changed my view of roll top baths!