My Shit Bathroom #126- come and tell me about your Kaldewei (or other) steel bath

[SpringHeeledJack]

hello mumsnet property peeps

looks like we are finally going to be able to do up our 1970s pink bathroom

I really really want a steel bath that's not made in a developing country by someone working a 23 hour day

have been looking at Kaldewei baths which I gather are German made, but am baffled by the choice. 2 ended, or one ended? Normal size or a bit bigger? grips or antislip?

it's got to do for me, dp, and 3 kids from 8-14, so not tots. And we need a shower over the bath

am slightly worried I the kids may not be able to get out of a big one unaided

have you got one? are you happy with it? if not, what do you wish you'd got/hadn't got?

VERY sorry if I can't reply soonish- am trying to look busy when dp gets back from Sainsbos unpack untold boxes from storage. With nowhere to put contents naaaaaargh

tia

Have a look at Bette baths, also German, good quality and huge range.

Double ended means two people can bathe at once without one having to lean on the taps. With 3 kids your duo bathing days may be over, mine certainly are . And having the taps in the middle at the back does make them difficult to get to if anything goes wrong.

I prefer a 1800mm long bath because I'm tall. I wouldn't worry about depth, none of them are really deep unless you buy one of the freestanding posh ones. If your youngest finds it tricky to get out, get a step until they grow.

Grips? Meh. Antislip is probably a good idea if it's being used for showering too...but a bath mat will also work...

HTH

I have a Kaldewei steel bath and it's great. I didn't get the anti slip though as it can feel a bit grainy if you're trying to relax in the bath. I did get the hand grips though and I am glad I did as the bath is quite deep. DD is 3 and can get herself out if I put a step stool next to the bath.

thanks, ladies

you're right about the taps in the middle, fresh (have had to do a few unseemly lurches at a friend's house while bathing kids, now I come to think of it, and narrowly escaped a ducking)- you're also right about our duo bathing days being over, unless we hit proper drought- in fact when the builder suggested it I looked at him as though he'd gone stark staring mad

and you're right about the anti slip, Deux, and the grips

ta v much. You've made ay afternoon's dicking around on the internet work a lot easier

The other thing about the anti slip, it can end up looking very grey and dirty over time. That really put me off.

Happy bathing!

We have a Kaldwei Vaio Set - shower at one end, but kind of double ended. Installed but not yet used (I need to go and put silicone around it tonight in fact). I have noticed -

-The 1750 x 750 has the same size bath part as the 1800 (just less ledge) so we might as well have got the 1750 - look carefully at the dimension sketches.

-We got no tap holes so we could wall mount the taps to the side and nobody had the taps behind them - wall mounted taps are the worst PITA and the plumber really struggled to get them on decently, and as fresh says they are now inaccessible.

-We did get antislip in the shower end (hope it's not too bad) and are going to put a small grab rail on the wall too.

• we have a completely independent Mira shower over rather than some kind of diverter system with the tap.

It's a lovely bath, and I'm looking forward to that duo bathing!

Have had Kaldewei and 'developing country' steel baths and to be honest found both to be of a similar standard.

If the 'sweat shop' aspect worries you - why not buy the third world bath and give the difference in cost (quite a few hundred pounds) to charity?

After all, the extra money you give Kaldewei is not going to ease the plight of third world workers - whereas if you buy a bath from the 'third world', at least they continue to get a wage - and a big charitable donation - and you still get a good quality bath!!! win - win - win.

I wouldn't have anti-slip or handles though - they bough attract dirt/limescale and look like 'old peoples' baths.

I have antislip in my steel bath and it's great. TBH you can't even tell when you look at the inside of the bath, it's very subtle and is only on the tap end (where we shower). Our bath is very deep so the antislip makes me feel a bit safer when I'm stepping out of the bath or shower. The two handles are also really handy.

I understand what people say about antislip looking a bit grannyish-but the modern baths look really modern, and as we've got lovely taps then it looks great.

As for the position of the taps, depends on the shape of your bathroom. If three sides of the bath are touching a wall, or very close then go for middle taps.

Sorry to revive this extremely old thread, but I'm interested to know how your Kaldewei baths lasted? And is the "easy clean" finish a good idea? Thankyou!