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re bath accident

6380 Views 22 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  SAH, 
N
I was at the mall shopping with my wife
I see a rebath setup (tub with surround)
Looks good from a distance
So i hurry over to figure out why to tell my customers they should never do this
As I hurry over I start to lean in at the same time(bang)
They have a clear panel where the door or curtain would be
Its so clean i cant see it
Re bath 1 Homeland builders 0
oh well at least only 500 people probably saw this
merry christmas:no:
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S
How can these people quote a one day installation?
What are the cons for these things?
Steve

nailkiller1 said:
I was at the mall shopping with my wife
I see a rebath setup (tub with surround)
Looks good from a distance
So i hurry over to figure out why to tell my customers they should never do this
As I hurry over I start to lean in at the same time(bang)
They have a clear panel where the door or curtain would be
Its so clean i cant see it
Re bath 1 Homeland builders 0
oh well at least only 500 people probably saw this
merry christmas:no:
Click to expand...
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Y
Steve, they install a plastic tub right over the existing tub. They only have to take the drain off, put the new skin in place, and put the drain back on. As for the cons, from reading online... water gets in between the new skin and the old tub and creates a bubble in the bottom of the tub. This water in between the skin and the tub can grow mold. It can also make it hard to stand with the floor of the tub moving around under you. Mind you, I've never personally seen one of these in place, so I'm only repeating what I've read.

There's a whole list of complaints about rebath here... consumeraffairs dot com /homeowners/re-bath.html (fix the dot com to a real . com) but a lot of them seem to stem from bad contractors doing the work. If someone were actually qualified, who knows. Maybe the water getting under the skin is a bad installation and not a general flaw in the system.
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B
Bathtub liners leak

It is impossible to create a seal between the old tub and the bathtub liner that will last so it is a matter of not if but when will the liner collect water. Their lifetime warranty does not cover it and the most the homeowner will get is a service call and fee for someone to drain the water from under it. The seal they create is usually just a silicon set. That is a thick bead of silicon is applied to the top rim, around the overflow and drain. If the bathtub has a rust out at the overflow caused by a small leak in the wall or plumbing system than the water will just leak into the tub. And if the walls are not water tight that water will wick into the tub via the grout joints. ( notice the mildew that grows at the bottom tile). Water from the mixer cover and shower head can also be entry sources.

It is just as easy to replace the old bathtub with a new bathtub since it is rare to just install a bathtub liner without installing a tub surround also which they will offer. You, unlike them, are free to offer any number of solutions that they can not such as Aquha, Corian, Tile, Stone, Cultured Marble or Swanstone and you will competitive with "Rebath" estimate with better products. The trick is getting in front of the customer and the promise of an easy solution. Take you tradesman hat off and put your sales hat on and you will get the work. My experience is that the homeowner would rather deal with someone who knows the trade rather than a slick salesman who knows nothing.
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S
Up here it's called bathfitters and I've lost a few bathroom renos to these guys because of the quick turnaround. What we need to do is take some pictures of these units when we end up tearing them out a couple years down the road to show those clients that are contemplating it why they shouldnt use it.
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W
They are great for the people that are too lazy to clean anything.

How many layers of that can I keep adding?:whistling:laughing:
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P
Bf,,,,

--------:rolleyes:

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If its done wrong then you can have some serious problems !!!! i have been doing these liners for about 8 years now and have never had this issue ! These big company's hire anyone to do there work......Us smaller guys take pride in what they do. The reason for our success is because most people only have one bathroom . And cant be without one for a week or two .
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S
Unfortunately most of these are done to cover up a more serious problem. Most newer homes these days have 2 bathrooms, very few have less.
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P
Life time warranty........

lets be honest...... that is absolutely a "car salesman's line" and the warranty is posted on the ass end off the salesman's car.

There is no way that is going to happen. BF went from 5 yrs to Lifetime..... pretty big jump,you have to admit....rather suspisious..wouldn't you say?. It is a band-aid and has no character what so ever. guess what that will look like 10 years from the date of installation- like crap.

Hey.... I know we all have to make a living- I understand ~ so no offense ssdreambath.... but I am not a fan of this method of renovating a bathroom- I prefer tile 100% nothing will withstand years of use like a tiled bathroom if the write products are used and the installation was done correctly:thumbsup: Maybe you don't like tile,,,,thats cool... to each his own~ but be realistic about this.
Brian
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S
No i get what you saying ....i also do tile as well ! But every bathroom gets outdated one way or another. I just know this industry has came along way , thats all . Everybody who sees the final product cant believe its acrylic walls . And as far as the "cover up" thats not all we do . thats like 30 percent of my business's. Thats just what everybody thinks that these company's do . We do full bathroom tear outs and structural tubs as well . But anyways i not here to compete or say my product is better than yours . Because like i said we do custom tile work as well ;)
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T
ssdreambath said:
The reason for our success is because most people only have one bathroom . And cant be without one for a week or two .
Click to expand...
A good contractor can guarantee use of your bathroom during a whole remodel. I can guarantee that a customer can have use of their bathroom (and shower) everyday. I have done this on many occasions. And I'm the only person doing the job. No helpers. And I'm talking about full guts. I frequently work in houses with only one bathroom.

I have no problem convincing customers not to 'band aid' their problem. Sorry, no offense but I hate those liners and any prefab surrounds because they just don't hold up.
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TileLady said:
I can guarantee that a customer can have use of their bathroom (and shower) everyday. I have done this on many occasions. And I'm the only person doing the job. No helpers. And I'm talking about full guts. I frequently work in houses with only one bathroom.
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I'm intrigued. You know he said ONE bathroom-in the entire house. I frequently choreograph projects in homes so use of at least one function in each bathroom is working at all times for my customers, but how (pray tell) do you do this when there is only ONE bathroom in the house?

:eek:

A good contractor should tell the client what dates they will have to go shower at a friends house, etc. on a one bathroom house.

Am I missing something?
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rselectric1 said:
I'm intrigued. You know he said ONE bathroom-in the entire house. I frequently choreograph projects in homes so use of at least one function in each bathroom is working at all times for my customers, but how (pray tell) do you do this when there is only ONE bathroom in the house?

:eek:

A good contractor should tell the client what dates they will have to go shower at a friends house, etc. on a one bathroom house.

Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
I just coordinate what parts of the project get done at what time. Really it's not that hard to always make sure there's a working shower. Or a working toilet. How long does it take to connect a toilet- 15 minutes tops? And the shower part, that's a piece of cake.

Many times I will tell a customer that I can make sure they have use of their shower every day. And frequently they just say 'oh, don't worry, I'll shower at a friends house' because they don't want to interrupt the work. But I can (and do) guarantee a working shower every day if necessary.

I don't think I should give details though. LOL. Otherwise I might lose my competitive edge :thumbsup:
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M
I must be a bad contractor. Single bathroom homes, customers have all moved out, stayed with a relative, showered at work, had a few go to hotels, had a few go on vacation, and had a few not buy into my lack of flexibility when it comes to a single bathroom that it won't be functional once we start and until we are done. Porta-potty costs like $60 a week? Kitchen sink still works right?
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TileLady said:
I just coordinate what parts of the project get done at what time. Really it's not that hard to always make sure there's a working shower. Or a working toilet. How long does it take to connect a toilet- 15 minutes tops? And the shower part, that's a piece of cake.

I don't think I should give details though. LOL. Otherwise I might lose my competitive edge :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Remember this is ONE Bathroom we are talking about here in the entire house.

I'm calling you out! There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!

Sink-yes (use the kitchen)
Toilet-OK hook it up and install it after tile setting, take it out each morning and re-install it when you leave for grout, etc. (But only if you are not changing the floorplan)

Shower-with tile-no way I can see to do that. (garden hose in the garage maybe?)

Remember you are talking to contractors here who live your world every day.

:blink:
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S
Wow do i feel welcomed here!!! Thanks guys!!!! ....Remember, I'm in business to make money just like you guys are. Sorry if any one took offense???
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SSdream.....

It's all good!.....your going to get that here-But remember it's our personal thoughts about materials ,,what we do , our tools,.. what we like,, don't like...etc,etc. Don't feel like your an outcast because someone disagrees with you ~ they are just our personal opinions.

You have to get used to that on CT and not take it personally. Don't get swayed because of the majority. You have your own opinions..take it from someone that is thought of as rather "odd" on here.... don't worry about it.... It's all good:thumbsup:
Welcome Aboard!:thumbup:
Brian
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PrestigeR&D said:
It's all good!.....your going to get that here-But remember it's our personal thoughts about materials ,,what we do , our tools,.. what we like,, don't like...etc,etc. Don't feel like your an outcast because someone disagrees with you ~ they are just our personal opinions.

You have to get used to that on CT and not take it personally. Don't get swayed because of the majority. You have your own opinions..take it from someone that is thought of as rather "odd" on here.... don't worry about it.... It's all good:thumbsup:
Welcome Aboard!:thumbup:
Brian
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Thanks Brian :thumbsup:
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J
I have, in the past, installed the acrylic overlay systems for both Bathfitters, and Rebath. I personally prefer the Bathfitters system due to the tub surrounds being a one piece assembly that is bent to conform to the existing corners by using a specially designed heating element to heat the product just enough to bend it where it needs to be bent.

If the proper technique is used, I haven't seen a failure or water getting underneath a tub. Only if proper procedures were not used is when I've seen problems.

They have a proprietary measuring device an installer uses to scribe and fit a new liner to an existing situation (even if walls have severe waves in them), which works quite nicely if I do say so myself. The tighter one is able to cut these new liners to fit, the better the long-term result are, imho. They have a system that uses butyl tape applied in a specific way under the tub-liner with butyl caulk applied all round the rim of tub and down the sides in a specific fashion, and then some sort of acrylic caulk applied right at the edges where the tub liner meet the walls. After all that, a color matching silicone caulk is applied on the top side of the the crack as the first line of defense against water infiltration. As this is even better, imho, if there is a tub surround going in over the tub liner, as in my mind, it creates a better seal for it is overlapping the crack where the tub liner meets the walls.

Suffice it to say, I think they are both very good systems if correctly installed, which applies to most things in this industry. But one also needs to take into account if you give enough monkeys enough typewriters, and close them off in a room to themselves, eventually one is going to type something legible! :jester:Ya just can never tell when someone who's inexperienced might get lucky and do something right!
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