Acrylic bath buying guide
An acrylic bath is a shell of acrylic plastic with reinforcement behind it, and every bath on this page is made that way. The shapes run from freestanding and back to wall to corner, inset, island and spa baths, and the makers include Decina, Caroma, Bao, BelBagno, Fienza, ADP, Otti and Turner Hastings. Acrylic bath, acrylic bathtub and acrylic tub are the same product. So the real choice is not acrylic against something else. It is which acrylic bath: what holds it up and what sits behind the surface. The sections below cover the material, how it compares with steel and stone, how to care for it, and what each build offers.
What an acrylic bath is made of
Acrylic is a non-porous plastic. It is formed into a bath shape while soft, then backed with fibreglass, resin or a frame so it keeps that shape under water and a person. It is strong, stiff, glass-like and easy to mould. That is why one material makes a slim oval, a fluted back to wall bath and a round bath, and the surface does not absorb water.
The reinforcement is where quality sits. The sheet is backed by a support frame and a baseboard, with fibreglass over the top. BelBagno baths are fibreglass reinforced in five layers. Decina inset baths have a timber and fibreglass coating under the base, or a resin and fibreglass coating, and its spa baths have a steel rod reinforced rim and a double reinforced base.
Frames and adjustable legs
A bath full of water and a person is heavy, and floors are rarely perfectly level. The Bao baths have an inbuilt steel support frame with adjustable steel legs, so the bath sits solidly and can be levelled on a floor that is not quite true. Fienza baths have an inbuilt metal support frame and adjustable legs, and BelBagno baths have a built-in metal frame and adjustable feet. Decina baths have a full internal steel support frame with height adjustable legs on some models, a galvanised base support frame on a spa, and self-supporting feet on others. Caroma baths come with footlocker fittings for stability, included but not fitted.
Self-supporting feet mean the shell and its base carry the load without a separate frame. That is a design choice, and it still needs a solid, level floor. Installation follows the manufacturer's instructions in every case, and the installation instructions and specification sheets come with Bao, Decina and Caroma baths.
Colour and finish
Colour in acrylic is added during manufacture rather than painted on, so it does not wear off the surface. Nearly everything here is white. Gloss white is the common finish. Matte white appears on the Bao fluted and Elegant ranges, the Decina Aurora, Caroma Contura II and the Fienza Isabella. Caroma Contura II also comes in matte clay, the Caroma Noir has a black exterior, and the Fienza claw foot has black feet. The white baths page gathers white options across materials.
Fienza acrylic is UV stabilised and cell cast acrylic has good UV resistance, which keeps the colour even where a bath sits in strong daylight. Check the finish line for the bath you choose.
Care, scratches and cleaning
Acrylic is non-porous, so water, soap and mould have little to grip. The Bao surface wipes clean easily. A soft cloth and a mild cleaner do the work, and abrasive pads and steel wool do not belong near it. Read the cleaner's label first, because some chemicals can damage acrylic baths.
Light scratches can be polished out of standard acrylic, and accidental scratches buff out with little effort. Lucite needs a polishing kit. Minor scratches in the Caroma Luna acrylic can be polished. Rinse the bath after use and dry the rim, and the surface stays bright for years.
Acrylic against steel
Steel baths are pressed steel with a vitreous enamel coating. They are heavier, more rigid and harder to scratch than acrylic, and their durability is very high. In return, steel is colder at the start of a bath and may need floor reinforcement because of its weight. So the call depends on the room. Acrylic is lighter, warmer to the touch and moulds into more shapes, including the fluted and round bodies here. Steel wears harder. The steel baths page covers that option.
Acrylic against stone
Stone and solid surface baths are dense. They are heavy, with excellent heat retention and very high durability, and the stone baths weigh well above any acrylic bath here. A floor should be checked for that load before ordering. Acrylic holds less heat but weighs a fraction as much. The stone baths page covers the other side of the decision.
What to check on any acrylic bath
Every acrylic bath is worth a short check before ordering. Check the grade, which should be sanitary grade. Check the thickness and the reinforcement behind the sheet. Check the care instructions from the maker, because some cleaning products are not suited to acrylic, and the position of the bath in the room, because a bath in strong daylight suits a UV stabilised sheet. These are details to read on the specification sheet, and a well-made acrylic bath answers all of them.
Acrylic baths by maker
The Fienza Keeto is a back to wall bath with a modern slim edge in gloss white UV stabilised premium sanitary-grade acrylic with Lucite MMA, a built-in overflow, a chrome pull-out pop-up waste, a built-in steel support frame and adjustable self-supporting feet. The Fienza Isabella is a two-sided corner bath in the same acrylic, in left and right hand versions, with an ergonomic backrest, and in matte white the 1700mm has double-skin acrylic construction that retains warmth for longer baths. The BelBagno Palermo is a back to wall freestanding bath in 100% high gloss pure acrylic, fibreglass reinforced in five layers, in 1650mm by 800mm by 580mm and 1750mm by 850mm by 600mm, with a 3.8mm acrylic thickness, a chrome waste included and certification to AU/NZ and European standards.
The Caroma Newbury, Vivas and Maxton are tile flange and island baths in quality sanitary grade acrylic. A four tile flange lets the bath sit right up against a wall and be tiled over, creating a water and dust tight seal. The Newbury Island Plus in 1800mm is a bath designed for two, with comfortable reclined ends and a centre waste. These baths show how one material serves a budget renovation, a holiday rental and a family bathroom without changing the way the bath is cleaned or cared for.
Shapes and installation types
Acrylic is used for every installation style on this page, and each has its own page. Freestanding baths stand clear of the walls in an oval or round shell. Back to wall baths give the freestanding look with a flat side against a wall, so there is no gap behind to clean. Corner baths, including the back to corner shapes in the Bao Elegant and Bon ranges and the Caroma Urbane II, fit two walls and come in left and right hand versions. Built in baths and tile flange baths are tiled over or boxed in. Island baths include the Caroma Newbury and Vivas, and the Vivas has a reclining end. Spa baths add jets and a pump to the same acrylic shell. Shower baths are wider and deeper than a traditional shower base, and small baths start at 1300mm.
Sizes, depth and capacity
Most baths here run between 1500mm and 1700mm long, with a smaller group under 1500mm and a few over 1700mm. Widths run from about 720mm to 900mm. Outer height runs from about 400mm on inset baths to about 600mm on freestanding baths. Inner depth differs by range: Caroma Contura II and Urbane II are 430mm, Otti Hampton 450mm, Bao 456mm, Decina Regent 470mm and Decina Aurora 410mm. Inner depth decides how much of the body goes under the water, and it often matters more than length.
Capacity needs care. The baths hold from about 135 litres to 392 litres, and they are not always measured to the same point. Decina measures capacity 200mm below the bath rim. Compare capacity only where two baths give the same measuring point, and use inner depth otherwise. Length matters for the wall: the 1500mm to 1700mm baths page is the common range, baths under 1500mm suit short walls, and baths over 1700mm need a long one.
Overflow, waste and plug
Most baths here are sold with the plug and waste separate, so the bath, the waste and the tapware are three separate decisions. Some baths have an integrated overflow, such as the Decina Regent, Prezzo and Aurora. Others are non-overflow only, such as the Bao baths and Caroma Contura II. BelBagno baths come with a chrome waste. Pop-down wastes are recommended for their safety, service and maintenance qualities, and the bath wastes page holds them. Australian building codes require fully removable bath wastes in some situations, so confirm with the plumber which waste suits the installation.
The floor and the install
A filled acrylic bath is far lighter than stone but still heavy, and the load is concentrated in a small area. Check that the floor is level, that it can carry the bath, water and person, and that the legs or frame sit on a firm surface. A frame with adjustable legs helps where the floor is slightly out of true, as on the Bao baths. A bath on self-supporting feet needs the floor to be right to begin with. Leave access to the waste, particularly where building codes call for a removable one. The manufacturer's installation instructions override any general rule.
Choosing an acrylic bath
Start with the room. Measure the wall, the door swing and the floor, then pick the installation type: freestanding, back to wall, corner or built in. Read the build next: the grade of acrylic, the thickness if given, the reinforcement behind it, and whether the bath has a frame with adjustable legs or self-supporting feet. Then check inner depth, overflow and whether the waste is included. Last, match the tapware and read the care instructions before the first clean.
Acrylic suits a room where weight matters. It is the lightest of the common materials, warmer to the touch than steel and available in the shapes on this page. Steel and stone make sense where a harder surface or more heat matters more than weight, and both have their own pages. For the full range across materials and shapes, return to bathtubs.
