The Advantages and Disadvantages of Stone Baths
The Height of Luxury
It's hard to get more luxury than a stone bath, bringing a unique natural charm to bathrooms and providing a focal point that will astonish anyone using your bathroom.They can provide the basis the build the rest of your bathroom around, whether you're going for a thoroughly modern look or matching the natural look with stone basins.
You may have the assumption that a stone bath may not be amazingly comfortable, but because they're smooth to the touch stone baths are a real treat to your skin, allowing you to easily slide in and enjoy a deeply immersed warm bath.
Olympian Nero Stone Bath by Boundary Bathrooms (unfortunately no longer available)
Buying a new bath can be a daunting prospect as there are a huge variety out there for you to choose them, but for sanity's sake we're here to talk about stone baths and if you've found this hub then you're probably thinking about getting one too.
So, why should you get one? Are they worth it? Or will you be throwing your money down the toilet? Let's answer these questions!
Advantages
It turns out there's quite a few advantages to owning a stone bath, and the following may just sway you into rushing out to buy one!
Longlasting
The beauty of stone is that it will last for years. It's extremely strong and durable, meaning that it won't crack like a cheap acrylic bath might and should only suffer easily repairable minor damage even if you do accidentally damage it (see below). The colour of the stone may slightly change over time but this can be slowed if you take routine care of your bath.
Retain Heat
I always thought that a stone cold would be pretty cold, but that's before I knew that stone actually retains heat. This means that your nice warm bath will last far longer than other materials of baths will since it stops the heat from the water escaping..
Repair Easily
Unfortunately they'll come a time when you inevitably discover a scratch on the surface of the stone, but you don't need to fret because repairing it is actually quite simple. I put together a guide on what to do in the event of any damage, plus regular cleaning and maintenance tips, in the How to Clean and Maintain a Stone Bath hub.
As for cleaning it, it will require a little more maintenance than your average bath but the steps required won't take a great deal of your time up. Just remember that the long lasting durability of stone baths won't happen on its own, you need to regularly clean it in order to help the stone bath stay in tip top condition.
Choice of Design
Ok, so this isn't specific to stone baths as many types of bath have a huge range of unique designs, but just be aware that stone baths don't just have to come in the standard bath shape.
A popular design of stone bath is the oval shape, usually pretty deep to allow you to slip right into and become deeply immersed in the water. You can go for the regular square, which end up looking cutting edge modern, but there are even designs such as the slipper and boat bath, and you can probably guess what shape they are.
If you're looking to go as natural as you possibly can there are even stone baths which look like, well, natural stone. By this I mean it looks as though a hole as simply been cut in the rock outside, making for your own personal rock pool and a stunningly unique and gorgeous bath that will dazzle you for years to come.
Olympian Pantheon Slipper Stone Bath by Boundary Bathrooms
Disadvantages
Wait, what? There's disadvantages too? Of course, nothing is perfect and a stone bath just might not be for you. Read the following disadvantages to have a look about what might put you off.
Expensive
When you want the height of luxury you're obviously going to end up paying more for it, and stone baths are no exception. These are some of the most expensive baths on the market, but as I said above you're paying for high quality. If price is a barrier for you then stone baths probably won't be on your list anyway, but it might be worth saving up for one as the benefits far outweigh the downsides.
Extremely Heavy!
...and this is coming from experience. I've helped carry a fair few in my time with a bathroom company, and it requires a lot more people than a two man job (and even then it's hard to carry it for a long period!). So if you do end up buying one remember that carrying the stone bath anywhere is going to take quite a bit of work, especially if it's anywhere other than the ground floor of your house.
Speaking of ground floors it's usually the best idea to keep a stone bath in a ground floor bathroom. If you're absolutely sure you want it in an upstairs bathroom then you're going to have to make sure that the floor can take the weight of the stone bath. Stone baths are heavy enough on their own, but imagine just how heavy it's going to get when it's filled up with water. Obviously the last thing you want is for the bath to come crashing through your ceiling so you must making sure an upstairs bathroom has a reinforced floor before you consider putting a stone bath in there.
Comments
Thomas Mulrooney (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on June 22, 2015:
Thanks! :-)
Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on March 30, 2015:
Interesting insight about having a stone bath in your bathroom, Thomas. Voted up!
