Anyone have any comments on the Viktrell material used in Sterling(Kohler) tubs and surrounds? I'm considering using one in a bathroom remodel and wonder about how well they hold up (cleaning, sturdiness, etc) Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

I purchased one for my remodel. We have a plumber coming by tomorrow to move the drain and help us get it in. I think we are planning on using a mortar base to give it extra support, but the foot pegs feel pretty solid. There was a floor model at a local home depot that was very solid feeling. They are on the very low end of the price point scale. I think we picked up the Performa alcove model (with out the walls) for just a hair over $100.

-Rick

 

Things got a little backed up this last week. The plumbers came and laid the lines and drains, then we put in the sub floor and stud walls and had to wait another week for the plumbers to come back. They got the tub installed and used a ~2" layer of mortar under the tub for extra reinforcement. We are tiling so I had to put up concrete board instead of the plastic shower walls. Unfortunately the lip on the top of the tub is about a 1/4 inch thick and if you have the concrete board inside the tub it make a pretty dramatic curve in the concrete board, so I had to cut a bunch of 1/4" shims from an old 2x4. I still have to put it all back together again. But if I had it to do over again I would have taken a 1/4" deep notch out of the studs to put the rail and brackets into. It would save me this hassle of trying to shim the all of the studs up to level.

-Rick

 

I was actually thinking about the thickness of the material and how to put greenboard over it without a hump (or, with my luck, a break in the greenboard) Notching out the studs sounds like a good idea. I'll probably do that. Also, which tub did you put in? Do you remember the model name. I looked at the stock tub that homedepot carries ("Acclaim") and saw that the tub looks awfully small, mainly due to the wide deck area. Thanks for your info!

 

I picked up the Performa (I think). It and the Aclaim are basicly identical except on one the enclosure is optional. Since we are tiling arround the tub we went with out the enclosure and with durock (concrete board) instead of green board. The tub does has a wide deck, which makes it a bit narrower then most other tubs, but I've taken a couple of test sits in it and it is very comfy. Definately only a one person tub though. I'm a trim 6' with short legs and I can put my feet over the drain and lay back into the slope, my head touches the wall maybe 10" - 1' from the deck.

I haven't had any water in it yet, but it's held up wonderfully through the construction going on arround it.

-Rick

 

Just an update. We finally finished up on the tub. We got the tile in and everything caulked up last week so we could fire it up this week end. The tub is great. We had the plumbers put a mortar bed under it when they installed it and the floor pan is rock solid. The slope at the back side of the tub is a perfect angle and sitting in the tub is very comfortable. My only complaint about the tub was having to shim all of the studs out to get the concrete board to lay flat over the lip of the tub. If I were to use this tub again I would knotch a 3/8" deep slot out of the studs for the lip and hangers.

-Rick

 

Thanks Rick. I think what I will do instead of notching the studs, I will lay 1/4 plywood on the walls around the tub walls so that the flange from the tub walls will be flush with the wall surface. Then I'll lay the greenboard on top of that surface. How thick is the flange? 1/4 inch?

 

One other question: How much cement was required for under the tub?

 

The flange w/ screws was probrably 1/4-3/8th wide. I wound up sending a 2x4 through the table saw a few times to make a bunch of shims then used construction adhesive and brads to hold them in place. I would imagine a 1/4" sheet of plywood would work fine though.

If you are planning on tiling, skip the green board and use DuRock (or other cement board), it will hold up to the moisture and weight of the tile much better. And it's not that bad to work with. I had a lot of spare utility blades and a channel locks to use as a nibbler. We ran the durock 5' up from the top shelf of the bath tub, then green board from there up.

As for the floor, we tore out the old pine plank floor and put in new 3/4" substrate (the chip would kind). I wasn't there when the plumbers installed the tub, but I know the foot pegs where probrably 2 inches long, and there was maybe another inch inbetween the support latice. You might have to measure the bottom and figure 3+ inches deep, then add some more for good measure. Worst case senerio you'll just have a bunch of extra mortar under the tub squeezed out of the support area. I'll try to take a digital picture from the open side when I get home.

-Rick