# My first free standing tub and faucet



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I'm no chonkie, but I think it came out ok other then the tile guy. $5k between the two I guess, it was provided. I don't really care for how the tub sits on the floor nor how the drain just slides into the rubber. It was a one piece, adjustable feet. We put some silicone on the feet and caulked the skirt to the floor... hopefully we don't get a callback when they move back. I guess the entire fixture order for this 2.5 bath from Ferg's was over $11k. This was a royal pain all because of one stupid engineered joist and where they wanted everything placed.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

To bad your tile guy wasn't a little neater.


The engineered truss if a TGI, would be easy. All they need to do is header it off and then let you drill through. Silly carpenters.


Looking good.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

MSU professors I guess. There's going to be a $200k painting on the wall of the living room. Neighbors are a bunch of *******s. We pulled in for finish and I swear someone pissed in this one ladie's cherios. Like we were going to park in her driveway across the street.


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## indyjim (Apr 29, 2017)

Looks good. 
I've set a few of those. Worst one was second floor remodel. Had to be dead on at rough in. 


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Looks good, tile guy screwed up on the cuts. It won't look too bad if you lift the escutcheon and grout that hole.
Neighbors are usually very nice and curious at the beginning of a major remodel but pissed and over all the construction vehicles/noise by the end of it.


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

Is that thing acrylic? Did one recently, too light. Can't make it sit still?


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## Cajunhiker (Dec 14, 2009)

rwh said:


> Is that thing acrylic? Did one recently, too light. Can't make it sit still?


If I'm not mistaken, with the last stand alone I did about 2 years ago, the manufacturer recommended using an adhesive on the bottom of the base. For some reason I seem to remember using a caulk gun to spread Loctite on the floor where the tub sat.
The acrylic tubs are very light.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Debo22 said:


> Looks good, tile guy screwed up on the cuts. It won't look too bad if you lift the escutcheon and grout that hole.
> Neighbors are usually very nice and curious at the beginning of a major remodel but pissed and over all the construction vehicles/noise by the end of it.


Well the GC did everything thing on this remod but plumbing, electrical and hvac. He's going to have fun getting to the tile patching.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

rwh said:


> Is that thing acrylic? Did one recently, too light. Can't make it sit still?


It was a fiberglass tub, pretty heavy, but still, a slight bump at one of the ends and it would shift an eighth of an inch. Nothing in the instructions about securing it to the floor. We're done there now, got final inspection yesterday, so unfortunately the only way I'll know it holds up is if we don't get a back call.

Btw, the toilet seats were Ferg's new "high end" line, forget the name of the it. They over thunk the design big time. POS!


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

I don't like those free standing tubs. We did two of them and like you said, littlest of bumps and it would shift. We used a lot of adhesive ourselves.


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## jc-htownplumber (Feb 29, 2012)

I did this one recently










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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

At least you installed it on the floor unlike mine.

Not in my house.

Picking this tub display up from my supply house for $500, faucet included. Tub alone retail $10k.

Shower was $900, retail $1500 not including the valve and hand held.


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

Oorgnid said:


> I don't like those free standing tubs. We did two of them and like you said, littlest of bumps and it would shift. We used a lot of adhesive ourselves.


Expensive junk is all it is,if I was gonna put one of these in my own house I would want the heavy one


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

OpenSights said:


> At least you installed it on the floor unlike mine.
> 
> Not in my house.
> 
> ...


Nice but that whirlpool is a waste of money and space,y'all will use it for first six months then everyone will take showers cause the tub is such a ***** to clean,everyone I know with a whirlpool wishes they never put it in,I have one and hate it,gonna be tearing it out and installing a big tile shower lolololo hell with a whirlpool tub,they are useless.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

sparky said:


> Nice but that whirlpool is a waste of money and space,y'all will use it for first six months then everyone will take showers cause the tub is such a ***** to clean,everyone I know with a whirlpool wishes they never put it in,I have one and hate it,gonna be tearing it out and installing a big tile shower lolololo hell with a whirlpool tub,they are useless.


My kid will get the most use out of it. He's supposed to take two 15 minute baths a day with no soap for his eczema, but that only happens on the weekends due to scheduling. He cleans the tub before every bath and every third is a bleach bath, so cleaning is no issue. My biggest worry is if the jets or motor or heater goes out. I've never worked on one, and not one Master that I've worked for touches them other then install or removal.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

Nice job. To bad northern tile guys suck like our sourthern boys. Kinda makes you want to learn how to do tile doesn't it? 

Silicone on the feet and caulk the base is all I do. It's all you can do on most of these tubs. Big freaking sign say to not touch it. Make sure they know to not have ANYONE work in the same room for at least a day. So far so good after I blew up on a GC and every trade present this one time the tub and three top mount lavs got moved, all in the same house. I'm now known as the guy to not piss off, which i kind of like.

I also make the tubs the last thing I do so hopefully most other trades are out of my way. Here's the last few I've done.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

OpenSights said:


> My kid will get the most use out of it. He's supposed to take two 15 minute baths a day with no soap for his eczema, but that only happens on the weekends due to scheduling. He cleans the tub before every bath and every third is a bleach bath, so cleaning is no issue. My biggest worry is if the jets or motor or heater goes out. I've never worked on one, and not one Master that I've worked for touches them other then install or removal.


They really aren't that hard to work on as long as you have good preplanned access panels of adequate size. Most motors will be connected with union of some sort and most jets are siliconed and tighten the nut, again access to back side jets is the PITA.

Try to remove anything from the bottom of the tub that will capture the tub when you set it in concrete. That will at least make it easier to lift up if you ever need to do repairs.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

chonkie said:


> Nice job. To bad northern tile guys suck like our sourthern boys. Kinda makes you want to learn how to do tile doesn't it?
> 
> Silicone on the feet and caulk the base is all I do. It's all you can do on most of these tubs. Big freaking sign say to not touch it. Make sure they know to not have ANYONE work in the same room for at least a day. So far so good after I blew up on a GC and every trade present this one time the tub and three top mount lavs got moved, all in the same house. I'm now known as the guy to not piss off, which i kind of like.
> 
> I also make the tubs the last thing I do so hopefully most other trades are out of my way. Here's the last few I've done.


How well does the sign work out for ya? 50/50 out here it seems.


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## KoleckeINC (Oct 22, 2011)

I think that looks nice. Great work.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

OpenSights said:


> How well does the sign work out for ya? 50/50 out here it seems.


100% ... But i think me blowing up helped more. I mean I got livid towards everybody. Threatened to fvck their sh!t up if they keep doing it to my stuff. You would think it would've had a bad effect me blowing up, but it hasn't.


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## kenjohnson1992 (Jul 26, 2017)

I don't like free standing tub much, it's small and not fit for me. 
Ps: I have to tilt my neck 90 degrees to see your photo


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

jc-htownplumber said:


> I did this one recently
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll be installing this exact one. Not looking forward to it.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

kenjohnson1992 said:


> I don't like free standing tub much, it's small and not fit for me.
> Ps: I have to tilt my neck 90 degrees to see your photo


I guess you can't read.........


http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/why-post-intro-11368/


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

chonkie said:


> They really aren't that hard to work on as long as you have good preplanned access panels of adequate size. Most motors will be connected with union of some sort and most jets are siliconed and tighten the nut, again access to back side jets is the PITA.
> 
> Try to remove anything from the bottom of the tub that will capture the tub when you set it in concrete. That will at least make it easier to lift up if you ever need to do repairs.[/QUOTE
> 
> Chonkie,I never had to raise a tub up after it was set in a bed of mortar,how hard is it to get them back up??i assume part of the walls would have to be trimmed back also???


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## Polak (Dec 1, 2016)

This one was my first one



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## Polak (Dec 1, 2016)

And this one was my last one


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

chonkie said:


> So far so good after I blew up on a GC and every trade present this one time the tub and three top mount lavs got moved, all in the same house. *I'm now known as the guy to not piss off, which i kind of like.*
> 
> I also make the tubs the last thing I do so hopefully most other trades are out of my way. Here's the last few I've done.


 










At first I laughed when I read this. But after reading your subsequent post where you say that you had to threaten to eff up the other trades stuff, I thought how sad. It is as if you can't ask nicely for people to respect your work. You have to be mean with 'em if they are to listen. That is too bad.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tommy plumber said:


> At first I laughed when I read this. But after reading your subsequent post where you say that you had to threaten to eff up the other trades stuff, I thought how sad. It is as if you can't ask nicely for people to respect your work. You have to be mean with 'em if they are to listen. That is too bad.


My Master insists on being the first in for rough, drainage wise at least. We prefer to meet with the sparky and HVAC prior to the start of a remodel to get a game plan. We need this bay, how will effect you? Ok, we can use this bay, but we need this left open too. 

We have walked into jobs where another plumber was fired and we start and have absolutely no choice but to move another trade's material. That's actually how we found our sparky. Commercial, we pulled all his wires out of our way coiled them up and zip tied his wires. He was called and showed up before we left and said "I see what you're saying now, didn't even think of that!" Great guy to work with! I hate to say it, but we send each other work all the time, but we're both so stinking busy we both hate it!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Polak said:


> And this one was my last one
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


As in the last one you installed, or the last one you will install? 

I wish I had a picture, but it wasn't anything special, but about 4 years ago I installed my first and LAST Koehler cast iron tub. Meaning I won't ever do that again. 

Plumbers back in the day were real men! My grandfather was one of those plumbers.


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## Polak (Dec 1, 2016)

It's the last one I installed for now im waiting for my employer to get a new contract if I get no news in the next two weeks I'm going to apply for a new company 


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Polak said:


> It's the last one I installed for now im waiting for my employer to get a new contract if I get no news in the next two weeks I'm going to apply for a new company
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


In my area every trade has more work than they can handle. Good luck in finding more work. Both baths look very nice!


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

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Polak said:


> It's the last one I installed for now im waiting for my employer to get a new contract if I get no news in the next two weeks I'm going to apply for a new company
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I love your name dude,polak the plumber lolololololo or is it pollock????


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## Polak (Dec 1, 2016)

It's polak lol cuz I'm polish 


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## Polak (Dec 1, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> In my area every trade has more work than they can handle. Good luck in finding more work. Both baths look very nice!




Damn that's nice hehe


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

Polak said:


> It's polak lol cuz I'm polish
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Cool


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