SPA shell coatings

[Mike Stegbauer]

I've heard that the shiny/glossy 'fake granite' type shells don't hold up well.  OTOH, the duller speckled shells do better.  Does this hold any water?  (no pun intended)

My assumption has been that a given model of tub by a given manufacturer would be made of the same materials, regardless of the 'finish'.  Is seems unlikely that they would switch from acrylic to fiberglass on a given tub (or even within a given manufacturer).  I've also seen tubs that claim to be 'acrylic fiberglass'.  Does that make any sense?  

Thanks,
Mike

[RBoehme]

Usually both the shiny and rough textured spa coatings are acrylic. They both hold up about the same, the main difference is the amount of work taking care of the surface. With the shiny finish you will spend more time cleaning and WAXING than you will on the rough textured spas. Most people choose the rough texture because it requires less care. I have not seen a spa shell made only of acrylic. Every one I have had experiance with was made with several layers of fiberglass with about an 1/8th inch layer of acrylic for the color and texture. That may be why some people call thier spas "acrylic fiberglass". There are alternatives to the fiberglass acrylic spas. I would certainly look at all of my options.
Hope this helps!

[Spa Tech]

There are in fact, a few companies that do have shell materials that are not backed by fiberglass of any kind. HotSpring and Bullfrog are two companies I know of that actually use a product by Aristech called Quarite Plus that doesnt require fiberglass backing or reinforcement since it is fused with a sheet of ABS thermoplastic. The appearance is identical to Quarite, however since fiberglass and acrylic have different shink rates- I believe the Quarite Plus material will last longer without cracking.

[RBoehme]

I agree. A good way to tell that acrylic and fiberglass have different shrink rates is by examining spa warranties. There are a lot of manufacturers that have a different warranty time period for the "surface" and for the "shell". This is because the surface will most likely crack before the shell looses its integrity.

[Mike Stegbauer]

That's the first I've heard about waxing.  It seems contrary to the fact that the tub holds water 99% of the time.  

How exactly does the tub wear without wax?  Does it get cloudy from UV?  Does it get cloudy from scratches?  Does the wax improve longevity of the structure, or just finish?  Does the tub get slippery with waxing?

Thanks for all the info.  This is a great resource.  I'm almost certain now that I won't make any really dumb mistakes when I decide on a tub!

Mike

[RBoehme]

Although you would only have to wax the spa 4 times a year I feel you would be very unhappy while you are doing it. Imagine waxing around all of those jets and curves and compare that to hand waxing a car. It is much less enjoyable. Of course if you do not care if your spa retains its luster then it doesn't matter if you wax it. Could be that I am just lazy :-) The spas finish will scratch very easily without wax Although the shell will last just as long it will be less pleasing to look at. It does not appear to be more slippery with wax.
Hope this helps!

[RBoehme]

Although you would only have to wax the spa 4 times a year I feel you would be very unhappy while you are doing it. Imagine waxing around all of those jets and curves and compare that to hand waxing a car. It is much less enjoyable. Of course if you do not care if your spa retains its luster then it doesn't matter if you wax it. Could be that I am just lazy :-) The spas finish will scratch very easily without wax Although the shell will last just as long it will be less pleasing to look at. It does not appear to be more slippery with wax.
Hope this helps!

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

this was the first post to this form......................

just thought I'd mention that  

[Mendocino101]

Doc....

You must be all caught up with orders from Vegas....