The Tub King Blog

Check Out Your Fall Home & Patio Show

By Kerry Knight

I’m often asked, “What’s an easy way to learn about the latest trends in bathroom remodeling? You know, what kind of bathtubs are coming out, what’s the latest in Walk-in tubs? Are there new kinds of fixtures, flooring, etc.?” Here’s my answer: Don’t just scour the Internet, go to a Home and Garden Show so you can touch and see firsthand the latest bath tubs and bathroom remodeling products.

Most cities of any size will have at least one Home and Garden Show a year. These are usually in the Spring when people are thinking about working around the house. Some will be painting the outside of the house, building a pergola or gazebo, adding a landscape water fall, or adding a new addition. It’s a fun time to attend the shows to see all the new things out there. These shows can bring in as many as 60,000 people over a few days. Plus, they’re all there with one thing in mind: how to beautify their home and property.

Photo credit: tubking.com

Some of your major metro areas will have two shows a year, one in the Spring and another in the Fall. Jacksonville and Orlando, will both host their Fall Home and Garden shows in October this year, and Tub King will be there.

It’s the perfect occasion to show off our beautiful Cast iron and Porcelain tubs with handsome Clawfoot legs in brushed nickel, chrome and oil-rubbed bronze. We’ll display several of our popular tubs: the Slipper tub, the Dual-ended, the Slight Slipper, the Double Slipper, the Pedestals, and the traditional Roll Tops. This year we’ll be showing off our newest production: A Slipper tub with an oil-rubbed bronze finish on the outside. The legs are also oil-rubbed bronze. With a “British telephone” faucet in the same finish, it really “pops.” It will be on display and I’m sure it’ll be sold before the show is over on Sunday.

Photo credit: tubking.com

We’ll also display our Walk-in Tub for seniors or anyone with mobility concerns. There are two sizes to fitevery customer and every bathroom space. It comes in three different models: the Soaker, without jets; the Air-jetted version, with 18 therapeutic bubble ports; and the Dual System with water and air jets, which carries both systems, along with an inline heater.

All of our tubs at the Home and Garden Shows are discounted for the lucky patrons attending. Even installation prices are reduced when you purchase a tub from us during the shows. You’ll be able to see the tubs and even sit in them. Knowledgeable professionals will be in our booth to answer your questions. This is the perfect time to see and compare products side by side. And, you can get a real idea what they’ll look (and feel) like in your bathroom. There’s nothing like seeing and experiencing a product first-hand, before you buy it.

So this fall, go to your Home and Garden Show and enjoy the day. Even if you’re not ready to remodel yourbathroom yet, you’ll get some ideas as to what you can do and be able to compare products as well.

Please join us if you can. The Jacksonville Home and Garden Show is October 2 – 5 at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. The Orlando Home Show is October 24 – 26 at the Orange County Convention Center. We actually have a few free tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis. So call us if you’d like to attend. You can reach our showroom and office at (904) 732-9906. Can’t make this show? You’ll still have the one in Spring 2015 (only six months away).

In this article, I discussed how you can learn about the latest trends in bathroom remodeling by attending a Home and Garden Show. The advantages of seeing and feeling a beautiful claw foot tub in person or sitting in and feeling the comfort of a Walk-in tub in person is immeasurable.

About Our Walk-in Tub Buyer's Guide

If you found this article useful, please share it with your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. If you’d like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here. Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I’ll personally get back to you. It’s been my pleasure sharing this information with you.

Thanks again for visiting with us. See you at the shows!

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., andSeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to alan@tubking.com.

Building a New Home? Add Beauty with a Clawfoot Tub

By Kerry Knight

TubKing Double slipper Clawfoot Tub

Today’s builders are looking for ways to add value to the homes they build. Many homes, especially in nicer, upscale neighborhoods, are adding designed bathroom and kitchens. These are two places that people spend a lot of time.

Designers are always trying make a house more functional, and are also striving to add elegance, beauty in places where home owners can relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of today’s stressful life. Many designers are now calling for Clawfoot tubs as their designed bathroom center piece.

TubKing Slipper Clawfoot tub in Red and gold.

And it’s not just designers and homebuilders who are doing this. Many who are in the market for buying, or having a custom home built, are also looking to add a touch of elegance to the biggest purchase they’ll ever make.

Clawfoot tub sales are up. Many are in the market to purchase these elegant tubs. If you don’t know about this let me explain. About 150 years ago, Clawfoot tubs were introduced to American society. At first, only the rich and famous had them. They were mostly a European product, and they became very became fashionable after the Civil War. Foundries abroad, using a mold, would cast a bathtub out of iron. They would then spray a porcelain glass material over the cast iron to make a high-gloss finish that was both beautiful and functional. Legs, also made of cast iron, were then fashioned into many exotic designs to fit on the bottom of these tubs. It became a craze that reached into the U.S. very quickly, and the concept continued for over a hundred years.

TubKing tubs can be customized for color and feet type.

Eventually, foundries in the U.S. began to close due to lack of demand. They were being replaced by a new substance called fiberglass. It was much more cost effective and the units were not nearly as heavy. The one piece shower surround became the new craze.

Today, many are returning to the retro look of the antique Clawfoot tubs. Most have to be imported, but the quality is the same. The advantage today is there are more shapes and sizes to choose from. The Slipper Tub, especially, is a hot item. Made of cast iron and porcelain, these tubs have the pronounced slope on one end of the tub that has been seen on many movie sets. It is exotic-looking to say the least, and especially attractive for ladies. The exterior of the tub can be done in any color and the legs can come in many different metallic finishes.

At TubKing, we can create one just fro your taste & budget.

We’ve found that many who are in the process of building a new home have created ways to really glamorize their bathrooms. Most builders will put in the standard 5-foot fiberglass shower surround or an acrylic garden tub. These are all too common. A better choice might be to talk to your builder about making an exchange. Get a credit for his fiberglass tub and purchase one of the classic Clawfoot tubs. It will immediately add perceived value to your home and become the centerpiece for decorating your bathroom.

I’m currently in the process of building a new home and have already told the builder I didn’t want his standard tub. I’ll put in my own cast iron and porcelain Slipper Tub. The faucet, drain, water supply lines and the legs will be oil-rubbed bronze. It will also have the “English Telephone Faucet” with sprayer. Yes, there will be a separate shower stall, but this tub will be the focal point of the entire bathroom.

Another TubKing Clawfoot tub.

You spend a lot of time designing a home; do something special in one of your bathrooms. You can even make it into your own private oasis. Guests will love it, and you’ll get a hundred years of use out of your Clawfoot and your bathroom will be the envy of all who visit.

In this article, I discussed how you can have a new Clawfoot tub installed in that new house you’re planning to buy instead of having to settle for a plain old shower/tub combo. Many home builders and designers are using Clawfoot tubs as a showcase item to bring elegance and beauty to the designer home they’re selling. In many cases, you can get a credit for the planned tub or shower enclosure in exchange for the Clawfoot tub.

Customer testimonial for a clawfoot tub.

If you found this article useful, please share it with your family, friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the Comments section of this blog. If you’d like to find more articles about Clawfoot tubs, enter “clawfoot” in the search box at the top of this blog. Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I’ll personally get back to you. It’s been my pleasure sharing this information with you.

Thanks again for visiting with us.

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HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY FOR A WALK-IN TUB?

LEARN THE FACTS!

By Kerry Knight

Casino logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the Wild, Wild West was first opened to settlers, anything and everything was going on. Today the Internet is a lot like the Wild, Wild West was in the1800s. Especially if you are buying products. Pretty much anything goes.

I recently received a phone call from a potential customer and she said, “The prices for Walk-in tubs are all over the map. How do I know what I should pay?” Good question. I’ve heard every price you can imagine. Some have been as high as $20,000, and that’s without installation. Let me offer some observations that may help.

Enjoy a soaker walk in tub.

When considering a Walk-in Tub, decide which features are important to you. Sometimes I hear from people who say, “I don’t want anything fancy, just a safe tub that I can get into without falling.” The soaker tub is designed without any electrical parts, with no jets, motors or heaters. The customer can enter the tub with a slight 6 inch threshold, close the watertight door, and sit down, to bathe in comfort and safety. The grab bar is right beside the seat, and the faucet handles are within easy reach. The hand held shower comes with a four foot, metal braided hose that retracts back into the tub with a counterweight when not being used. This allows a person to enter safely, sit down, lean back and relax in warm water. This is the Soaker version. A fair price for this tub is around $2,000.

The next step up would be the air jetted, hydrotherapy model. It typically comes with 18 jet ports that create thousands of therapeutic bubbles for helping with many medical conditions. An air pump brings warm air into the water to create the effect of a hot tub. It relaxes the body and helps with tired aching muscles. Water therapy has been used for thousands of years in the healing of the body. A fair price for this version of the Walk-in Tub would be around $2,500.

Here you can see the jets and the heater.

The next step would be to add the water jetted massage system. This model really helps when treating an injury or back and knee pain. There are typically six water jet ports: two ports behind the back, two behind the knees and two across from the knees. The great thing about this version is the jets are moveable, so you can direct the water force at key points of the body. You can also adjust the amount of force coming through the jet as to reach your perfect comfort level. This model comes with the air jetted system, water jetted system, AND the inline heater. The heater helps in keeping the water warm, so that you can remain in the tub longer. A fair price for this deluxe model would be around $3,000.

So, my conclusion is you should be paying between $2,000 and $3,000 for your Walk-in Tub, based upon the unique features that you want.

The shipping and delivery of the tub can be another place where companies sneak in excessive fees. Our tubs come with free shipping to the lower 48 states. In many cases, companies will any anywhere from two to four hundred dollars for shipping.

Some companies also charge a separate fee for the fixtures, adding another $200 to the price. Always ask what’s included with the Walk-in tub.

Then there's this question. “How much is the installation cost?” There are many ways to answer that.

Benefits of the Walk In Tub

You may be one of the fortunate ones who have a family member that has handyman skills. I know in our case, many of our customers install the tubs themselves, sometimes using a licensed electrician or plumber on the side for the delicate work. There are also technicians out there who specialize in installing Walk-in Tubs. Our technicians have installed hundreds of these tubs all around the immediate Southeast.

These should be included.

Unfortunately, some Walk-in Tub companies try to hide much of their profit by charging ridiculous prices for installation. They may say, “I will sell you the tub for $3,000, but the installation is $10,000.” More often, they combine the two together so you don’t know what you are paying for each one separately.

Typically, an installation takes two days: one for demolition (taking out the old tub, if there is one), and the second day for installing the new Walk-in Tub. This sometimes requires widening a door if the tub won't pass through, or doing extra tile work. A basic installation of setting the tub in place and hooking up the plumbing and electrical, should cost no more than $3,000. The bathroom will be put back into working order, cleaned up and all debris removed. The technician will also test the tub to make sure it is working properly and demonstrate to the customer how to operate the tub. There should also be an owner’s manual left for the customer. The phone number for the technician should also be left in case there are questions.

Some Walk-in Tub companies will not give you a price over the phone. Always beware of that. They want to send a high-pressure salesman to your home to talk you into spending $20,000. They will try to scare you with statistics about falling. They will appeal to your spouse and shame them over their lack of concern. Anyway, it often works. Don’t get caught in their web, just say no!

Courtesy of timemanagementninja.com

Just like in the Wild, Wild West, anything goes if you’re uninformed. Remember our prices, (which are very competitive); the very best model (with all features mentioned) is $3,000 and with a thorough installation of the tub, the price should be in the $6,000 range. Don’t make the mistake of overpaying. Compare quality, features and include shipping and installation. Don’t let high-pressure salesmen treat you like it’s the Wild, Wild West!

In this article I provided a detailed description of what you can expect to pay when investing in a Walk-in tub. My discussion also provides a detailed description of the many tricks companies use to increase the cost or hide their higher inflated prices to fool the average consumer. Knowing these tricks and actual fair prices will help any consumer make a wise decision when buying a Walk-in tub. Take the time to shop and compare our Tub King products with that of any competitor, and we're sure we'll come out on top. We offer a guaranteed low price, high quality, plus provide free shipping in the lower 48 states.

Walk-in tub Buyer's Guide video

Thanks again for visiting with us.

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to alan@tubking.com.

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