Cast iron bathtub, porcelain, acrylic or ceramic – for a long time, buyers were faced with exactly this choice.
One was distinguished by its unbearable weight, the other by its fragility, the third by its limited model range. Today on the market you can find a fundamentally new, innovative offer - a bathtub made of quaril . What kind of material is this, what advantages and disadvantages it has - everything is in this article.
What it is?
Quaril is a modern material that contains acrylic and quartz sand . The mineral powder is sealed into a kind of capsules, connected by the same acrylic. Characterized by increased strength and wear resistance. The big advantage is that a product made from quaril does not require reinforcement or the use of any frame at all; it is completely self-sufficient.
The material has thermal conductivity properties that are comfortable for everyday life - the water in such a bath will not cool down for a long time. It suppresses noise. Increased impact resistance and wear resistance are associated with manufacturing technology. Quaril takes any shape and maintains the parameters specified in production.
Manufacturing of quaril baths
When producing quaril, small parts of quartz sand are enclosed in acrylic capsules. The space between them is filled with liquid acrylic. Bathtubs are made using casting. First, the liquid material is poured into an appropriate mold. Then it is pressed at high temperature.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any material, quaril has its positive and negative sides.
Therefore, before choosing models made from this material, you need to weigh the pros and cons . And find out what operational features you will have to face. This is what we will do below.
pros
Strength. The material, thanks to quartz, has increased impact resistance.
Manufacturers claim that in domestic conditions the bathtub is almost impossible to damage, split, and even quite difficult to scratch.
Special surface. Quaril can look as smooth and shiny as traditional acrylic products, but it also has a pleasant roughness. Therefore, the surface of the bathtub is non-slippery, which prevents falls.
Maintainability. The leading manufacturer of quarryl bathtubs, Villeroy&Boch, gives customers a ten-year guarantee, thereby emphasizing its durability. However, if the bathtub splits for some reason, the quaril can be restored.
For the restoration of the font, there are specialized workshops and even pastes that can be used to restore light damage to the font at home.
Beautiful appearance. The bathtub can be painted in various rich colors and shades. The classic white model has a special brightness. The color does not fade or change over time, and UV rays are not dangerous either. Easy to clean with household detergents.
Plastic. The ability to create various models with both right angles and amazing bends, which do not require additional supports.
Those who value style and modern design will be pleasantly surprised by the ductility and durability of quaril.
The manufacturer can make a bathtub with a wall thickness of only 8 mm, give it the actual rectangular or angular shape, and do not use any frames for weighting.
Noise insulation. Quaril absorbs noise. Thus, an open tap will not create virtually any inconvenience: it will not disturb neighbors at night and will not interfere with listening to the radio.
Thermal conductivity. It retains heat perfectly and helps maintain the required water temperature for a long time.
Hygiene. During the manufacturing process of the material, the manufacturer can add various impurities and chemical compounds that will help the coating become antibacterial and dust-repellent.
Minuses
High cost of restoration. If a crack or chip appears, repairs will require large financial investments. Of course, it is better to have the defects eliminated by professionals, but this will increase costs even more.
In the Russian Federation, the material remains quite new, few craftsmen will undertake such repairs, so specialists set high prices due to the absence of any competition.
High cost of the bath itself. Quartz is a natural material. In addition, the creation of quaril takes place using a certain new technology, and is so far only possible in Europe. Due to the lack of competition and exclusivity of the material, the manufacturer sets a high price.
It is difficult to choose the same plumbing ensemble. There is still no large selection of sanitary ware made from Quaril on the Russian market. You will have to spend time searching for the right toilet or sink to pair with the bathtub.
Complexity and features of care
The surface of the quaril bowl is washed 1-2 times a week using a non-aggressive cleaning agent or soap solution. Then wipe it with a dry cloth. Do not use an abrasive cleaner to avoid abrasing or scratching the coating. After each use, rinse the cup with warm water.
How the repair is carried out
Damage may occur on the surface of the bowl if used improperly. Scratches most often appear from the use of abrasives, bathing pets, and chips from falling heavy objects.
There are 3 ways to repair quarry bathtubs:
- Polishing the product. It is produced when yellow spots, abrasions, or small scratches appear. Use silver, wax, abrasive polish.
- The use of special surface restoration products. They are used when cracks or chips appear on the bowl, after washing and drying it. If you delay repairs, the chip will increase over time. This may lead to a through-hole defect.
- Application of a reinforcing kit. The method is used for bathtub holes. Such damage is extremely rare. After eliminating the defect, the surface is treated with a restoring mixture and dried.
When purchasing a product, you should check it for yellow stains, unevenness, and scratches. The bottom should be smooth, without protrusions or grooves.
Quarryl, acrylic or cast iron, which is better?
Quarril bathtubs are often compared with products made from other materials, so let’s look at the main points and decide which is better, Quarril or acrylic, or maybe the good old cast iron bathtubs?
Strength. Acrylic is an inexpensive material that is familiar to everyone; it is often subject to mechanical scratching of the top layer, and also crumbles and cracks under strong impacts. Quaryl, according to manufacturers, is four times stronger. But the leader here is cast iron ; even with a strong desire, such a font is difficult to split.
Ergonomic surface. As noted above, the manufacturer of quaril, with the help of special impurities, achieves a special surface condition, which is called Soft touch. It is not slippery and pleasant to the touch, which models made of acrylic and cast iron cannot boast of.
Price. Here the leader with a minus sign is quaril. The price of bathtubs made of this material is several times higher than the price of models made of cast iron and acrylic:
- an ordinary acrylic bathtub costs about 10,000 rubles;
- cast iron - 14000;
- and quaryl as much as 50,000.
The noise insulation and thermal conductivity of the materials in question are at a decent level, but quaril still wins the debate .
Installation of a quaril bath
The main stages of installation of the structure, regardless of its location, are the same. The least labor-intensive method is to install a wall-mounted bathtub.
Installing the bowl includes the following steps:
- The delivered bathtub is placed upside down on the floor, having previously laid cardboard on it to prevent damage.
- A support equipped with a self-adhesive surface is installed on the bowl. There is no need to use bolts for fastening. First, the areas under the support are degreased with alcohol.
- The bath is connected to communications and then turned over. At the same time, make sure that the elements do not become detached.
- The installed bowl is leveled and raised to the required height using adjustable legs.
Upon completion of installation, you need to check the tightness of the structure. To do this, pour water into it and inspect the areas connecting the bowl with the communication elements.
Installation of built-in plumbing
Built-in quaril baths can be mounted on the floor, podium or frame. The latest equipment is made of metal, the podium is made of plasterboard. Tiles are used for cladding, often having the same color as the walls or floor. If a metal frame is required to install a structure for decorative purposes, then it is installed first. The tiles are laid on the walls after fixing the bowl.
Freestanding bathtub
A quarry font, located separately from the walls, looks advantageous: the outer and inner surfaces of the structure have the same modern look. To accommodate a free-standing bathtub, the liner is made according to the project.
Installation of the structure is divided into the following stages:
- Laying pipes through the floor.
- Raising the bathtub onto a stand to connect to communications.
- Mounting the bowl on the legs after removing the temporary support.
- Alignment of the structure.
The mixer in this case is floor-standing.
Leading manufacturer Villeroy Boch
Villeroy Boch is a company established in Germany. It is familiar to many primarily because of the production of first-class tableware. They also produce sanitary ware from various high-quality materials, such as porcelain. It was they who came up with the idea of creating bathtubs from quaril. Accordingly, they have the largest selection of such bathtubs.
The company introduces various nanotechnologies into production. For example, it achieves the formation of a surface on which dust cannot settle. The top layer of some models is enriched with microscopic silver ions, which prevents the formation of a bacterial environment. The photo shows the model that is most popular among consumers, villeroy boch oberon 170×70 . You can purchase it on our partners’ websites at the lowest price.
What is quaril?
This is a composite material developed and patented by the German manufacturer Villeroy&Boch, obtained from acrylic, quartz, and polymer environmentally friendly additives. The company's specialists did not set themselves the goal of creating raw materials for the manufacture of plumbing fixtures. Initially, quaril was used exclusively as a means for restoration and repair of various models of bathtubs.
Quaryl demonstrated high performance properties. The promising potential of the composite has been thoroughly studied and developed. This has led to the fact that raw materials previously used only for repairing and updating plumbing have turned into a completely independent material from which bathtubs and trays for shower stalls and corners are produced. Today, quaril is positioned as a unique composite, different from other analogues.
Photo
Below are photographs of the most interesting models:
What are the benefits of Quaryl?
The unique composite material from Villeroy&Boch has many positive qualities that are appreciated by consumers who use quaril sanitary ware for bathrooms:
- higher strength and shock resistance than acrylic;
- no possibility of accidental damage during installation and further operation;
- no difficulties in the process of use and care, which is made possible due to the absence of pores;
- exclusive design and originality of shapes that fit perfectly into any interior;
- streamlined internal lines, due to which the product inside is larger than it appears from the outside;
- full compliance with standard sizes, which does not cause difficulties when installing the quaril product;
- resistance to abrasion, thanks to which the plumbing fixtures retain their attractive appearance;
- absolute safety from injury, ensured by the absence of a sliding effect on the quaril surface.
Bathtubs and shower trays are made from quarry. The first ones are of the greatest interest to the buyer and are produced in various collections.
Repair
If, for some reason, a crack or scratch appears on the bathtub, or worse, the font breaks, it can be repaired sooner. Although it won't be cheap. There are already workshops in Russia that can work with this material. Professionals can glue parts of the product, repair large gaps, and eliminate serious chips.
Villery Boch provides a ten-year guarantee on its products and repairs its products themselves in case of damage. Interestingly, it was Villery Bosh that used to repair many porcelain and ceramic products with quarry.
It should be noted that paste for correcting defects in quaril products is also sold in construction stores. Repair kits cannot be used for acrylic bathtubs.
It will help, if necessary, to correct a small defect - a scratch or abrasion. Even independent use at home is allowed.
You should not try to fix a serious defect in a quaril bath yourself. Firstly, you can violate the terms of the warranty in this way, and secondly, if the repair is incorrect, the bathtub may leak at the site of the chip.
Production of quaril products
The composite material is poured into a special matrix mold. This casting technology is 100% accurate. Any differences or irregularities are completely excluded. The thickness of the walls, depending on the initial parameters, varies from 0.8 cm to 1.8 cm, and the bottom - up to 2.5 cm.
Plasticity and flexibility allow the final product to be given various shapes. This is not only strict geometry, but also smooth lines. The structure of Quaryl itself is such that the surface formed has no seams or pores. Thanks to this, the composite does not absorb dirt, does not accumulate various types of debris, since it has no joints and is easy and quick to clean.
How to install?
The installation of a quaril bathtub itself does not require any specific skills and is quite simple, as mentioned above - bathtubs made of this material do not require a frame, but one problem may arise. Manufacturers often do not make drain and overflow holes so that the user can choose where it is best for them to be when installing the bathtub.
Brief installation instructions:
- the font must be installed on a well-cleaned, level base;
- then, using an adjustable base and a building level, you need to align the edges of the bathtub to a strict horizon;
- drill holes for drainage and overflow and install a special siphon and connect to the sewer;
- if you plan to install the faucet on the bathtub, embed it into the side;
- fill the font with water and check the tightness
The video below shows the complete installation process.
Owner reviews
Since quaril baths are not a cheap new product, there are not many reviews from owners yet. Most of them are positive; users note that during operation the original shine and gloss have not been lost at all. And cleaning is really not difficult.
Quaril bath with hydromassage
Owners praise the pleasant-to-touch surface that almost instantly heats up to water temperature. Thoughtful European design does not leave indifferent both people who have already purchased quaril bathtubs and those who intend to make such a purchase. What is attractive about the new product is that almost all models can be equipped with hydro and air massage systems.
Owners write that the products not only have an interesting appearance, but are very comfortable to wear. Manufacturers have done everything to make it possible to take water procedures with maximum comfort. The capacity of quaryl bathtubs is higher than their acrylic counterparts; this property encourages some potential buyers to purchase. The range also includes double baths.
It is better to entrust the installation of a quaril bath to professionals
But there are also negative reviews. Some of them are due to installation difficulties. Therefore, we can recommend entrusting this to professionals. Other negative comments about customer support not being good enough. Wanting to get advice from a manufacturer or an official dealer, people do not wait for an answer.
Quaril baths, being a new product, have already occupied a certain niche. The innovative material has a number of unique properties. The variety of ultra-modern solutions from European designers is impressive. Owners of quaril bathtubs receive high quality, comfort and aesthetic pleasure.
Which bath should you choose? Decide on the material!
Before you go to the store and choose a bathtub, you need to clearly determine what it should be made of. What does the market offer us now?
Cast iron bathtubs have been and remain the most popular .
Also, steel and acrylic ones are sold out with enviable stability .
Slowly but surely, quaril .
For lovers of exoticism and luxury, many companies are happy to offer bathtubs made of stone, glass, marble and wood.
We probably won’t talk about the latter in this article; we’ll focus on the most popular options - cast iron, steel, acrylic and quarry.
Material No. 1: cast iron
I think everyone has been familiar with a cast iron bathtub since childhood. What's good about her?
A high-quality cast iron bathtub is very stable, strong, durable and retains heat for a long time - all this is possible due to the physical properties of cast iron.
However, this is precisely what can turn out to be the main disadvantage of such a bath. Moving a cast iron bathtub is a very difficult task, because such a bathtub weighs at least (!) one hundred and twenty kilograms - and this is only thanks to the latest technologies for “lightening” cast iron bathtubs.
If the house does not have a freight elevator, and you live on the tenth floor, think a thousand times before choosing a cast-iron bathtub, because the movers will have to pay a tidy sum just for dragging the bathtub to your door.
Now let's say a few words about enamel.
Many people, not knowing which bath to choose, choose the most brilliant one.
So: the enamel of a cast iron bathtub differs from all others in its shine. However, you need to take special care of it, because some detergents can ruin it once and for all. Also, irreparable damage to the enamel of a cast iron bathtub can be caused by any heavy object falling into it.
As you already understand, enamel is the weak point of a cast iron bathtub. That is why it is very important to carefully examine your future purchase in the store for even the smallest chips - they are unacceptable.
Also, when thinking about which bath to choose, do not forget about its thermal conductivity (in other words, how quickly the water cools in it).
A cast iron bathtub takes a long time to heat up and takes a long time to cool down, which is why people who like to soak in the foam for an hour or so like it.
Now about the forms . Alas, a cast iron bathtub is not suitable for lovers of the unusual - only the standard form. This is because it is quite difficult to cast something non-standard from cast iron - it is too expensive and not justified by anything.
Material No. 2: steel
When thinking about which bathtub to choose, many zealous housewives opt for steel .
What influences this choice?
- Firstly, the price . Steel bathtubs are the cheapest, and they look quite presentable.
- Secondly, weight . A steel bathtub weighs about thirty kilograms (compared to one hundred and fifty kilograms of cast iron, feel the difference!), which makes them easy to transport. At the same time, they are quite durable.
- Thirdly, the variety of shapes - from steel you can cast a bathtub either round, oval, or in the shape of a flower.
But there are also disadvantages. This bath is not suitable for those who like to take water treatments for hours - the water in it cools down very quickly.
Don’t forget about the ringing sound with which water is drawn into a steel bathtub - if you decide to take a bath in the middle of the night, you will wake up not only your household, but also all your neighbors.
When choosing which steel bath to prefer from all those offered, remember: its walls should not be too thin. A steel bathtub is quite strong, however, if its walls are thinner than three millimeters , they can be easily bent.
Material No. 3: acrylic
When deciding which bathtub is best to choose, you cannot ignore another material - acrylic . It appeared relatively recently and immediately became popular.
Why? Because a high-quality acrylic bathtub is durable, reliable and looks very decent.
In addition, acrylic bathtubs are quite light (they are lighter than steel ones) and are also easy to use - they are not afraid of any abrasive substances, even the strongest ones.
Acrylic bathtubs can maintain temperature for a very long time (even longer than cast iron ones). For many, it is important that a bathtub of any shape .
What should you pay attention to when deciding which acrylic bathtub to choose?
The site sympaty.net advises you to look at quality . Quality is an important point; you shouldn’t skimp on it. It's simple: a low-quality bathtub can spread and “spread” under the influence of hot water.
Let's look at what acrylic is. This is, to put it simply, plastic, so it is logical that hot temperatures will deform it. To prevent acrylic from deforming, it is reinforced - strengthened with fiberglass and resin. Thus, the quality of the bathtub depends not only on the quality of the acrylic, but also on the number of layers of reinforcement .
This is why, by the way, many do not recommend buying a bathtub in the shape of a flower (or some other tricky figure) - it is likely that, due to the complex configuration, the bathtub in some places will not be sufficiently resistant to high temperatures.
What else should you keep in mind? Acrylic is painted . It paints so well that you can’t wipe it off with anything. It stains from rusty water or soaked colored clothing. Therefore, many zealous housewives choose bathtubs made of colored acrylic (so that the color change of the bathtub is not visible).
Are there any other disadvantages to such a bath? Eat. Acrylic scratches easily - these scratches are usually not noticeable and easy to fix, but that's how it is.
However, perhaps the biggest disadvantage of such a bath is its price. A high-quality acrylic bathtub is expensive.
Material No. 4: quaril
In the article about which bath to choose, it is also worth saying a few words about quartz - a material that is a mixture of acrylic and quartz.
Why is quarry better than acrylic?
The addition of quartz increases the temperature resistance of the material so much that reinforcement is simply no longer required. Such bathtubs are durable and retain heat for a long time; they are slightly heavier than acrylic ones, but much lighter than cast iron ones.
Perhaps the most significant property of a quaril bath is its “indestructibility” - the surface of such a bath is extremely difficult to damage.
