Quarril bathtub: what is it and what are its pros and cons, repair disadvantages and installation advantages - review by villeroy boch, and are acrylic and cast iron better?

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.

Who invented this bathtub?

Modern Finns invented quaril, and in Finland itself the technology for producing bathtubs has been perfected, so for a European resident a quaril bath is not a novelty. By the way, quarryl was originally used as a restoration material, as an alternative to acrylic. And only then the wise Finns decided - why repair old acrylic, if you can immediately make a durable and at the same time beautiful bathtub.

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.

The most important thing is the advantages of a quaril bath

Thanks to the special manufacturing technology, such a bathtub has the main advantage of high strength. A cast iron bathtub is also durable, you say. Yes, but not so beautiful and snow-white, not so durable and practical. The quarry bathtub has a number of advantages:

Due to the fact that the walls of the bathtub are quite thin, its volume and bowl size will be larger (than that of the same acrylic bathtub)
The hot water in the bathroom cools down slowly, and the material itself does not seem cold to the touch, but on the contrary, pleases with its warmth
Quaril is resistant to chemicals and corrosion
The material does not turn yellow or fade
Kvaril does not make noise when water falls
It is difficult to cause mechanical damage to this material - it will “stand” in front of heavy objects
The bathroom can be made in either a strict straight shape or have rounded corners
Due to the fact that this material retains its whiteness and shine for a long time, the bathroom always looks attractive

It will be interesting Bathroom accessories

Such a bathroom will give odds to any acrylic model and will outshine all its predecessors with its advantages. Of course, compared to other bathrooms, quaril will not be cheap, but it will last not just a few years, but a couple of dozens. At the same time, quaril is really able to retain all its “primordial” charm.

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 .

Designer highlight of the bathroom

Due to the fact that quaril is a durable material, it is also distinguished by its good “pliability” - the material can be processed without special rounding of the lines, as is done for acrylic bathtubs that are familiar to us. Kvaril allows you to create clear and straight lines - such a bathroom will be a godsend for those who prefer a strict, classic and laconic style. Plus, straight, clean lines in the bathroom will keep the number of seams to a minimum and make the tiles look neater. Thanks to its shape, the bathroom will fit into a small space and save a couple of square meters. Another external advantage of such a bathroom is that its walls are only 1 centimeter thick, which means that it does not require frame installation.

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.

Main differences

Kvaril can be considered a highly specialized material , purposefully designed for specific types of products - bathtubs and shower trays. Acrylic, which started in the 30s of the last century with solving problems of replacing inorganic window glass and creating lightweight aircraft canopies (the transparent part of the cockpit), began to be used in a variety of areas:

For the manufacture of automotive optics (external and internal).
In the production of aquariums from small, home formats to giant aquariums in water parks.
In the windows of airplanes, bathyscaphes and submarines.
For the production of transparent fencing at hockey matches.
Acrylic is used to make lenses for marine lighthouses.
Drinking utensils for water and soft drinks are made from acrylic in huge quantities.
Acrylic is the number one material in the manufacture of advertising products (dimensional letters, light boxes, souvenirs, stands, price tags, etc.).
The full compatibility of acrylic with human tissues has made it possible to establish mass production of intraocular and contact lenses. Lenses for ordinary glasses are also a field of application for acrylic.
Applications of PMMA in dentistry include artificial teeth, dentures, and parts of orthodontic appliances.

Photo

Below are photographs of the most interesting models:

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.

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.

Types of plumbing range

Quaril baths come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The products also have different colors and textures.

Placement technique

Depending on the location and installation, the bowl can be:

The corner model will save free space.

Surface treatment

Villeroy&Boch produces 2 types of bowl surface coatings:

In the store you can choose a design with the required coating.

Dimensions and shapes

Standard bowls are 150-180 cm long, 70-85 cm wide, 65 cm high. Dimensions may vary depending on the model.

The following forms of quaril products are sold in stores:

The outer side of the products can be white, coral, yellow, black, blue, green. In addition, there are models with a gold or champagne-colored outline.

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.

How to determine the category and quality of a cast iron bathtub? Here are some pro tips:

The first thing you should look at is the sides of the bathtub . They must be even, and the dimensions of the bathtub must correspond to the stated +/- 3mm. To check for evenness, you can take a long level and apply it to the side of the bathtub, and there should not be large gaps between the bathtub and the level. I have never seen a perfectly smooth cast iron bathtub, so I consider a gap of no more than 2 mm acceptable.

Next, you should pay attention to the enamel coating of the bathtub. It should be smooth and without sagging, without dark spots or visible pits. The enamel should be glossy, not matte, which can be checked by running your hand over it.