Stone River Bathtub Outdoors  - Tips & Tricks.

River stone bathtubs, also known as stone in its natural state, untouched by any craftsmanship or machinery, are perhaps the most popular stone bathtubs in the world. Their popularity stems from their uniqueness – each bathtub is different and one-of-a-kind. Even if you find a bathtub made from the same stone elsewhere, it will undoubtedly have a different shape, color, and size. Just as there are no two identical stones in a river, it is impossible to create two identical river stone bathtubs or stone sinks.

Their popularity, along with their resistance to weather conditions, chemicals, stone hardness, and relatively low cost, has led customers and architects to seek new uses for them. A few years ago, when they were only used in the bathrooms of individual apartments, they became increasingly popular in hotels and SPA and Wellness studios. Then, with the trend of smaller bathtubs, they were purchased for bedrooms or terraces. For the past three years, we have observed increased interest in orders for river stone bathtubs for outdoor use, whether the client intends to install them in very hot or very cold climates with snow and freezing temperatures.

What do you need to know to produce or purchase a river stone bathtub for outdoor use?

Certainly, not every manufacturer has the knowledge or experience regarding what happens to a bathtub after it is sold and used outdoors. If you want to use a river stone bathtub outdoors, because there are many advantages to this idea (more on that below), then marble bathtubs, onyx bathtubs, petrified wood bathtubs, and glued bathtubs – not made from a single block of stone – are definitely not suitable options. The only option left is river stone.

River stone bathtubs for very hot climates.

If you plan to use a stone bathtub outdoors and live in a place where it gets very hot, such as Australia, Dubai, Greece, Portugal, Italy, or even Iran, Tunisia, Israel, Egypt, California, Texas, or any other extremely hot place on Earth, as some of our customers do who have had our bathtubs in such conditions for several years, you must inform the manufacturer about the installation location when making the purchase. In this case, you should receive a bathtub with stone that is devoid of veins. The manufacturer must be knowledgeable and able to distinguish veins from what is referred to as the “stone’s pattern” – only visual streaks and discolorations.

Deep veins in the stone, when the bathtub is heated to very high temperatures (in full, southern sun), create tension in the stone, especially with such a large volume and mass, and can lead to cracks in the bathtub! A deep vein causes the bathtub to crack along the entire length of the vein (see the example below – a bathtub made by inexperienced individuals). The stone bathtub manufacturer should consider that stone easily absorbs ambient temperature, accumulates it, and slowly releases it. If the bathtub is left in full sun for many days and the stone’s structure is not well-suited, it will crack. We are more than confident about this.

✓ Additional advice from us:
If you have an outdoor stone bathtub in a very hot climate, make sure there is always a small amount of water at the bottom. Water will absorb the stress on the stone, absorb some of the temperature, and allow the stone to work completely differently. Nothing more is needed.

Top 3 benefits of having a river stone bathtub outdoors in very hot climates.

• Pour very cold water just before taking a bath or soaking. The water will increase its temperature by absorbing it from the heated bathtub, maintaining that temperature for a long, relaxing soak, whether at noon or in the evening, at a pleasant temperature lower than the surroundings.

• A stone bathtub outdoors is much cheaper than a pool, easier to maintain, trouble-free, more enjoyable, and provides much more relaxation. While lying in such a bathtub, you feel the naturalness of the stone, you can enjoy the view, read, listen to music, or simply do nothing. This is impossible in a pool.

• • Your natural stone bathtub will be an exceptional decorative element for your terrace or garden. Some of our customers also use standing river stone sinks.

River stone bathtubs for very cold climates.

If your investment is in a location where there is a season with a lot of snow and freezing temperatures, such as Canada, Norway, Alaska, Austria, Switzerland, New York, like many of our customers, inform the manufacturer of your idea. The stone used for your bathtub must be free from microcracks, microfissures. Extracting such stone for your bathtub must be free from shocks and impacts that can cause internal cracks or delamination of the stone. If your bathtub even has the smallest cracks, after installation in a cold environment, it will stop being watertight and start to leak. This is because water, even in the form of moisture during freezing, expands its volume. When it turns into ice, it cracks the microcracks in the stone, causing larger gaps over time, which eventually causes the bathtub to leak and become unusable. A stone bathtub manufacturer for such a location must be absolutely certain that the stone used for production has not experienced shocks that could cause internal cracks.

We once received an order from an investor who asked us to cut longitudinal grooves on the bottom of the bathtub because he wanted to place a type of underfloor heating, which was connected to the home’s heating system, in the bathtub’s base. This was four years ago, and it still functions today.

✓ Additional advice from us:

• If you have a stone bathtub outdoors in a very cold climate, use it more than once a week if possible or apply stone impregnation every two months (simply wipe the inner surface with a cloth soaked in stone impregnation). Nothing more is needed.

Top 2 benefits of having a river stone bathtub outdoors in a cold climate.

• Fill the bathtub halfway with warm water even in freezing temperatures, drain it, and fill it again with warmer water. Enjoy the cold surroundings while relaxing in a warm environment, just like in hot springs. Remember that natural stone easily absorbs temperature and slowly releases it.

• You have your private hot springs whenever you want. The temperature of the water in the bathtub in freezing weather depends only on you. You can pour warm water halfway two or three times and release it before refilling it with water for use to achieve an even higher temperature.

Contact us if you have other ideas for using river stone bathtubs or if you have different experiences.