Quality Bath Manufacturing
Quality, Materials & Guarantees
When it comes to bath manufacturing, quality is our hallmark. You’ll see it in our designs, our processes, our materials and the support we offer.
As a result of our craft skills and problem-solving experience, we can design and build luxury baths to your most exacting specification. By using purpose-developed, class-leading materials, we can offer you characteristics that no other bath can. And by combining all these strengths, we can be entirely confident in the quality of our products; so confident, that we’ll give you a 25 year guarantee on any bath we make.
Traditional Hand-crafting
Craftsmanship is central to our bespoke bath manufacturing capability. Back in 1983, Design & Form was deliberately established in a region with a long manufacturing tradition so as to give us access to a deep pool of talent and experience. Now, decades later, we have maintained that tradition. All our baths are still made by hand. Skills are honed through training and apprenticeship, and know-how is passed on from one operative to the next. In some cases, two generations of the same families now work within the Design & Form team.
We employ specialists in all the principal bath manufacturing processes, from pattern and tool-making to moulding and finishing. We are also highly skilled in designing and incorporating some of the world’s most sophisticated hydrotherapy systems.
Traditional hand crafting is an important part of our bath manufacturing process
Reinventing Bath Manufacture
The material from which a bath is made matters considerably, not only aesthetically but in terms of design, comfort and practical considerations – such as safety, hygiene and durability. In 1991, we studied the industry’s most commonly used common bath manufacturing materials but found nothing that promised all the properties we demanded. Unwilling to compromise, we worked with leading industrial chemists to develop our own, purpose-made composites.
FICORE is the ideal bath manufacturing material
FICORE® was our first success. It proved to be stronger, tougher and more rigid than any other non-metal or stone bath material, and yet it was neither heavy nor liable to chip. Better yet, it retained heat far more effectively than the usual alternatives. Its insulating qualities keep water hot over 6 times longer than acrylic and over 12 times longer than vitreous enamelled metal.
FICORE is a solid composite, so unlike laminates or bonded materials, its constituent components are fused together in the manufacturing process. It affords numerous important advantages:
- FICORE® requires no supporting chassis. It will not shift, creak, nor ‘give’.
- It is immensely strong and sturdy but not heavy. The American National Standards Institute tested our FICORE baths to destruction, finding them to last four times longer than the next best competitor.
- It permits more sharply defined details and tighter angles. Many Cabuchon baths feature precise geometric angles, details and edges that simply could not be replicated in other bath manufacturing materials.
- It can be produced in literally any colour, or in multiple colours.
- It can be produced in matt or high gloss.
In daily use, FICORE delivers other important benefits:
- Its hard surface means that it can easily be kept clean of normal dirt and grease. Hard water stains and soiling can be wiped clean using a soft wet cloth, warm water and a cleaning agent such as Cif or Ecover.
- It resists attack by most chemicals, whether acid or alkaline.
- It is resistant to cigarette burns.
Finally, though it is more impervious to damage than most other bath materials, it can easily be repaired as new.
For samples or more details, including a material data sheet, please contact us.
Cross section through FICORE – our proprietary bath manufacturing material
VITRITE®
Vitrite is another material purpose-developed for bath manufacturing. It is a cast resin and it was created primarily for use in contract manufacturing, to replicate a high gloss ceramic-style finish. Unlike traditional glazed ceramics and other cast resins, it will not readily crack, chip or crack when subjected to impact. In other respects, it is very similar to FICORE – exhibiting excellent strength and heat retention, and offering customers complete freedom of colour.
Guarantees
Design & Form Ltd has always been at the forefront of bath design and manufacturing technology. As a result of our ongoing commitment to combining function and aesthetic design, we are able to offer this robust guarantee:
We guarantee that our custom-built products are fit for the purpose intended in their design, that they conform to the current relevant published specification, and that they are free of defects in workmanship or materials.
A Design & Form bath made from Ficore® or Vitrite® carries a 25 year guarantee against structural failure, loss of rigidity and surface breakdown.
In the unlikely event of any of the these faults occurring, we will undertake – after proof of purchase, inspection and analysis – to exchange the faulty product for a new product of the same specification or, if the fault is minor, to repair and refurbish at our own expense.
Our full terms and conditions are available on request.
Where one of our bespoke hydrotherapy systems is incorporated into your bath, we offer additional guarantees on the pipework, pump and controls.
We guarantee:
- All pipe-work and jointing for the buyer’s lifetime.
- Each pump, motor and related system components for one year.
- All electronic controls for one year.
- That each system will comply with the relevant standards and regulations regarding building, plumbing and electrical safety in the country in which the system is to be installed.
We offer robust guarantees on our custom baths and hydrotherapy spa systems
Support for International Customers
We deliver custom baths worldwide. We routinely arrange international deliveries and ensure that our products comply with all relevant regulations operating in the customer’s home country or region. Our guarantees apply equally outside the UK and it’s our aim to ensure that customers remain wholly satisfied with their investment.
If you have any problems or questions, please contact us and we’ll do all we can to help.
Find Out More
For more information about our bath manufacturing materials, capabilities, guarantees or repairs, please contact our customer services team.
UK customers, please dial 01524 66022.
International customers, please dial +44 1524 66022.