We had a Kohler cast iron shower receptor installed in our guest bathroom a few years ago. We had originally ordered what we thought was a fiberglass shower pan, but not only did it turn out to be acrylic, it had no non-slip grips. Back it went, and we got the Kohler cast iron pan instead (had originally read about them here on GW).

It's very solid, looks good, and will hold up well for a very, very long time--definitely durable. Our guest bathroom shower isn't used often, but DH and I used it daily while renovating our upstairs bathrooms two years ago. No complaints.

We think it looks great with our tiled shower walls. Tiled floors look beautiful, but we didn't want to spend what it would have cost to have one in that bathroom. The Kohler cast iron receptor definitely cost less. I don't know how a tile floor would have been with regards to cleaning, but the cast iron pan is very easy to clean.

Only disadvantage to ours is that it is cold when first stepping into the shower (our downstairs is on a slab), but it warms up quickly.

Here's a pic of ours:

Thanks, Cat-mom - for that good report. Is the curb part of the receptor? Your shower is beautiful!

Thanks! We are very happy with the way it turned out. We were walking that fine line between wanting the bathroom to look nice (opens to the FR) and not wanting to spend a fortune on a guest bathroom.

The top edge of the "curb" (the curved part) is the pan, the front part is tile (cut pieces of the shower wall tile).

mydreamhome, I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the shower pan and on our Toto cast iron bathtubs when the no-slip grips start to look grungy. I had called Kohler about using it when we got the receptor and got their okay, and I think I did the same with Toto. Lysol Basin, Tub, and Tile cleaner (in the aerosol can) works pretty well, too for regular cleaning (I only use it in the tubs and the shower pan, not on the walls since we have natural stone border tile in all three bathrooms), but when the grips themselves are dirty, Magic Eraser does a better job (quicker and less elbow grease!).

I have one in my master bath. I think its great. It is strong, feels solid and clean.

bsaically everything everyone says. I don't think it gets any dirtier than anything else. It is the non-skid stuff on the bottom of tubs.

the only downside is the limited sizes. I got a nice bright white one. We tiled the front with the floor tile.

My biggest peeve that this solved was flex, I hate taking a shower and feeling the flex under my feet of a lot of the acrylics, and I for some reason have an aversion to tile pans, although truth be told, I have very little experience with them.

Thank you, everyone! I appreciate your responses. Our decision will come down to whether or not we use frameless glass doors from floor to ceiling, or instead have a pony wall. A pony wall would have to be built outside the receptor. If we go with solid frameless, then this is receptor we'll get. I read all of your posts to my GC and he was impressed.

Chrisk327 - I've been using an acrylic base for 24 years and can't wait to have something more solid - tile or cast iron - beneath my feet.

Thanks again,
Sable

i have a kohler cast iron shower pan (sea salt color) and love it!!! i have marble tile on the walls and it looks great together.

i struggled with finding something that cleaned the nonslip strips---found that magic erasers worked, but was very slow going... finally tried ZUD which i love for porcelain sinks... and it works really well with a dobie pad--zud has the same stuff in it as BKF except a higher %age i believe, so is more effective.

That's a great shower CatMom!!! I like the tile with mosaic and the door really sets it off.

Todd Stull
Enola, PA

Thanks Todd! We used starfire/starphire glass to preserve the look of the white tile.

cat-mom, that's the type of cast iron receptor we want but when I asked about them at a local plumbing supply store, all they showed me from Kohler was something completely different. The actual floor space was quite small, the curb was wide and oval shaped. Does that make any sense? Now that I've seen yours, I'm going to ask again. Thanks for posting a pic of your shower.

That's the power of the GW! Glad to pay it forward since I first learned about them right here!!!

Good luck on your reno!

For anyone shopping, the best place I've found to see these in person is the Ferguson's bath showroom. I think they have a lot of locations. Kohler has many receptors; I think the only ones in cast iron are the Kathryn and the Purist.

These cast iron shower receptors are gorgeous! Fergusons has a black one set up in the showroom, and for a moment I had the crazy thought of wanting black. It's so glistening and perfect! If I can make it work I will probably buy white, but BusyBee's sea salt color is wonderful. I got my new kitchen sink in that color, and love it as an alternative to bright white. Busy, do you have pix posted of the combination of sea salt and marble? You've got me thinking...