I have looked into stainless steel janitors' sinks. They weren't that expensive.

My problem is that they don't come big enough. The biggest one I saw was about 30"? Our current dog is 32" long, from head to bum. Our previous dog was at least 50% bigger. Plus, my husband wants to be able to wash his bike in it in the winter months (he commutes by bicycle year round.) The dog wash will also double as bike storage in the mudroom. We simply don't have the space to devote to something we would only use a few times a year. And DH *really* wants to be able to keep a bike in the mudroom. So we're looking for something at least 5' long.

So, I'll probably go with an acrylic shower base. Or, if I decide I need a few more inches than the stock base will allow, I'm going to tile it.

Another possibility is concrete?

I'd go for a cast iron shower "pan"--Kohler makes several. Have you considered those?

Wow, that is so awesome! Do you know what the dimensions are? The basin I am looking at is 36L x 24W x 12H with the usable space being 32 x 20 x 10. My dogs aren't very large so we don't need a big area.

My doggie stairs that I have are carpeted so I like your little pull out ones. Way more convenient.

I will look into stainless steel and cast iron. Probably will need some sort of mat for them to stand on so they aren't slipping and freaking out.

This post was edited by aimless07 on Wed, Jul 16, 14 at 18:25

Ours is also a professional quality grooming tub. It is in the laundry room and comes in handy for lots of things. As you can see, the model we have is not as high as some models. We found ours on Craigslist. Have you looked there? The professional quality ones are built to last and you might be able to find a groomer who is downsizing or switching out their tubs.

I would suggest that you find a local "used" company. you can pick up all manner of commercial restaurant sinks at them. You may find just what you need. You could also contact a metal fabricator and they could make you a stainless sink of your desired size.

I have a hot water tap beside the house with a framed in area with pea gravel in it. We wash the dog there. I set my tankless water heater on 98 and that is the temp we wash her.

Our original plan was to use a hose bib over 8 inches of washed stone with a french drain to daylight.
Ended up with a terrifically useful and enjoyable outdoor shower!

Mind you, we live in Carolina, so it can be used year-'round.

aimless07 I think there are a variety of dimensions of professional grooming tub, ranging from like 36 to 54 maybe? Ours I believe is 46 or 54, it has been 2 years since install and I don't feel like getting the tape measure out, LOL.. We just have beagles so not too big of dogs but I wanted to ensure we had sufficient space w/ no issues. I love that it has the door that opens and closes for them to get in and out. From the company we ordered, you have the option of having them include a little hook for a leash to be hooked to but we didn't do that b/c I wanted to do the custom tiles w/ the puppy pictures.

I am not much aware about these kind of stuff but I use to take my dog for a wash at Icleandogwash. They use to sell these kind of stuff as well here is the website if ypu like to buy or something suits to your pocket. http://icleandogwash.com/

I had contacted an online grooming company asking if they had any returns or tubs that were damaged to sell me last week. They had a stainless steel one in the back that had a dent in it because it was damaged while shipping, but was still perfectly usable. It retails on Amazon for $715 new including the shipping, but in total, it was only going to be about $50 cheaper. I would rather pay the $50 more for a brand new tub so I didn't think it was that great of a deal.