How To: Choose the Ideal Shower Enclosure for your Bathroom
The perfect bathroom requires the perfect shower. How is yours looking? Is it'stylish, super-functional and space-saving? Or cramped, leaky and unattractive? If it is the latter, you need to do something about it. After all, you spend a large portion of your life in the shower, so it'should be a place you feel comfortable and where you can relax and unwind. If you are in the market for a new shower, picking the right shower enclosure is essential. Read on to find out how to install the best shower for your needs.
- Measure the Space You Have
All bathrooms are different. You may be blessed with a lot of space or you may be having problems fitting everything in. It is important to consider the shape of the room and the available space so that you can start to look at suitable shower enclosures. If space is tight then a shower-bath is the best option, or you could go the
other direction and install a walk-in shower or a full shower wet-room.
- Is it En Suite or Main Bathroom?
Whether the bathroom is the master bathroom or the en suite makes a difference to the type of shower enclosure you need. If it's the master suite you have a little more room to play with but the en suite will likely require a more compact unit.
- Corner or Centre?
Corner showers are ideal for tight spaces, or you may be able to fit a shower into an alcove in the room. If you want to fit the shower against the wall in the centre then you will need a D-shaped or quadrant enclosure. If you are making a separate enclosed shower area then you will need wider doors or a frameless glass shower. Consider whether you want to save time on plumbing by fitting your existing shower where your old one goes. If you don't do this you will have to redo the plumbing and it will be more time consuming, but it could work better if you have an improved idea of where the shower should be located.
- Tiling Needs
If you install a shower or a steam shower that is totally enclosed in a unit then you will have no need for tiling behind the shower, unless you want to create a feature out of the shower. But if you are creating an alcove unit or have the shower over the bath then tiles are important. A wet room requires all-over tiling in order to keep water in the area and prevent staining the walls.
- Door Opening Requirements
Make sure you consider where the door is going to open, and whether you will have enough space for the shower door and also to move around in the bathroom. You also need to consider if it will be left hand or right hand opening. For a smaller bathroom sliding doors or folding doors are more convenient.