Shower cabins: types, advices to choose

There are many prerequisites for giving preference to a shower enclosure.

The main ones are the small dimensions of the bathroom and the savings on water if you have meters, because it takes much more water to fill the bathroom than to take a shower.

It is necessary to consider a number of criteria by which to choose a shower stall:

1. The size of the room in which it will be installed
2. The size of the shower cabin itself
3. The materials of which the components are made
4. Cabin shape
5. Depth of the tray
6. Type of doors (curtains)
7. The presence of additional functions besides water supply
8. The price you are ready to pay
9. Manufacturer.

There are two types of shower enclosures:

• shower corner, which consists of a tray and door, it is placed in the corner of the room and there is no need for walls,
• box (tray, door, walls, there is a roof or without it).

The choice depends on the parameters and design of the bathroom. An important aspect is the size of the shower cabin. The size of the stall should be chosen taking into account the largest member of the family, so it was comfortable for him to perform the usual wash movements - bending, squatting, waving his hands.

Popular sizes:

• 80x80 cm,
• 90х90,
• there is also a semicircular shower 70x70 cm.

Shapes of shower cabins are amazingly diverse - from classic square and rectangular to polyhedral, round, oval, in the form of a sector of the circle and even in the form of an oval. Rectangular and square shower cabins cost less because of the straightness of the design, but cabins with rounded forms are comfortable and original because of their streamlined shape.

As for materials - the tray is made of cast iron, steel, ceramic, artificial marble and acrylic.

Recently, more and more rarely buyers choose cast iron or steel. First, they create a lot of noise. Secondly, cast iron is slow to heat up, and the enamel from the steel tray will peel over time.

Ceramic trays undoubtedly beautiful, but like any ceramic product - fragile.

Marble for the bathroom is a classic, the only question when choosing is the price.

Recently, more and more often choose acrylic (or its variety - kvaril), as it heats up quickly and costs inexpensively. The only drawback - under a heavy man, the tray can sag. This is solved by the additional fifth leg under the tray, which is placed in the center and takes on all the load.

As for the doors and walls, for them polystyrene or glass is used. Polystyrene is cheaper than glass, but due to the properties of the material over time loses its original appearance. Glass is more expensive, but it is easier to look after. Transparent cabins look good in the interior, but require immediate care after taking a shower, otherwise there will be stains and streaks, which then hard to remove. Frosted, tinted or patterned glass is used more often.

Two varieties of shower doors are hinged or sliding.

Swing doors are mounted with hinges to the walls of the bathroom and open outward, and, due to the simplicity of the mechanism, are inexpensive.

Sliding doors move along the rails, folding or moving into the wall of the cabin, which increases the cost of such a system, but if the categorical lack of space is the best choice.

As for the choice of manufacturer - you can give preference to foreign or domestic manufacturers.

Popular European manufacturers: Germany - Villeroy&Boch and Huppe, Italy Jacuzzi and Albatros, Austria - Laufen. The purchase of cabins from these manufacturers is a guarantee of style and quality for many years of use.

Medium-priced cabins are produced by: Italy - Roca and Hatria, Finland - Ideal Standard, Switzerland - Geberit, Sweden - Gustavsberg, Slovenia - Gorenje.

Low prices We do not specify the manufacturers from China due to the low quality of the equipment produced.

Manufacturers from China are not listed due to the low quality of manufactured equipment.

The cheapest cabins - cabins of the open type. Plexiglas is used as a material. Functional features include hygienic shower and whirlpool.

Cabins of the middle price category - open and closed. Their walls and doors are made of different kinds of glass and plastic, various kinds of hydro-massage are used.

More expensive showers are made of a variety of materials, including stone (artificial and natural). They have an electronic control system, different types of massage, bath mode, forced ventilation, built-in lighting, radio and telephone.

An integral attribute of each multi-function shower cabin is a whirlpool.

Every manufacturer and model has its own number of massage modes. Determining the number of modes is quite simple - count the nozzles (holes in the walls) in the stall. For the simple mode, two rows of nozzles are sufficient. The massage is performed by point water pressure, constant or variable, by different orders of water flow through the holes.

There is also a mode of contrast shower - warm water pours, then 5-10 seconds of cold and then warm again.

Many multifunctional shower cabins have built-in steam generators, which makes them a bath.

Steam is heated to 40-50 degrees, like a Turkish hammam. Steam is supplied from the bottom, the top must be a fan to circulate warm air through the cabin. And in a special compartment you can pour aromatic oil or medicinal balsam - you get aromatherapy or inhalation of the respiratory tract.

Having such a steam room is not a bad thing: first of all, it is good for your health, and secondly, you can quickly warm up from the cold. After all, for example, the water in the bath quickly cools down, but the cabin maintains a constant temperature.

There are also such devices in the cabins of European manufacturers:

• Seats - are good if you have small children or elderly family members, and it is not bad to sit down after work or jogging (and steam).
• Lighting - allows you to save electricity, because it is not necessary to turn on the light in the bathroom. The only thing - do not use it unnecessarily, the lighting elements can fail early
• Radio - You can listen to nice music or news, and the sound of water will not drown out the radio.
• Telephonephone - you can make a phone call if you need to.
• Color sound therapy - is made by a system of light sources and speakers

For a bathroom with a small area, it is better to use semicircular corner cabins with sliding doors. Due to the streamlined shape you will not have to bump into corners, and the sliding door will help to free up space for a washing machine or a cabinet for household chemicals. A square or rectangular shower room of small area is also appropriate, provided that it fits in a row - lockers, appliances and other plumbing.

It consists of a shower tray and door.

The walls of the corner are the pre-finished walls of the room (e.g. tiles and waterproofing).

Tray It has a rough shape and the door is usually made of thick glass. Doors can be sliding and hinged, depending on the space available in the bathroom. Due to the small set has a fairly low cost, the quality is not inferior to cheap shower cabins. Easy to install and dismantle. Can be installed where it is impossible to put a shower stall. A good option for apartments and summer cottages.

The only nuance is that the joints between the tiles on the walls must be waterproofed. When installing between the wall and the door, there should be no gaps, and the floor is pre-leveled.

The choice depends on whether the house has a bathroom or it is worth buying outdoor showers.

If there is a bathroom, the selection criteria are the same as for the bathroom in the apartment. We only need to take into account that the cottage is a place to rest and work, ie carefully consider the functionality of the cabin and the materials from which it is created.

As for outdoor shower cabins, the requirements for them are unpretentious - running water supply, if necessary, you can put a heater. It is desirable to install the cabins on a concrete base and ensure the outflow of water in the right direction - for example, in a cesspool.

Regardless of what choice of shower enclosure, its care is the same. After using the cabin tray should be washed with a special cleaner and wiped dry. When washing the doors and walls, you need to make sure that no soapy streaks and drips of water remain. Later, when the water or soap dries, it will be much harder to clean the stall. They should also be washed and wiped dry.

Metal surfaces should be treated regularly with metal cleaners to prevent scaling. Lights should be turned off immediately after showering. This measure will increase their lifespan.

A shower stall is not only a means for hygiene. It is also an object of interior design. It is necessary to consider not only the functional content, but also the appearance. The size is also an important criterion. For example, for small-sized bathrooms, models with sliding doors will be suitable. And the variety of materials and color characteristics will allow them to fit into any interior, whether it is a classic pastel bathroom, cottage wood or a bright bathroom for creative young personalities.