Shower Enclosure Buying Guide-DiVapor Shower Advice

A shower enclosure will be a part of your bathroom for years to come and buying one will be an investment into your house. Therefore, before buying a shower enclosure it is important to take into consideration the following, to ensure your new shower cubicle will last the test of time.

General Shower Enclosure Checks

Size, Shape and Height

There are many shapes of shower enclosures: square, rectangle, oblong and quadrant enclosures. Don’t make your bathroom feel like it is cramped, choose a shower enclosure which gives you the feeling of space inside while showering and one which gives your bathroom the sense of space.

Positioning

If your new shower enclosure can be installed where your old shower used to be then this will save a lot of preparatory work, hassle and money as the hot, cold and the waste water pipes will already be in the correct place making them easy to attach to your new shower cubicle.

Shower Enclosures: With or Without Tray?

It may be preferential to choose a shower enclosure that comes with a tray. Due to the fact that the tray has been designed specifically for the given shower enclosure it will fit properly and will have less chance of water leakage.
Tiling

The inside walls of the shower enclosure will need to be tiled. Therefore, plan ahead to what tiles you want and then tile the area before installing the shower cubicle.

Testing

Corrosion Testing - Have you ever seen chrome plating that has chipped or peeled off? It spoils the finish of your new showers. This is why it’s important to buy quality if you want your shower enclosure to look good. Buy from a company who has done anti-corrosion salt tests on all of their metal fittings.

Door Rollers - Maybe not one of the things you think about when buying a shower enclosure, but the shower door rollers are very important for the longevity and quality feel of the shower enclosure. The door runners which Di Vapor uses for their shower enclosures have been tested for over 100,000 consecutive uses: that’s a lot of showers!

Water Leakage - A good seal, often with magnetic strips on the shower doors is important to keep water inside the shower. Good seals also make the shower enclosure more aesthetically pleasing.

Door Handles and fixings - Door handles which are solid metal are much higher quality than their chrome plated plastic counterparts. These plastic handles are weaker and can give a cheaper feel to the shower enclosure.

Delivery and VAT - A shower enclosure may seem reasonably priced and of good quality, however it may not include delivery. Watch out for hidden extras like V.A.T and delivery. These extras can add a significant amount to the final buying price of your shower enclosure.

Acrylic Tray

Reinforcement - Ensure the shower enclosure tray you choose uses pure acrylic. Even if a company says the tray is acrylic it doesn’t mean it will be acrylic all the way through. The company may have acrylic PMMA sheets on the outside and ABS on the inside resulting in a poorer quality, less sturdy shower tray.

Check its Colour - Some acrylics have very bright white finishes. This is a tell tale sign of a poor quality acrylic. High quality acrylics are flame retardant and don’t have a brilliant white colour which often clashes with the other sanitaryware in your bathroom.

Acrylic Price - There isn’t just one grade of acrylic, there are many varying grades available. Some companies use a very cheap, low-quality acrylic to create and sell their products at low cost, therefore sacrificing quality and the longevity of the shower enclosure tray. Some factories use acrylic that costs £777 per tonne and others which costs £971-£1,035 per tonne. However, Di Vapor uses a very high quality grade which costs £1618 per tonne. The higher quality acrylic will make your shower enclosure tray last longer and will fade less over time.

Fibreglass and Reinforcement - On the bottom of most acrylic shower trays there is fibreglass for strengthening. Be watchful for companies who use too much resin and not enough fibre. This is low quality fibreglass that discolours and weakens over time. All the bases of Di Vapor’s shower enclosure trays use 3-4 layers of fibreglass whereas many manufacturers only use 1-2 layers of fibreglass reinforcement.

Tempered Glass

Thickness - In general it is best to have tempered safety glass of 5-6mm for your shower enclosure: the thicker the better.
Edge Protection - Glass which does not have a protective framing can be easily chipped and broken. A shower enclosure with strong aluminium framing will support the glass in the shower doors and keep it well protected.

Break Test - There are standards to which tempered safety glass must reach. A piece of glass 120mm by 120mm should break into a minimum of 45 pieces, less than this is deemed unsafe as the shards of glass are too big and could cause injury. Di Vapor’s tempered safety glass breaks into 60 little pieces; the more pieces the better.

Shower Enclosure Aluminium Framing

Are they aluminium? - Some companies use a profiling on their shower enclosures that looks like aluminium but is actually plastic. This framing not only looks and feels cheaper, it also doesn’t protect the glass on the shower enclosure as effectively as aluminium profiling.

What is the profiles thickness? - A shower cubicle may look the part with aluminium profiling, but it may not be the quality which you expect. To cut back on costs some company’s use aluminium profiling which is only 0.5mm thick. This is significantly weaker and more prone to denting than the 1.2-1.6mm thick aluminium which Di Vapor uses.
 
Aluminium Quality - Some companies use recycled aluminium or a composite of aluminium and other metals to cut back on costs therefore increasing its susceptibility to damage.
 
Structural Frame Support - Under the acrylic tray there is a frame which gives the shower enclosures strength and support. Ensure that this frame uses a metal such as stainless steel as opposed to a wooden support which is significantly weaker.

Types of Showers: Glass Enclosures and Doors

If you’re redesigning your bathroom, you have a lot of choices when it comes to your new shower. Sure, you can go with the common shower-and-bath combination with a shower curtain. But your shower can be more than just a practical place to wash up: it can also be a showpiece.

Here’s a breakdown of your options: the types of shower doors and enclosures available, and the spaces in which they work best.

Shower Enclosures: Shapes and Sizes

Showers often dominate the bathroom space. Even with a small bathroom, you can make a dramatic statement with a unique-looking shower enclosure. Here are the most typical types you’ll find on the market.

Square showers. A square shower is a great space-saver in a small bathroom. It will fit in a niche with only one side exposed, a corner with two sides exposed, or it can be exposed on three sides. The corner and niche positions are the most common, however; most people with enough space to leave a square shower exposed on three or four sides usually opt for a bigger enclosure.

A glass door is an excellent choice for a square shower. In a small space, the glass makes the bathroom look larger than it would with an opaque shower enclosure. Glass showers also look stylish and luxurious, giving a smaller bathroom a more exclusive feel.

Rectangular showers. The rectangular shower is often paired with a bath to make a shower-bath combination. Many people don’t have room for a separate shower and bath, so they opt for the shower-bath combination instead. If you prefer showers to baths, however, a rectangular enclosure can still be a great choice. It gives you enough space for a shower for two—try doing that in a square shower.

Quadrant showers. Quadrant showers have two squared ends that fit perfectly into a square corner. The part of the shower that faces the room is rounded instead of square. This design gives you a more efficient use of space than a square enclosure in the same corner position, as you don’t have a corner that juts into the room. The curved surface of the glass looks dramatic, and you save space in a small bathroom as well.

D-shaped showers. The shape of this enclosure resembles a capital D, with the curved part of the letter facing the room and the straight part against the wall. You’ll need a bit more room with a D-shaped shower than you would with a quadrant, as you’ll need to allow three sides of the enclosure to be exposed and uncluttered by sinks and toilets.

A D-shaped shower is dramatic and stylish, but it’s not a common choice. That’s because these are usually smaller, one-person showers. Most people who have the space opt for a larger rectangular design. Those with a smaller bathroom usually choose a square or quadrant shower to make better use of their space.

Types of Shower Doors 

Glass shower doors come in several different designs, and each suits a different type of space. Here are the most common options on the market.

Pivot doors. These doors swing outward into the room. They’re often used in recessed showers, but they can also be used in combination with stationary side panels in rectangular enclosures, or in other combinations. They give a wide door opening, but they do need some clearance in the room to swing open.

In-fold doors. These consist of two panels hinged in the middle that fold into the shower space to provide an opening. They’re a good choice in bathrooms where space is an issue and you don’t want a door that swings out into the room.
Frameless doors. Frameless shower doors are a bit more solid than pivot doors; they also swing out into a room, and require some space to do it. They provide a wide opening and are usually made of a single pane of glass.

Sliding doors. These are usually installed on rectangular, D-shaped or quadrant enclosures. They’re preferred because they make a wide opening without swinging out into the bathroom or into the shower enclosure. You don’t need a lot of space to accommodate them, but they aren’t effective on small square enclosures.

There are plenty of shower enclosures and doors to suit every bathroom layout. No matter your plans for your redesign project, you’re sure to find a shower that complements it perfectly.

By Ray Dobson

What are the Benefits of a Shower Enclosure

Bathing in many ways is a reflection of the lifestyle of the individual; the selection of a shower enclosure is thus very paramount in the process of bringing out the intricate personality values of the individual. The enduring beauty of the enclosure is the key to most of the well furnished building around. Shower enclosures have an advantage in the sense that it can be created by the usage of the simplest materials around.

These materials can be easily found and at a very low cost. There are materials like glass that are economically friendly without forgetting the question of hygiene. The beauty of glass is that they create a bath that is not only elegant but at the same time it is easy to maintain. It can be easily washed at the same time maintain its aesthetic and durability features. In addition it can withstand very high temperatures.

It is very important to get more information about the location of the showers so as to have a suitable enclosure to use because they come in different sizes and shapes. Enclosures do not only bring the beauty and comfort in the bathroom but at the same time it prevents the sprinkled water from falling on the floor and ruining the texture of the floor. This is among the main aim of the enclosures and it is very vital to have the necessary materials and tools to avoid the inconvenience of water leakages. Every luxurious bathroom starts with the enclosures one uses.

By Jitesh Arora

How Shower Enclosures Make a Home Look Good

If you’re gaping in disbelief at the unnameable green moss lining the edges of one of your existing shower enclosures, it might be an appropriate time to consider a more up to date replacement. The selection of basic sheet glass shower enclosures is great, along with many other shower enclosures constructed with various materials, and fashioned into various classic shapes.

The low-key approach to choosing and installing shower enclosures is one of the most popular in the shower market today. Over recent years the whole shower room has become very modern and what could be called minimalist in design. The use of the shower is basically quite simple - it’s just a box with a floor that angles down towards a drainage hole.

A shower enclosure stops the entire shower room from becoming covered in water. And naturally, a shower and its head is a solid idea. After you add the odd shelf on which to place soap and shampoo and perhaps a few angled lights - and you are talking about a most minimal shower area.

Level access shower constructions are when the floor area around the shower is at the same level as the shower itself - so the entire shower is one, in effect. Shower enclosures might also differ aesthetically from the room. Some of these may have a tiled zone around the immediate shower area, with another colour or tile design on the wider room.

Lighting is one more feature which can really add a bit more interest to very simple, forward looking shower enclosures. By pointing lights or little halogen lights over the shower area, some circles of light highlight the details of the shower head and particular details of the tiles.

Level floor access and easily opened and shut shower enclosures or doors, makes getting into the shower as easy as it can be. This can crucial for elderly people who find that getting in and out of the shower significantly more difficult than more able bodied people. By the same token, if a shower user is disabled, this might help them too.

One more feature of modern shower enclosures is an additional foldable seat, which can allow people who have issues of mobility to take a seat while having a shower. This can also be of benefit if a person needs help from someone while a shower is being taking. In addition to added safety bars can make the shower experience a safer and more pleasant experience for people who are less mobile.

In terms of maintaining the floor safe from leaking through to the floor beneath, a showering tray is one other addition to up to date shower enclosures. This a highly hard wearing tray put under whichever tile or matting material is selected for the shower floor.

By Gino Hitshopi

Minimalist Contemporary Bathroom Design-Sliding Showers Doors

The current trend towards minimalist bathrooms has led to sliding shower doors growing increasingly popular. Contemporary bathroom design with a minimalist look offers a sanctuary away from the outside world.

Yet in reality, the concept of bathroom design is a relatively new one, since only a few decades ago bathrooms were seen as functional rooms, but now they are increasingly seen as somewhere that people can relax in and wash away their troubles and stresses.

Many people are wary of becoming too entrenched in the whole minimalist design, in case it starts to look dated in a few years time, necessitating a change of bathroom accessories such as sliding shower doors. But this is the joy of these doors; they effortlessly transform a shower room into a minimalist haven, but due to the fact that these shower doors are classic in design and available with different finishes, e.g. gold or chrome etc, they are timeless. Sliding shower doors create a look that is sleek, angular and then your shower enclosures create the perfect finish to a modern and sophisticated bathroom.

Advantages of a Sliding Shower Door

A sliding shower door has to be fitted in a shower area that is slightly larger than many showers. This is due to the doors needing a wall to slide against. However, if you have the size available, then you will be able to fit sliding shower doors with no problems.

The beauty of a this type of shower door is that it slides against a shower wall, meaning that you don’t open the shower doors out into the bathroom. This means that floor space is maximized and more floor area can be given over to the shower as opposed to creating an opening area for outward opening doors.

Another major advantage of sliding shower doors, is that they contain more steam than one of the semi open doors, thereby reducing condensation within the bathroom.

The fact that the Sliding Shower Door also encapsulates the shower to a greater degree also means that if you are in the shower you feel completely alone, so you can switch on a shower radio and just forget about the rest of the world. The fact that it is encapsulated also enables someone else to pop into the bathroom and apply make up etc without causing a disturbance.

So besides the fact that a sliding shower enclosure adds grace, elegance and a really contemporary feel to any bathroom, there are also practical reasons for choosing these doors over a more traditional style of door, which is why more and more people are choosing these sliding doors for their shower. But once you have tried it you will probably find that you don’t ever want to go back to other types of shower doors or even the semi-enclosed showers that are increasingly becoming more and more old fashioned.

By Lindy Holman