6 shower area style and design mistakes that authorities see also normally |
7 min read
A shower area can – and should – be a sanctuary. But that will not be the scenario if yoga moves are needed to maneuver into your enclosure, you are living in anxiety of slipping on a soaked flooring, or you stand less than your ‘rain shower’, only to be achieved with a pathetic dribble of water. Sadly, it is all also easy to make shower home structure issues that guide to the above if you will not heed the tips of toilet designers and experts.
So when you’re putting individuals shower home concepts on paper, it is really prudent to imagine over and above the assertion tiles and extravagant brass fittings. A fantastic toilet layout could be the difference amongst shower home good results and failure, while not having into account your water force, or skimping on high quality, could also land you in style and design hot water, as our gurus reveal…
1. Shower doorway positioning
(Picture credit history: Long run/Dan Duchars)
At any time wrestled to get previous the cubicle doorway into your shower? You are not by yourself. ‘Shower cubicle configuration is an place that desires cautious consideration when you are developing a bathroom. The positioning and opening of the shower doorway can have a major affect on the general bathroom house,’ suggests Paul Bailey, product or service administration leader at bathroom manufacturer Grohe (opens in new tab). ‘It’s very best to make certain the shower door can open freely with no impacting other key spots of the home these as the vainness or bathroom region.’
In the US, the Worldwide Household Setting up code (opens in new tab) states that any hinged shower door ought to open outward into the toilet, with unobstructed clearance of at minimum 22 inches in width. In other words and phrases, the doorway opening should really be at least 22 inches extensive with almost nothing in its way. This is so, really should anyone slip or drop in the shower, it remains effortless to obtain them even though inside of the cubicle.
You will, nevertheless, be equipped to choose for a sliding door, and can specify regardless of whether the door opens on the still left or ideal-hand facet.
2. Bad flooring choices
(Image credit history: Stone & Ceramic Warehouse)
Picking out the completely wrong product for your bathroom surfaces can be a highly-priced miscalculation,’ warns Jo Oliver-Singh, director at The Stone & Ceramic Warehouse (opens in new tab). ‘The single most crucial detail to take into consideration when selecting a bathroom tile is ‘is the tile fit for purpose?’
‘Tiles have different finishes and distinct concentrations of anti-slip which will all impact their suitability. When hunting at tiles for a bathroom floor, we would recommend one with a a little textured surface, and if it is a shower enclosure or wet room even extra texture yet again. This will assure that they are anti-slip and risk-free.’
‘A hugely polished porcelain tile would be unsuitable for a bathroom floor, as they are very slippery when moist,’ claims Jo. But that is not to say you really should rule out porcelain completely. ‘Many of our porcelain slabs appear in distinctive finishes, this means you could have a polished marble effect tile on bathroom walls and a additional textured marble result tile on the floor, for an anti-slip flooring solution.’
In reality, porcelain is a good non-slip rest room flooring alternative if you get the amount of texture proper. ‘Good high-quality porcelain tiles are ideal for use in moist rooms and stroll-in showers,’ claims Jo. ‘Firstly, they are impervious to water, making them an great solution for daily use. They also will not be harmed by detergents or any of the other chemical substances we often expose our shower surfaces to.’
3. Badly positioned shower heads
(Graphic credit: Long run PLC)
Even with the most straightforward of shower space setups, the position of the shower head can demonstrate problematic. Positioned at the mistaken height or angle, it can wreck your shower working experience, not to point out hazard soaking pieces of the place you have no intention of acquiring soaked.
When positioning an angled showerhead, it truly is very best to aim the spray so that it hits both a tiled wall or a mounted panel of a shower cubicle. Never purpose it towards the shower doorway, or you happen to be very likely to working experience leaks. This is particularly vital if you decide a ‘tower’ design shower with multiple physique jets.
‘If opting for an uncovered shower design, it is significant to recall that the shower hose and rail will restrict the positioning of the shower head, with the height prerequisites being critical,’ states Paul Bailey, leader of product or service management at Grohe. ‘Be guaranteed to check out that the shower head placement will allow for a lot of room for all family members to shower easily and love a whole body shower spray.’
If you’re hunting for a shower that is a very good healthy for a loved ones bathroom, we would advise a dual-head product that gives a rain shower overhead, then a separate hand shower on a vertical bar that can be adjusted increased or lower for your youngsters.
4. The excellent of fittings
(Picture credit history: Dan Duchars)
‘Showers, like all lavatory fittings, need to be as substantial quality as you can pay for,’ Emma Joyce, Manufacturer Supervisor at Residence of Rohl. ‘Cheaper programs can build faulty valves, plastic handles can come to be brittle and snap off, and shower heads may well corrode or fur up.’
When it arrives to exactly where to commit in a new bathroom, the shower valve is a critical component and worthy of an financial commitment. A very good one ‘should deliver dependable h2o temperature and strain and be simply and precisely adjusted,’ according to Emma Joyce. ‘Riobel’s Riowise valves, for instance, stabilize water strain for constant temperature effectiveness even in the function of a 50% drop in stress.’
‘Every Riobel shower valve has a single handle for move and temperature, so there is no will need to plumb in a individual shut-off or diverter valve, and the design and style is saved modern and uncomplicated.’
‘It is really vital to talk to the issues to the retailer on which shower is most reliable when generating a new purchase. It can be also well worth taking into consideration which brand names provide a life time guarantee like Riobel does, as it proves they have self confidence in the high quality of their items.’
5. Not considering your h2o tension
(Graphic credit history: Leanne Ford Interiors / The Albion Bathtub Co)
Way too quite a few occasions, we’ve heard tales of dissatisfied owners who have signed up for a drenching rainshower, only to have it put in and be satisfied with, effectively, drizzle.
‘Water pressure can seriously prohibit the h2o stream to your shower so that you conclude up possessing an inefficient and unsatisfying encounter,’ warns James Lentaigne, resourceful director at Drummonds, who endorses that before you even start out deciding on a shower, you ‘check your home’s circulation force – a builder or plumber can enable you with this. Then ask your rest room expert which shower will execute very best. Fitting a pump will aid the water movement if your strain is not sufficient.’
‘Water techniques slide into a few key classes Gravity – which commonly suffers from minimal strain, Mixture boiler – usually very good pressure but can deficiency water flow, or a pressurized method with a storage tank,’ adds Phil Etherden, running director at The Albion Bathtub Organization. ‘This past choice can incorporate excellent stream and strain and is the most well-liked method for superior showering. Find out what you have and pick out a shower method to accommodate.’
‘The easy rule-of-thumb is reduce pressures involve a smaller shower head. Go as well big for your pressure and you’ll get a disappointing dribble from the centre of the head.’
6. Insufficient waterproofing
(Image credit history: Potential/Colin Poole)
If you are thinking of an open-system, walk-in shower structure – in other words, a shower without an enclosed cubicle – it really is necessary that the place is waterproofed, or ‘tanked’. This will involve covering equally the walls and floors in a water resistant membrane just before you protect them in your selected tiles or composite surfacing.
If you fail to water-resistant the place, not only will you discover staining on surfaces, you are probable to bring about lengthy-time period structural hurt to the fabric of the constructing?
Experts CCL Wetrooms (opens in new tab) suggests that ‘floors should be waterproofed to at minimum one meter outside of the shower location in all directions to make sure that h2o spray is thoroughly contained. Splash from a common shower head can attain up to 1200mm from the centre of the showerhead and an open system wetroom with no a glass monitor or half-peak wall will do small to include the h2o.’
It also advises that ‘walls must be waterproofed using FWM (adaptable wall membrane) to a minimum peak of 2200mm on all wall surfaces inside the shower location.’