The different Styles of Shower Enclosures...
Shower enclosures are often described by the shape of their base and the door operation of the shower enclosure. Typically, a
Complete Shower Enclosure will made up of a Shower Door, Shower Tray and sometimes a side panel depending on the
enclosure design.
The different shapes and styles of shower enclosure are...
- Quadrant Shower Enclosures - A Quadrant Shower Enclosure floor plan will have 2 equal straight edges that are placed against the corner of your shower room with a curved radius (normally 550mm Radius). Shower Enclosures of this shape are normally sold as 2 Door Quadrant Shower Enclosures or 1 Door Quadrant Shower Enclosures
- Offset Quadrant Shower Enclosures - An Offset Quadrant Shower Enclosure is similar to the above but 1 straight edge installed in the corner of your shower room is longer than the other straight edge. This provides a greater showering area. When choosing an Offset Quadrant Enclosure you need to decide which corner of the room you are installing your shower enclosure into and decide if you need a Left Handed Quadrant Shower Enclosure or a Right Handed Quadrant Shower Enclosure. These enclosures are only available as 2 Door Offset Quadrant Shower Enclosures
- Rectangular Shower Enclosures - As the name suggests - this shape of shower enclosure has 2 equal long side and 2 equal short sides. When installing this style of enclosure into a corner this shower enclosure contains a shower door, side panel and shower tray. When installed against 1 wall, an extra side panel will be required. Rectangular shower enclosures are available as Sliding Door Rectangular Shower Enclosures or Pivot Door Rectangular Shower Enclosures
- Square Shower Enclosures - As the name suggests, this type of shower enclosure has 4 equal sides. Installing a square shower enclosure into a corner will require a shower door and a side panel but against 1 wall will require an extra side panel. Square Shower Enclosures are availabe as Pivot Door Square Shower Enclosures and Bifold Door Shower Enclosures. The exception is the Corner Entry Shower Enclosure. This style of Enclosure has 2 sliding doors that meet together in a corner.
Shower Enclosures: Showering in Style...
Shower enclosures come in a range of designs so you can find the right one for your bathroom design.
Shower enclosures don’t have to be dismal, unattractive, mouldy affairs. New designs in bathroom furniture, showers, baths and sinks means you can create a bathroom to die for. You don’t just have to see
shower enclosures as basic structures – yes they are functional, but they can also express your individuality and suggest whether or not you have a flair for style and design. With luxury shower enclosures on the market, you can literally transform your bathroom by taking a little care in choosing the best shower enclosures for your room.
Cubicle Shower Enclosures: The Style Stakes
Cubicle shower enclosures feature up-market designs that can really make the difference. If you want more from your bathroom than a bog standard shower set up, shower enclosures give you a chance to unleash your imagination and designer streak. Showering is a daily ritual, so why not get extra enjoyment from the experience by ensuring you do it in style! Luxury is a key buzzword for bathrooms, and it’s now even possible to buy cubicle shower enclosures with multiple functions such as a sauna, steam, hydro-massage and music systems in-built! Showering needn’t be a boring routine ever again.
Shower enclosures range from modern chrome fittings to traditional Finnish-style shower enclosures with wood designs. It’s a chance to turn showering from a quick scrub, to an indulgent experience.
Frame-free Shower Enclosures
Frame’s can look frumpy. So why not go for a frame-less shower enclosure? Glass panels attached to the walls create a designer feel, lifting your bathroom into a lighter, airier space.
Shower Enclosures – Walk on in
Shower enclosures can be placed a few feet away from the shower tray and shower head, creating more showering space. The walk-in shower enclosures are often seen in spas and gyms, and it’s possible to recreate this look in your home by using a semi-frame, or a door leading to a space where you can hang towels or stock shampoos and soaps, before entering the shower itself.
Shower Enclosures: The Squeaky Clean Guide...
It’s all very well investing in a beautiful new shower enclosure, but all showers need a bit of love and attention to keep the sparkle going.
It makes no sense! Shower enclosures are where you wash every day – water and soap, shampoo and suds – so why is it they get so filthy? The fact is, you need to regularly clean and maintain your shower enclosures, shower trays, shower doors and shower curtains. There’s nothing worse than going into a bathroom to be confronted with smelly mould, grimy shower doors, slimy shower trays and general gunk. So keep your shower enclosures sparkly new with these cleaning tips (without relying on nasty chemicals!):
- If you’re buying a new shower screen, why not apply a layer of clear car wax to your shower screen – it’s an effective way of stopping ugly alkaline deposits in the water from forming unsightly spots. All you need to do is top-up the wax twice a year, ensuring the water runs off the glass beautifully. Be sure not to get the wax onto the shower trays – which could cause a slippery hazard!
- You don’t need expensive bottles of cleaning fluids, dip into the kitchen cupboards and dig out some white vinegar, mix in a little baking soda and a secret ingredient (elbow grease) - it’s the perfect solution for solving scummy stains in your shower enclosure, shower door or shower tray. Leave the mixture for ten minutes before wiping off with a cloth.
- It’s possible to buy shower screen cleaning utensils and products – special plastic wipers can clear any lingering water in your shower tray simply and effectively. Just whisk the wiper over the shower tray after every use.
- Soap bars can leave pools of soapy residue, switch to shower gels that will drastically reduce soap scum stains in your shower enclosures.
- Once you’ve cleaned and scrubbed the shower doors, shower enclosures and shower trays, it can feel useless if you’re left with a shower head caked in lime scale, but again you don’t need to resort to skin-stripping chemical solutions – mix a little malt vinegar and boiling water and drop the shower head into the mixture leaving for a few hours and it will be as good as new!
Shower Enclosures - Privacy and Luxury...
Shower enclosures offer the luxury of privacy – something anybody who has had communal shower anxieties really appreciates!
There’s nothing like communal showers to help you appreciate how important your shower enclosures at home are.
Shower enclosures provide privacy so you don’t even think about taking a shower; it is just part of your every day routine. It’s only when there’s a lack of shower enclosures that the act of showering can become a cause of anxiety.
Shower Enclosures: Communal Anxiety
Some people don’t have a problem with communal showers, and are easy about the fact there are no shower enclosures to protect their privacy. But for some, discovering there are no shower enclosures in the gym, spa or swimming pool can be their worst nightmare. A quick look online reveals thousands of blogs with people sharing their communal shower nightmares. One woman who struggled with the fact her local gym didn’t have individual shower enclosures wrote of her horror when a classroom of schoolgirls entered the changing rooms: “The changing room, which is communal, was full of 14 year old girls. OK ladies, hands up which of you are confident enough in yourselves that when you are red-faced and sweaty after a run, you would willingly march into a room full of 20 or so 14 year old girls, strip off and get showered? Did I mention the showers are communal too? No curtains?" The woman waited till the school class had gone: “Then me and my red face and my jiggly bits and stretch marks slunk quietly into the shower. Alone."
Lack of Shower Enclosures Triggers Embarrassment
The lack of shower enclosures can cause embarrassment for many, but especially in the UK where there is a sense of shame around naked bodies, unlike countries such as Denmark where communal spas are part of their culture. One blog that discussed the anxiety the lack of private
shower enclosures caused said it was down to the pressures, especially on women, to look perfect. One blogger wrote: “It doesn't matter if we are only with other women; it's a lifetime of shame making us want to hide. And I think part of that comes from the separate shower and bathroom stalls. It's institutionalized modesty. The other aspect to it is that 99% of women are ashamed of their bodies because we don't look like models; we're lumpy and out of proportion unlike everyone on TV. Most of us are embarrassed to show our bodies to other women because of that."
Further Shower Enclosure Articles
Shower Enclosures - A Hairy ExperienceOne of the common problems in shower enclosures is the horrible hair clogging up the plughole.
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