Types of Showers

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From humble to ostentatious, shower types come in many attitudes. It’s a good idea to research your options before proceeding with your anticipated bathroom remodel. A little planning goes a long way. Beyond the traditional tub/shower combo here are three very diverse shower options that you may want to consider for your project.

Walk-In

The modern walk-in shower changes the whole concept of an enclosed shower. With no moving parts, walk-in showers feature an open end for entry and come in an endless variety of shapes and sizes.

Some walk-in showers can encompass an entire wet room, similar to those found in fancy spas. Others are similar in size to standard showers. One of the nicest features of a walk-in shower is that they are easily made to any specification. Whether you want it to be round or square, take up a corner of your existing bathroom or become an entirely new room unto itself, you can find a shower company that can customize a walk-in shower to fit your needs.

A special consideration for the walk-in shower is appropriate flooring. If your bathroom flooring would be easily damaged by vast amounts of water or would not offer proper drainage then it would be best to use a shower tray. It’s arguable, however, that the shower tray destroys the luxurious lines of the walk-in shower. Without the shower tray a walk-in shower has an elegant flow about it as glass meets floor with no interruption, and the drain can be installed right into the floor.

Steam

Because they’re so luxurious and relaxing, steam showers are often found in gyms and health spas. The steam shower can also be a fabulous residential indulgence. It is frequently a stand-alone shower that includes a traditional shower head and a steam generator to produce steam vapor.

Steam showers require special, self-contained enclosures to prevent escaping steam from damaging home building materials, such as drywall, paint, wallpaper, or other objects. They generally come in such materials as tile, fiberglass, and acrylic, just like the traditional shower enclosure, which also makes it a viable remodeling project. You can easily convert your existing shower into a steam shower by properly installing a steam generator, but you might miss out on the amenities that come with a ready-made steam shower.

With all the gadgetry and fanfare that we have available to us now, steam showers are often loaded up with more extras than your Lexus. Features like six to 32 steam jets strategically located, foot massagers, ceiling rain fixtures, televisions, radios, and aromatherapy devices can now be added onto your steam shower order.

Because steam showers have been around for a modest amount of time now, their costs are starting to decline, making them a more affordable option for homeowners.

Pre-fabricated

Pre-fabricated showers are single-piece or multi-piece stalls molded from materials such as fiberglass, laminate or acrylic. They are sought by homeowners looking for convenience, reliability, and no-fuss solutions, although over the past few decades they have declined in desirability as they just haven’t had much in the way of character, especially when compared to a customized tile shower unit.

Prefabricated shower companies have realized the need to offer more in a prefab unit and have since added much more flavor and custom options to win homeowners back. For instance, you can now order prefab showers with any of the following add-ons: multiple shower heads, steam, jets, waterfall rain heads, or stereo equipment. They can also come with added features such as shelves and benches.

Because of their design, single-piece prefabricated showers are often too large for remodel install. Multi-piece prefabricated units are a good alternative, consisting of a separate shower pan and solid side panels that fit easily through your doorways and up narrow stair wells. Other advantages of the prefab shower include the fact that they are extremely lightweight, which means that you won’t have to install a supporting underlayment under the unit like you would for heavier tile shower units, as well as the fact that they are generally less expensive than other types of units.

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