Composure When Buying Your Shower Enclosure
Choosing a shower enclosure doesn’t seem like a very daunting task; however, if the shower enclosure you do decide to purchase doesn’t suit the overall bathroom design, then that dream bathroom which you envisioned will be washed away before your eyes like water down the drain.
It’s ‘Cosy’
We’ve all heard the horror stories of a friend receiving a shower cabin, or, if you can afford it, a ‘steam shower cabin’, and then realising it doesn’t fit within the space allocated. Therefore a critical question you must continually ask yourself when designing your bathroom is, ‘Will this shower enclosure fit in the allocated space?’. Remember to take into account the opening and closing of the shower cabinet doors.
When space is limited, sliding shower doors would make a great space saver. The doors run along hinges on the framework of the shower enclosure, therefore not extruding into the bathroom, which is great for conserving space. Therefore, when purchasing a shower enclosure, make sure you are clear on the dimensions and have measured your bathroom accurately: ensuring the unit will actually fit inside your bathroom when it arrives. Take your time and hire a professional for advice and installation.
What do you mean it just broke?
There are hundreds of shower cabinets on the market, but how do you know what’s good and what’s poor. Quality is something that’s hard to decipher when you’re not an expert, but if you follow a few simple steps, the chances that you will be happy with your purchase will drastically increase. You don’t want to go through the headache of redeeming your warranty within 3 months of installing the shower enclosure: buy something of a more substantial quality and save money in the long term, while enjoying the benefits of a more luxurious product.
It’s important to check whether the company you are purchasing from test their products. Sufficient product testing will help ensure the shower enclosure won’t break within months of receiving your product.
Look for good materials, toughened glass is great due to its durability and suits nearly every bathroom: typically, look for a 6 to 8cm tempered safety glass. Top of the range shower enclosures come with an aluminium or chrome finish, but again, different companies have different levels of quality, even in the profiling, where some may use 0.5mm aluminium thickness, others use 1.5mm. It is worthy to note that a number of companies use plastic to profile the glass, which not only looks substandard; it also compromises the strength of the glass, raising safety issues. Some truly luxury shower enclosures have even been seen to use gold or silver in their designs.
When you get to see the product in person, there are some telltale indicators of poor build quality. These include:
Chrome peeling: This is a sure sign of poor build quality as you don’t want that beautiful sleek finish to disintegrate after a few uses. This usually is due to plastic handles coated with chrome.
Door rollers: These should slide easily, they should feel firm and they should be tested vigorously.
Safety: This is an important thing, and it is advisable you consider this in your buying decision. Certificates like the CE mark are essential, however, even poor quality products can gain certificates such as CE, therefore know what to look for in a quality product.
Look to the future
One thing that does make installing easier which should come in all new shower enclosures is modular systems. This makes for effortless adjusting and installation.
Custom build enclosures can sometimes be the only type to suit you. These can usually be found from specialists who will custom build your enclosure to your bespoke requirements. However this may send the bill to astronomical proportions. When finding the right shower enclosure for your bathroom, it’s a good idea to spend some time combing the internet for the right product to suit your requirements. Buying on the internet can be cheaper and easier than visiting retail stores as there is a selection, fit for a king, waiting for you at your fingertips.
Note: Di Vapor is not responsible for the views, opinions or advice represented in the articles on this site. You are advised to seek medical advice before following any such information. Copyright © July 2008 Di Vapor.
| 
