Shower enclosure options with tray

Showers are becoming more and more popular choice. Many people refuse to buy bathtubs, preferring more compact shower boxes with trays. This solution has many advantages.

The shower cubicle is not new to the bathroom fixtures market, but it has only recently been really noticed. This feature is due to the fact that real estate becomes more expensive, and people can often afford to buy only a small apartment with a small bathroom or a combined bathroom.

The presence of certain functions, the difference in size and shape allows us to talk about different types of shower cabins. Each of them deserves special attention, since the designs are sometimes very different from each other. In some of them it is possible to implement the hydromassage option, while others are suitable only for equipping with minimal functionality.

Prefabricated structures are just shower cabins in the classic sense. In their composition, they have only walls, doors and a pallet. Due to their peculiarities, they can be mounted only in the corner of the bathroom, while two room walls replace the walls of the shower stall itself. The door can be either two or one.

As a rule, the pallet is made low here. Many could come across such showers in institutions such as hospitals, kindergartens, guest houses. The pallet is traditionally made of cast iron, but in the modern interpretation, it is possible to use other materials, for example, acrylic.

Monoblock shower cabins are also called hydroboxes. They can be installed in any part of the bathroom, since they have not only all walls and a tray, but also a ceiling part. Such complete closure allows them to be equipped with many additional functions, including aromatherapy, music playback and, of course, hydromassage.

Monoblock hydroboxes can be made of absolutely any materials. The weight of the structure, and not its strength, depends mainly on the choice of raw materials, since high quality polymers are used in the manufacture. Depending on the number of functions, as well as on the material of the pallet and walls, the cost is determined: the more options and the more expensive material is used, the more expensive the hydrobox is.

Electronic shower enclosures can only function fully when they are connected to the electrical network.This mainly applies to monoblock versions, equipped with backlighting, radio and other functions that cannot be imagined without electricity.

Electronic shower cabins can work without electricity, but in this case only the basic functions will be carried out: regulation and water supply. There can be no talk of any radio or remote control. There will be no automatic water adjustment if your box is equipped with this function. All control will have to be done manually. The hydromassage function will also not be available.

Mechanical showers are completely manually operated. Their device does not provide for the presence of functions that should only work when connected to the mains supply. However, this does not mean that the functions are severely limited. Of course, you will have to resort only to the standard set: mixing and supplying water to the faucet, then to the shower, as well as adjusting the flow rate.

From a financial point of view, this option is more affordable than the previous one, since you do not have to overpay for the car itself or for electricity. After all, the hydrobox consumes a lot of electricity, while the manual shower does not need it at all. Due to the simplified design, its cost will also be several times lower.

Open structures are made only with walls, but without a roof. There can be no question of any hydromassage in such a construct: a lot of water will splash upward, ruining the environment. Such booths have standard functionality, less often they are equipped with "exotic" functions: music, automatic control, lighting. The pallet can be either deep or low.

To install such a shower, you need to carefully prepare the room:

• level the floors and walls;
• well treat the joints with a sealant to ensure waterproofing;
• select suitable materials for the floor and walls themselves and make sure that they do not react in any way to water.

Walls should also be treated with antibacterial agents to prevent mold and mildew.

Closed hydroboxes are fully insulated at the sides and top. They usually have a high base, which can also be used as a bathtub if it is of sufficient size. Due to the fact that the structure is closed, it can be mounted on any site. It is important that there are water supply and drain systems: without them, the hydrobox will not function.

Closed booths can have several functions, including a Turkish bath or sauna. Steam is fed into this sealed box, and in the end, the effect is no worse than in a real steam room. In addition, in closed showers, a hydromassage function is often performed, since water will not splash here.

A large closed shower room with a bathtub is of particular interest, since it not only has all the same functions as other structures of this type, but also allows you to take a full bath. This is especially nice if the hydrobox has aromatherapy and backlighting functions. You can customize the lighting and smell and fully relax. This option is most preferred for people with sleep disorders.

Shower cabins have many features, including both positive and negative aspects of designs. Interestingly, there are about equal parts of both, so before choosing you need to study all the "pitfalls" that you may encounter during operation.

Shower cabins have a number of obvious advantages, thanks to which users more and more often choose them instead of baths that are a thing of the past.... However, these advantages are associated not only with the constantly expanding functionality that hydroboxes are endowed with, but also with many others, for example:

• First of all, why shower cabins are chosen is due to the fact that they take up very little space. A hydrobox takes up half the space than a bathtub, therefore, as a result of such an acquisition, it is possible to place a sink, a washing machine, a dryer, and the like in the room as well.
• Reduced trauma. While taking a shower, standing in a standard bathroom can slip and fall. The same will happen if you get out of the bath not carefully enough, without leaning on something. In cases with showers, this will not happen, since their sides are much lower, and in case of a fall, you can only crash into walls made of heavy-duty tempered glass.
• Significant savings are achieved. The water consumption in shower cabins is much less, since in most cases there is only a shower function. Bathing a child in a tray with high sides of water is spent half as much as when bathing in a bathtub.
• Unlike a traditional bathroom, dozens of different additional functions can be installed in a hydrobox shower, including a sauna function.

• Due to the great variability, you can choose a pallet for any required dimensions. If you need a cabin of a non-standard size, for example, 70x100 cm, you can always order an individual project.
• If you have sufficient skills, you can always assemble the shower stall yourself. In the case of a bathroom, you may need special plumbing knowledge, which is often only available to professionals.
• The shower stall looks neater than the bathroom, and when using it, there will be no problems with spilled water everywhere.
• Having a seat can be a huge asset when it comes to children or the elderly. For them, it is often necessary.

The cons of showers are not as obvious as their pros, but they should also be considered:

• It often happens that, due to the shape, shower cabins still cannot be installed in a small bathroom. For example, a rectangular hydrobox, due to its long length, is not suitable for a small room, since it takes up too much space.
• A shower room installed in an apartment building often cannot realize all its functionality. This is due to the fact that the water pressure is too small, so the only thing that can be done is to take a shower.
• After taking a shower, each time you have to clean the transparent walls to avoid the formation of whitish deposits and water stains.
• Compared to a bathroom, a hydrobox is quite expensive. Not everyone is ready to shell out about 50,000 rubles for aromatherapy or radio - additional functions of the shower.
• For those who like to soak up the bath, this option is also not suitable, since it is impossible to lie in the shower tray. The exceptions are cases when a rectangular pallet is specially designed for this.
• Budget models do not always turn out to be of high quality. In some cases, over time, their doors "diverge", losing their tightness, and their weak frame and inexpensive materials quickly rusts and cracks.
• It is imperative to prepare the room for the installation of the hydrobox, which can take a lot of time and require a lot of money.

Choosing and purchasing a shower stall can be a daunting task for many, especially when you don’t know what to look for in the first place.

Use the following list to know what data to use when choosing:

• Type of. Depending on how much space you have, you can choose between a closed and open booth. Recall that a closed cubicle has full four walls, while two or three bathroom walls act as open shower walls. Focusing on where exactly you will mount the booth, select its type as well.
• Pallet. In this case, it makes sense to look at the height of the fences. The option with middle walls is universal: there will be no problems with stepping over them, and it will also be possible to wash a child or pet in such a tray.
• Doors and walls. Pay attention to the type of doors: sliding, swing, "books". It may be that due to space restrictions, some of the listed options will not work. It is important that the walls have sealed seams and are made of quality material.
• Material. This refers to the materials of the walls, doors, the pallet itself. All of them must be resistant to loads, do not bend, do not slip. Resistance to corrosive formations is important.
• Functional. Depending on your preferences, determine for yourself which functions are paramount and which can be neglected. Based on this list, determine the booths that suit you and choose the best one among them.
• Shape and size. When choosing these parameters, you should focus on the tallest member of the family. If he is comfortable in such a booth, then so will everyone else. It is important that movement in the cab is not severely constrained. It should be possible to move your arms while soaping yourself, or to sit on the existing seat.

Pallets are divided into three categories in depth:

• low (the height of the sides is less than 10 cm);
• medium (side height - from 10 to 18 cm);
• deep (average height - 25-35 cm).

Perhaps you want to use a rectangular shower stall as a bathtub. Then you need a pallet with high sides. If you plan to just take a shower, but at the same time want the shower stall not to be too high, choose low sides. Center boards are optimal and fit most bathrooms.

Depending on the size, there are several types of shower cabins. Each of them has its own proportions. Pay attention to the amusing fact that its size depends on the shape of the shower stall. Some of the above options are compact, others will have to allocate a significant area. However, this does not affect their height in any way, which depends only on the presence or absence of the "ceiling" of the booth.

Corner symmetrical shower in the classical sense is a quarter-circle cubicle with two sides and a semicircular shower tray. This option is mainly chosen for small rooms, since it is mounted in a corner, and the semicircular edge does not take up much space. It is these symmetrical circles that can be found in most cases.

Sometimes designers deviate from the rules, making the booth not arched, but polygonal. In this case, it looks more interesting, but it does not fit into every bathroom. It is worth saying that such an innovation has practically no effect on the size of the shower room, it still takes up little space.

The standard lengths of the sides of an angular symmetrical cabin range from 0.8-1.2 m.This structure can be installed in any corner of the bathroom, if it has sufficient wall length to accommodate the cubicle. For example, with sides of 90x90 cm, you should not put the cabin in a corner, from which to the door is 70 cm.

The asymmetrical corner shower is not much different from the previous version, except that here the sides located against the wall have different lengths. For example, a cabin can have dimensions of 120 x 80 cm, 120x90 cm, 100x80 cm or 110x80 cm. The other sides are connected in the same way by an arc, or the edge is made polygonal.

Unlike corner symmetrical booths, asymmetric models are classified as right-handed or left-handed. It is important to keep in mind that according to the rules, the short side of the shower room is installed at the short side of the bathroom. An exception can be made only when the long side of the hydrobox is equal to the short side of the bathroom, but this happens very rarely.

The standard dimensions of the cab are as follows - the long side can be from 100 to 120 cm, and the short side - from 80 to 90 cm. In the future, combinations of these values ​​can be any: 120x80 cm, 80x100 cm, and so on.

Rectangular showers are mainly installed in niches, it is also possible to be located along a wall or in a corner. The rectangle is a clear geometric shape, so you should be prepared for the fact that such a shower stall will take up a lot of space.

Rectangular hydroboxes or open cabins are often equipped with a deep shower tray that serves as a traditional bathtub. The length of such structures is the same as for ordinary bathrooms: from 150 to 180 cm.The width can vary between 70-85 cm.

Square showers have almost the same location advantages as symmetrical corner showers. They are also mainly installed in the corners, and any corner of the room can be chosen. A square shower room with dimensions of 100x100 cm or 120x120 cm is suitable for a large bathroom, and 70x70 cm or 80x80 cm for smaller options.

The disadvantage is that the protruding corner of the square booth takes up a lot of space, and it is not always possible to install such a booth in a really small room. In the case of a large bathroom, a square shower room will look inappropriate, but as a design move, such an arrangement is quite possible.

In this case, we are not talking about the shape, but about the size of the shower stall with a tray. It may have dimensions other than those considered standard for showers. As a rule, such products are made only to order for certain bathrooms.

Non-standard showers can be equipped with many functions, and the presence or absence of one or another option is also chosen by the owners themselves. For example, many people want to have a shower room with lighting, music and hydromassage at their disposal, but they do not want to overpay for aromatherapy and a sauna. In this case, they simply order a booth with the amenities they need.

There are several types of doors suitable for shower enclosures. Each type has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. Remarkably, the material from which the doors are made does not differ from the material used for the walls.

The choice of one type or another is due to the interior of the bathroom, your own amenities and preferences. Some of the doors are suitable for large bathrooms, others for small ones, while others will be versatile. In any case, it is much more important what the doors are made of, how well they are sealed at the joints.

The sliding door mechanism resembles a coupe. It is suitable for small bathrooms as there is no space required to open doors. They just slide from side to side. The more common option is one in which two doors move in and out, but there are also single-door options.

Doors move along guides on rollers. For tightness, the joints, as well as the guides and rollers themselves, are protected with rubber bands. When approaching, the sashes adhere well thanks to the magnets.

Unlike the previous version, this one takes up much more space. Here it is required to provide space for opening doors (two or one, depending on the design). Most users find that the two-door variation is much more comfortable. In some cases, it is possible to open the doors inward, but this option should be chosen only when the hydrobox is large, and opening the doors will not cause discomfort to the person inside. Particular attention should be paid to the material from which the door hinges are made.

In fact, this is the same swing door, only opening in both directions. This makes swing doors not the most convenient option. In addition to space outside, you will also need space inside, allowing you to open the door in both directions. The door is fixed on double-sided hinges that control the movement of the doors. It is important to pay attention to their sealing. Due to the double stroke, they quickly fray.

A folding door has something in common with a sliding door, since it also saves space, but the "book" door still sticks out a little. Such structures consist of vertical rails connected by ball bearings. The advantage of the "books" is the possibility of their partial opening, for example, if you need to release a little heat from the shower stall.

Open cabins are sometimes made without doors at all. There is only a frame and a pallet.

Hydroboxes with trays are made of various materials. It makes sense to take a closer look at the raw materials that are used for the manufacture of pallets directly, since the frame, walls and doors are made of the same type of materials.

Walls and doors are made either from transparent plastic in budget models, or from tempered glass. The second option is more expensive, but also more reliable. If the bathroom walls are used as cabin walls, they should be tiled with ceramic tiles.

Acrylic pallets are easy to care for, this material is lightweight and practical. However, an important disadvantage is the ability to quickly bend under human weight.To neutralize this deficiency, quartz sand was added to the composition, and the new material was called quaril. Quaril pallets are considered the best.

Refers to ceramic materials. Faience is a natural material, so it fits in the best way in a classic interior and looks more harmonious here. The disadvantage of earthenware pallets is the constant need to carefully look after them, as they tend to turn yellow over time. In addition, the earthenware pallet will not withstand the fall of something heavy on it, since it is too fragile.

Trays made of artificial marble came into use not so long ago. Natural marble chips and glue are used for their manufacture. Articles made of artificial marble have excellent heat-saving qualities, which can be important when taking a bath. Maintenance of this type of pallet is practically not required.

Initially, pallets were made just of cast iron, and over time, this material only confirmed its high performance. The cast iron pallet, coupled with a steel frame and glass walls, is an example of reliability. Pallets of this type are covered with enamel, which is easy to care for. It is enough just to wipe it from time to time with a cloth soaked in soapy water. However, the enamel can be chipped as a result of falling heavy objects.

For the manufacture of wooden pallets, teak is used - an environmentally friendly material with high performance properties. The advantages of wood include its ability to resist slipping, and the special processing of the material makes it resistant to moisture.

As a rule, wooden pallets are made flat, without sides. You can find pallets with sides made of wood, but in these cases only decorative finishing is made with wood, and another material is used as the main material, for example, cast iron.

Steel products are worthy of competition with cast iron. They retain all the same positive properties, while their weight is several times less, which makes it possible to install such an option even on an unreinforced floor. Like cast iron, steel pallets are covered with enamel. As a result of taking a shower in a hydrobox with such a tray inside, a favorable microclimate is formed, since the steel heats up well and gives off heat.

This material is the best among its counterparts, since it has advantages that distinguish it favorably against the background of all others. So, it is easy to take care of it, it does not deform, retains heat, and there is practically no noise from the falling water. If the surface is chipped or scratched a little, it can be easily repaired using the sanding method. Granite and marble are selected as materials for the production of pallets.

As additional elements that are equipped with shower cabins, the following are used:

• pallet-mounted seats;
• mirrors built into one of the walls of the hydrobox;
• handles for closing and opening doors;
• shelves on which the necessary cosmetics and household chemicals are located;
• hangers and hooks that can be used for washcloths or towels;
• shower heads;
• dispensers for liquid soap, shampoo and others;
• foot massagers built into the pallet;
• hydromassage panels.

Among the companies that produce high-quality and reliable hydroboxes, there are both foreign and Russian representatives. We offer you a selection of the most demanded companies.

• AP-AM (Russia and Germany). High quality sanitary ware with excellent performance and a 2.5 year manufacturer's warranty. Parts from Europe are used in the production.
• Aquanet (Russia).Many are repelled by the use of Chinese spare parts, but the cost redeems everything. The warranty period varies greatly: it can be from 3 months to 10 years.

• Cazares (Italy). The company is constantly improving its models, adding new and new functions. The warranty ranges from 1 to 25 years.
• LanMeng (China). All products are subject to mandatory certification according to European standards. The warranty period is 1 year.
• Niagara (Russia). This brand specializes only in the manufacture of shower stalls. They offer a wide range of glass textures. There are both simple transparent and corrugated. If you install it yourself, the warranty will be six months.

• Radaway (Poland). Lux class shower cabins. The warranty is 5 years, provided that the installation was carried out by the company's service center.
• River (Russia). Offers a wide range of design designs. There are both budget and luxury options. The warranty is 1 year.
• Apollo (China). Despite the fact that the company is Chinese, the quality of the sanitary ware is at a decent level. If you install it yourself, the warranty period is 6 months.

• Avanta (China). The warranty for showers is only one year, but this does not mean that the products are of poor quality. All hydroboxes are made of acrylic and tempered glass.
• Erlit (Russia and China). This duo of the two countries produces high-quality and inexpensive cabins, the warranty period for which varies from 1 to 7 years.

Before proceeding with the installation, you need to prepare everything you need.

The set of shower cabins includes:

• pallet;
• mirror;
• shelves;
• seat;
• headrest.

From the tools you will need a standard set: a screwdriver, a level, a set of wrenches, a drill, a construction gun, a silicone sealant.

First you need to assemble the pallet itself. Be sure to check it for leaks. If there is no doubt about the tightness, then connect it to the sewer pipe using the drain pipe included in the kit.

Be sure to test the drain: stand in the pan, walk on it, and then drain the water. If all is well, you can proceed to installing the walls and doors.

To avoid the need for repairs, it is necessary to properly care for the hydrobox: wash the pallet and walls, clean the drain in time. To simplify this procedure, install special filters on the pipes.

If the breakdown could not be avoided, be sure to fix it as soon as you found it. Cracks on the pallet can be simply repaired and dried; if the door mechanism breaks down, the idle rollers must be replaced, and in case of a serious leak, the pipes must be changed.

How to install a shower tray, see the video below.