Whether you are upgrading your bathroom or fitting out a new space from scratch, your bathroom shower is a very important plumbing fixture that is central to the quality of your bathing experience. By definition, the shower is a hand-held, ceiling mounted or wall-mounted fixture that allows quick cleansing under a continuous spray of water.
The sheer range of shower fittings, types of showers and enclosures that are available in the market today make your choices quite overwhelming. Read on to know about all your choices, and some key considerations to keep in mind when picking the perfect fittings for your bathroom.
Most Common Types of Showers and Shower Enclosures
Types of Showers: Tub and Shower Combo
Tub-shower combinations are immensely popular, and can save space in small bathrooms as you do not need to install a separate shower cubicle. Here, the bathtub will have faucets that control the release of water to the tub, as well as the water to the overhead showerhead. A hand shower is also a useful addition. The faucet is usually a mixer-tap that controls both the hot water and cold water inlets, and regulates the final temperature of the water.
The tub area could be free-standing, as above, or separated from the rest of the room by a simple waterproof shower curtain on a rod, as in the image below.
Types of Showers: Prefabricated Shower Cubicle
Prefabricated shower cubicles come in several readymade sizes, and are fitted with an acrylic shower tray and moulded glass walls. Some cubicles come complete with plumbing fixtures, wall jet nozzles, a built-in seat and even a sound system that plays music while you bathe! They are often designed with thoughtful details like soap niches and wall ledges to hold bathroom essentials, so that all you need to do is install the whole unit and you can use it immediately.
Types of Showers: Corner Curved Enclosure Shower
Corner showers with curved enclosures occupy a very small footprint and are perfect for compact bathrooms. A curved glass door slides outward on a track to provide access to the cubicle. While these showers utilise space in a better way, curved glass is twice the cost of a regular glass partition. Do keep in mind that a curved partition is also more hygienic and easier to clean, as the number of corners where grime can accumulate is reduced.
Types of Showers: Custom-Designed Shower
Custom shower enclosures can be made to suit the exact dimensions of your bathroom, and are a popular option. The shower is built into a niche in the bathroom and is tiled or lined with natural stone.
Having a custom shower built into a section of the bathroom will help to completely demarcate the wet and dry areas, keeping the rest of the bathroom clean and dry always.
Types of Showers: Shower with Glass Partition
A shower with a glass partition is crafted out of ¼ or ½ inch thick tempered glass that is secured with an aluminium frame or can be frameless. A shower enclosure without frames has the glass panels secured with metal clips and seamlessly sealed using silicone at the corners, and makes the bathroom appear more open and spacious.
The shower partition can be fitted with a sliding door or a door that opens either way on hinges. It can also be fitted without a door but having just an opening, to allow easier access especially for those who are wheelchair bound or have movement impediments.
Types of Plumbing Fixtures for Your Bathroom Shower
The most popular types of plumbing fixtures are ceiling-mounted rain showers, hand-held showers and wall-mounted overhead showers.
This bathroom features a large square wall-mounted shower with different combinations of water nozzles; the central ones being larger than the ones in the perimeter of the shower head for a varied bathing experience.
The hand shower fitted on the wall can be twisted to open or close different combinations of nozzles, so that the stream of water is sharp or soft in accordance with your preference.
In the image below, this large rain shower mounted in the open is fixed on a floor-mounted pipe and offers an even spray of water that resembles the gentle drizzle of rain, hence the name.
Rain shower heads can be circular or square and range in size from 100 x 100 mm to as large as 500 x 500 mm. The bigger the shower, the more refreshing and rejuvenating is the rain shower experience.
Rain shower heads can even be fitted directly on the ceiling of your shower cubicle, with pipes that are concealed inside the false ceiling panels.
The image below shows a novel water-jet shower experience, with the spray of water coming as a jet from a rectangular opening in the ceiling.
Some Important Considerations to Keep in Mind When Selecting Types of Showers
Whatever may be the types of showers that you have in mind, you should keep these considerations in mind for an enjoyable bathing experience:
- Most apartments today have borewell water, which can be very hard and contains an excess of calcium and magnesium salts. Over time, these salts form mineral deposits on the pores of the shower head, causing the water to fall as needle-sharp jets which can hurt the skin. Ensure that these deposits are cleaned on a regular basis to continue to enjoy your bathing experience.
- Using a water softener is a good way to ensure that hard water is softened before it is supplied to the shower.
- You can choose plumbing fixtures in dull gold, steel, brass or copper to suit your bathroom décor and theme.
- Always plan the bathroom layout in a way that neatly demarcates wet areas (shower and bath tub) from the dry areas (sink and commode).
- If your bathroom is on the top floor, you might not get adequate water pressure in the shower. There should be a minimum head of at least 14 feet between the spray head and the bottom level of water in the overhead tank, to get water pressure that is an invigorating spray and not merely a weak trickle. In such cases you might need to install a power shower or a booster pump.
Conclusion
Need more help with designing the bathroom of your dreams? Do get in touch with the experts at HomeLane. Whether you need advice on the different types of showers in your bathroom, or need to know about the design of shower enclosures, we’ve got your back!
FAQs
1. Which among the types of showers is best with regard to the shape?
A rain shower that gives a constant and refreshing stream of water though evenly spaced nozzles is perhaps the best of all the types of showers that you could opt for. Whether your shower head is circular or square, the bathing experience will be similar. The larger the diameter of the shower head, the more enjoyable will be your bathing experience.
When it comes to the shape of the shower enclosure, you should design it in accordance with the space available in your bathroom. Ergonomic considerations state that your shower enclosure should be a minimum of 32 inches by 32 inches. An ideal size of at least 36 inches by 60 inches can include a built-in seat on one side as well.
2. What is a bathroom with a shower called?
A bathroom with a separate shower and bathtub (or a shower-bathtub combo), a sink and a toilet is called a full bathroom, in real estate terms.
A washroom or a powder room, also called a half bathroom, has just a toilet and a sink and no bathing area. These washrooms are usually not attached to the bedroom and can be used by guests without entering the bedroom.
A three-quarter bathroom is one which has a toilet, sink, and either a separate shower or a separate bathtub. Most apartments do not have the luxury of a bathtub due to space restrictions, and so three-quarter bathrooms are the most popular option.
- How do you choose the perfect shower, from all the different types of showers?
You can make your choice from among all the types of showers, based on many different considerations:
- Keep in mind the size and layout of your bathroom – based on this, you will need to decide whether you need a tub and a separate shower, or just a shower, or a tub and shower combined.
- Your décor theme and colour palette will determine the style of your plumbing fixtures.
- Consider the available water pressure; if pressure is inadequate you will need to install a booster pump.
- Your budget is an important consideration. How much can you afford to shell out? Do keep in mind that you will be living with your choices for a long time, and bathroom fixtures do not get replaced very often. So always buy the best types of showers that you can afford.
- Think of the usage by people in your home. Do you take a quick shower or is a full-on relaxing soak, spa-style, more your thing? Is anyone in your home disabled and requiring wheelchair access? People with mobility concerns may need to be accompanied into the shower, which means that the size of the enclosure must be much larger than normal. An open shower is ideal for wheelchair access.
- When narrowing down your choices from all the types of showers, safety considerations should also be kept in mind. The floor should be non-skid, and installing an anti-scald device is good for young children or older people.
Based on all these parameters, and taking the help of an interior decorator, you can choose the type of shower that will be ideally suited for your needs.
3. How many years do the different types of showers last?
Shower fittings and fixtures have a lifespan of at least 15 to 20 years, if maintained well. But most professionals would recommend that you update your bathroom every ten years or so, so that you can stay in step with the latest décor trends!
