Shower cabins: types, characteristics, selection criteria

The shower cubicle has become a familiar alternative to the traditional bath, but many have not yet had time to appreciate the advantages of this device. We want to review the most popular types of showers, as well as to consider their characteristics, advantages and selection criteria when buying.

Features shower cubicles

Saving space and time

A bathroom is a great way to relax in warm foamy water, flushing tension and anxiety from yourself, forgetting about the cold and problems. However, under the conditions of most bathrooms, it has become an unaffordable luxury, because its dimensions leave no room for a washing machine and furniture.

In addition, modern life with its chaotic rhythm rarely gives us enough time for a full bath, and many restrict themselves to a morning shower before work and an evening shower before going to bed. Moreover, the shower removes fatigue much better, moreover, it returns vigor and increases activity, unlike the soporific effect that occurs after a hot bath.

But if in most cases we choose a shower, is it worth keeping such a bulky bowl in an already small room of the bathroom? The answer will obviously be negative.

Many of those who asked themselves similar questions and arrived at similar answers decided this dilemma long ago in favor of using shower cubicles. These are sanitary devices, which represent a small area with a wall and a space with shower equipment and water drainage system.

The dimensions of the shower stalls start from 80x80 cm, which allows you to easily make space for the installation of a washing machine or heating boiler, boiler, column or other equipment. Such savings in the conditions of our apartments are just luxury, and only she deserves to abandon the bathroom once and for all.

Moreover, you see, it is not so easy to find time to first fill the bath, then relax in it surrounded by foam, then flush and wash the bowl. Considering the fact that most of us take a shower in the morning before work, taking a bath becomes a rather unreal dream.

You should also take into account the direct cost savings: it takes about five times less water to take a shower than to fill a bath, which is very important in terms of the widespread installation of meters.

Thus, we can confidently ascertain at least three factors of economy, which gives us the use of showers:

• Space saving due to compact dimensions and the possibility of installation in various places of the room;
• Time saving due to the ability to wash without a set of water and rest in a horizontal position, which does not have to rush. This feature is very relevant for business or just working people;
• Cost savings, spent on payment of water supply services. Soon, the meters will be installed in each apartment, and for many there will be a question of reducing water consumption. Compared to the bathroom, the shower spends 5 times less liquid.

Note! It should be borne in mind that modern manufacturers of shower stalls have put all their efforts and developments in improving comfort during procedures. Therefore, it is impossible to state unequivocally that the refusal of a bath in favor of the cabin is a refusal of convenience.

Species

Shower boxes and corners are different. They may vary in size, feature set, materials and design. Some species are supplied assembled, and some have to be collected at home with their own hands.

It is customary to begin the classification with the type of booth, there are only two of them:

1. Open type The design is a pallet or floor drain, bounded by the walls of the room and panels shower. Roof in this type of cab is not provided;
2. Closed type. It is a monoblock or a capsule, which is bounded on all sides by walls, from below by a tray, from above by a dome or roof. Most often made of plastic in combination with glass and metal.

It is impossible to say which type is better, it is impossible, since each has its own pros and cons. Open models benefit from a design point of view and fit harmoniously into various interior solutions. The fences made of glass look weightless and airy, giving the room a gloss and completeness in the spirit of minimalist fashionable today.

Closed blocks have many additional functions, modes and features. These include hydromassage jets, and modes of a tropical shower and a Turkish bath, an infrared sauna, and others. Products have lighting, ventilation, and sometimes even music on board.

Note! It should be understood that cheap shower cubicles do not have the listed functions, therefore their advantages are not so clearly expressed.

Cabins may also differ by type of pallet. There are three varieties:

Note! If we consider the materials, then the highest quality are pallets of acrylic, ceramics or artificial stone.

Criterias of choice

There are two main ways to get a shower: buy a ready-made monoblock or buy spare parts for a shower stall and assemble it yourself. Let's look at these methods in more detail.

In the case of the acquisition of a monoblock, you are deprived of worries about the installation of a corner, the construction of a podium or the installation of a pallet, the installation of walls, etc. On the other hand, the design of products is limited to standard models, and their price is significantly higher. The set of various functions is also not always decisive: firstly, not all of them are needed, and secondly, they directly depend on cost.

When buying a box, you should carefully study your favorite model, consider its characteristics, read reviews from other users on thematic forums. In the event of a breakdown, you must understand how to disassemble the shower stall and repair it.

Self-assembly is suitable for those who are not afraid of working with their hands and are capable of technical creativity. Instructions for basic work is quite simple and does not require special knowledge, but you still need a certain set of skills.

As a rule, in the assembly process perform the following stages of work:

1. Preparation of the basis, clearing of the place, dismantle of an old bathtub;
2. Installing a pallet. Here wet processes with mortar and brick can take place, and installation on a framework can be made;
3. Connecting the water sockets. Often the cabin requires the transfer of old pipes with the output from the wall at a height of 1.2 - 1.5 meters;
4. Installation of walls and doors. The assembly of enclosing structures is carried out with the help of glass panels and metal framework elements;
5. Connecting a mixer, shower strut and other sanitary equipment;
6. Sewerage connection.

If you want to make a corner without a pallet, then there will be more work. You will have to dismantle the screed in the shower area, install a drain, trap it and make slopes on the surface of the new screed so that the water drains towards the drain. At the end, the floor must be laid out with tiles or other waterproof material.

Note! It is better to entrust the manufacture of floor showers to professionals, since the slightest mistakes in waterproofing can lead to the flooding of neighbors and expensive expensive bathroom repairs.

Conclusion

Shower cubicles can replace traditional bulky baths and make room for installing a washing machine or other equipment. When choosing a particular model, you should carefully study its characteristics; In addition, before buying, we recommend watching the video in this article.