Shower Stalls
Shower Stalls: All You Need To Know
The bathroom is often the most ignored yet the most personal space in your house. But I’m still sure that we all know how important it is to everyone. Keeping the obvious use aside the bathroom is also a space where you can take some time out for yourself. So, it’s just fair if you were looking to give your bathroom a new look with a new shower stall. Hang on; I’m not talking of any hi-tech device used in bathrooms that will cost you a fortune.
Shower stalls are small spaces inside the bathroom which make it convenient to take a shower. They usually look like a booth with a shower head on the ceiling and are surrounded by four walls which prevent the water from splashing all around the bathroom. Obviously, one of the walls in a shower stall has an opening to enter the stall or exit which may be equipped with a sliding door, door which opens to the outside or simply a curtain.
Why I’m telling you to get a shower stall instead of a bath tub when the latter gives you an almost similar feel is perhaps one question that will be ringing in your mind right now. It’s true that the experience of being soaked in a bathtub is also an amazing one but it requires you to put in a lot of time in order to fill the tub. Apart from that, stepping out and in the bathtub is an unnecessary hassle. Shower stalls enable you to have quick rejuvenating showers within a matter of minutes and the water spray gives you an amazing feel. In fact, most people would tell you that the bathtub in their house is mostly left unused if they have a shower stall installed in their bathroom. Those who want both can even have a combination which may mean having a shower stall close to the bathtub or a shower stall installed above a bathtub itself.
And if you are thinking that shower stalls are just an indoor affair then you are wrong again. Outdoor showers are also unique and fascinating prospects and are pretty haves for private beaches or lakeside cabins. They are an intriguing option if you live in areas with a warm climate and are actually cheaper than the indoor versions as they can be made with the most basic of materials.
Shower stalls can also be made interesting by just making a few simple changes in the shower head arrangement. For instance, using a combination of shower heights in a line at different heights can give you thy feel of a massage along with a shower. The shower head itself can have various designs which might enable you to control the volume, pressure and the temperature of water giving you a luxurious feel.
Types of shower stalls available in the market
Though when you go in the market you would find that shower stalls are available in all kinds of designs but when we talk about types, there are just two of them depending on the kind of material with which they are made. They are
• Pre-fabricated shower stalls
• Tiled shower stalls
PRE-FABRICATED SHOWER STALLS
As the name itself suggests, pre-fabricated shower stalls are ready made shower stalls made in the factory which are ready to be installed when they reach your house. Often referred to as the cheaper version, pre-fabricated shower stalls didn’t use to have much of a claim with the buyers as they came in limited designs and textures and the technologies used in their manufacture were not up to the mark. But with the advent of better technology pre-fabricated shower stalls have a changing picture ahead of them. They are now available in all sorts of shapes, sizes and textures which give them an edge. There easy to install do-it-yourself designs are also a feature exclusive to them. They are usually made of fiberglass and acrylics which make them easy to repair with the spot repair and bath lining methods.
TILED SHOWER STALLS
Tiled shower stalls are the more trusted and favorite options as they give you an option to design the shower stall according to your taste as they are constructed practically from the scratch. Tiled shower stalls require work from both carpenters and people specializing in tiles. In the first step the carpenters prepare the basic frame and then the tile specialists step in to fill the frame with the tiles to give you the finished product.
I know it is quite a task to decide which type suits you more as they both are equally attractive. In order to help you decide we give you a showdown between the pre-fabricated shower stalls and the tiled shower stalls.
PRE-FABRICATED SHOWER STALLS vs. TILED SHOWER STALLS
The biggest advantage that pre-fabricated shower stalls offer you above the tiled shower stalls is their fast and easy installation. Whether the installation is done by you or by professionals, your shower stall will be ready within 24 hours easily. Another important feature for pre-fabricated shower stalls is that they are a lot cheaper than the tiled shower stalls and you can easily find one that suits your pocket. They give you an option to be installed in any area with a problematic floor as they are not easy to crack thanks to their flexibility. The designs available in pre-fabricated shower stalls will always continue to be lesser than tiled shower stalls as they are not made on the spot itself. Tiled shower stalls on the other hand offer unlimited designs and can be designed in any size unlike the pre-fabricated shower stalls which are available only in set sizes. Tiled shower stalls also have a better resale value due to their superior reputation and are ideal for remodeling as they are not ready made. Their slow installation time due to the curing process is a disadvantage for them. Also, they are expensive than pre-fabricated shower stalls and it is virtually impossible to install them yourself without any professional help. Pre-fabricated shower stalls also score when it comes to reliability as they are almost leak-proof whereas tiled shower stalls can easily become victims of leakage once the house settles down.
If you’re still confused, let me tell you that there are also designs available that are a combination of both these types which use tiles in acrylic frames or fiber glass shower pans. But one thing is for sure, no matter which type you choose, shower stalls are surely going to give your bathroom a new and vibrant feel.