Shower trays – or shower bases – vary in size, from compact square shapes to spacious rectangular models and pentangle sided designs; all of which are modern and would complement a well-designed bathroom. Generally speaking, shower trays are made from materials such as acrylic, steel, ceramic and stone resin.
Your choice of shower tray will depend on several factors, but perhaps the biggest is the space you have available. To enjoy showering to the fullest, you should choose the biggest tray you can, however this leads to another decisive factor; and that’s your budget.
The larger the shower tray, the more expensive it will be, but remember, the shower is an essential part of your daily routine, so you should try to enjoy it as much as possible!
Shower Tray Materials
Stone Resin is the most common material used in the manufacture of shower bases and the material you’re most likely to find in new building projects. Stone resin is easy to clean, hardwearing, durable, attractive and highly waterproof. Stone resin is closely followed by Acrylic resin in shower tray production.
Stone resin trays are substantially heavier than acrylic shower trays, which makes them more difficult to install. Normally, this wouldn’t really make a difference; in fact, the increased weight is an indicator of the tray’s durability and resilience. However, if you need to make a waste trap because you’re mounting the shower tray on a solid floor, this may be a minor problem.
An acrylic tray can simply be raised to make room for a waste trap underneath, whereas a stone resin tray, with its increased weight, can be more difficult to elevate.
Shower trays are generally designed to be fitted into corners and against walls, and they typically range in size between 700mm (29.5 inches) to 1200mm (47.2 inches). Some manufacturers will produce trays to bespoke specifications, and there are plenty of variations in shape and size.
Shower Tray Designs
The shapes themselves are based on the conventions of the bathroom design industry. Therefore, few basic tray shapes will be in sizes common across most residences. These include a pentangle shaped tray – rather like a square missing a corner – and are a great solution for showers in bathrooms where space is at a premium. It can be squeezed into a corner, while allowing enough room for a wash basin and or a WC pan.
Rectangular shapes are common too in unusually-shaped bathrooms (it’s worth pointing out that square trays are the most common) and they provide abundant showering space. A ‘quadrant’ is a quarter circle which again is great for bathrooms with limited space. Quadrant trays tuck neatly into the corner of the room and extend just far enough for you to shower comfortably. Similarly, there’s an off-set quadrant, which has the space and shape of a rectangular shower tray, but with a rounded corner. These last two curved designs work very well with sliding doors.
For a more luxurious shower tray design, there’s a walk-in shower which is like a large P-shape, with plenty of room in which to stand and a narrower section through which you enter and exit.