Remodeling Your Shower
Do you love your shower? Like really love your shower? Did you even know that was a thing? It’s true. There are people out there who are truly enamored with their shower. For them, it’s not just a daily chore of getting clean. It’s an experience.
Get ready to rethink your shower. We’re sharing our top ideas and tips on the design elements, materials, and accessories you should consider to create a well-planned and attractive shower for your bathroom.
Will you be using universal design principles? Universal design guidelines will make your shower more accessible and user-friendly for anyone who uses it regardless of age, size, disability or cognition. Shower lighting, seating, grab bars, and digital shower controllers can be added to your shower for added ease of use, not to mention an elevated shower experience.
Do you want to enlarge your shower? You may want to enlist a professional to take proper measurements. They will take into account any extra space needed for plumbing and other construction considerations.
What level of maintenance are you after? Different types of shower surround materials require different levels of commitment when it comes to maintenance. Tile is a lot more work to install and keep clean compared to acrylic wall surrounds, which can often be installed in a day.
Would you like your shower to improve your home’s resale value? Bathrooms are one of the top areas of improvement that can increase the saleability of your home. Renovating your bathroom can result in an 85 percent return on investment, so go ahead and make a statement with a showstopping shower renovation.
How does your budget influence your options? Setting a realistic budget will make your decision-making process go a lot smoother. A great designer can tailor your desired aesthetic to your budget.
Now, it’s time to dive into the more exciting elements of the remodel and decide on the style of your shower enclosure. The goal should be to make sure the shower matches your current style, accentuates your bathroom and has all the functions you need.
A shower enclosure typically comes in three shapes: rectangle, square and quadrant. Most enclosures have a base tray at the bottom but curbless shower enclosures are becoming more and more popular. Shower doors can be right-handed or left-handed, and some showers have no doors at all.
That sounds like a lot already, and we haven’t even mentioned material, color, or finishing details, so we’ve broken it down even more for you.
TYPES OF SHOWER ENCLOSURES
Rectangle
For larger bathrooms where space is not an issue, rectangle shower enclosures make a statement in size and style. They accommodate many different styles and preferences and are a great custom design solution.
Quadrant
A quadrant shower enclosure is a great option for bathrooms with limited space and is a very popular choice for average-sized homes. Designed to fit tightly into the corner, the quadrant enclosure has a curved front with sliding shower doors.
Square
Square shower enclosures fall between the quadrant and rectangle when it comes to size. Slightly bigger than the quadrant and smaller than the rectangle, they have additional options for doors and frames.
Framed
Framed showers have glass panels with metal frames to provide structure and support. Typically, the doors and panels are secured between a metal header on the top and a track channel on the bottom. These traditional and economic enclosures can tend to focus on functionality over style, but with a variety of finishing and glass materials now available, it’s easier than ever to achieve a look that boosts your bathroom design while still being really practical.
Frameless
Made of a single glass panel that pivots into the room, a frameless shower enclosure is a signature design element in contemporary bathrooms. It’s a great way to keep things light and airy by allowing light to filter through the room. The glass is easy to clean and comes in a number of different finishes.
Tub enclosure
In smaller bathrooms where space and functionality are trying to be maximized, it’s common to install a combination shower/tub.
Wet rooms
A wet room is a waterproofed bathroom where the shower area is the same level as the rest of the floor, making them ideal for those with mobility issues. A flush drain within the shower area drains the water. Wet rooms are effective uses of space and require less maintenance and cleaning.
Walk-in showers
A great alternative if your bathroom is too small to accommodate a wet bath but you still want to achieve a streamlined look to make the bathroom feel more spacious. A walk-in shower is void of doors or curtains. Sometimes, a walk-in shower will have half walls or half panes of glass to keep water from splashing out of the shower area, but at least part of it will remain open so you can quite literally walk right in.
Barrier-free or curbless showers
When planned and installed properly, the curb of the shower base can be eliminated without reducing its functionality. A curbless shower means there’s less clutter visually o creates cleaner lines. It also creates an easier access point and with fewer edges and corners, cleaning is much easier.
Upgrade the shower you have
Is your bathroom already perfectly laid out and just in need of a facelift? You’ve got options! Replace cracked tile or dirty grout with a tailor-made, low maintenance, easy to clean shower wall surround or liner. Shower bases can also be custom fit to your existing shower base so your shower floor will feel like new. Bath Planet’s top-quality acrylic with triple-sealed technology creates a durable surround and watertight seal that stands the test of time. With a variety of colors, patterns, and styles the experts at Norcal use Bath Planet’s innovative installation process to eliminate the stress that comes with the time-consuming renovation period of other shower remodels such as tile.
Mix and Match
If your preferred style isn’t in your budget, don’t be afraid to mix things up by combining different materials, such as an acrylic surround with a sliding glass door. Mixing and matching is a great way to achieve a similar take on a high-end look that might be out of your price range.
SHOWER DOORS
Hinged
Hinged shower doors can achieve a similar aesthetic to the pivot doors of walk-in showers in that they are made of solid glass, but rather than pivoting pins, they swing from hinged joints. This keeps the light and airy feel but makes the shower entrance wider, which is an important factor for those with accessibility needs.
Sliding
A sliding door enclosure is the best option when limited space eliminates the possibility of a swinging door. They are customizable and fit any shower size.
Glass block
Opt-out of having a shower door at all and instead, go with a glass block enclosure, where glass blocks surround half the shower and the other half is left open. The various options in texture, color, and thickness can be made to suit any design style.
Dual entrance
A more recent trend in bathroom design is the concept of a dual entrance shower enclosure. The open sides of the shower elevate the design for a more modern feel while keeping an overall feeling of openness.
MATERIALS & FINISHING
Now that you’ve got the basic layout and more substantially sized decisions made, it’s time to move on to the finer details.
When it comes to glass, the choices have come a long way since the days of clear versus frosted. Bath Planet shower enclosures come in a variety of selections making them extremely versatile for all styles of bathrooms. Standard clear glass creates the illusion of space and showcases the design elements within. Rain glass, like the name suggests, has a streaked pattern that looks as if rain is pouring down it. The textured, frost-like design of glue chip glass provides maximum privacy while still letting light through the intricate, unique designs of the glass. Obscure glass keeps a light and airy feel to the shower while providing the most amount of privacy as far as glass goes.
It’s not just about the surround at NorCal, though. We’ve got accessories and hardware options that will let you personalize your shower, inside and out. You’ll find shower head solutions ranging from rain shower heads and dual shower heads to removable shower heads and everything in between. Do you want to add soap dishes or caddies, shower seats, or shower shelving? These are all customizable options with a Bath Planet shower remodel. With shower rods and hardware available in brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, polished chrome, polished gold, satin chrome, and white, we’ve got options to match any home’s style.
A shower is a big investment, but it doesn’t have to be a traumatic one. If you have a problem shower, we have the solution. Guaranteed. Call us for a consultation today and get the shower of your dreams tomorrow.
