A shower screen is a practical element for any wet room or walk-in shower, helping to keep the spray from soaking the rest of the bathroom floor and fittings etc. They are an essential component of any modern bathroom coming in a range of sizes and options too.
We have created a shower screen buying guide to help you choose the correct shower screen for your dream bathroom.
Shower screens are available to suit a variety of budgets, however as is often the case, you most certainly get what you pay for, with cheaper screens often being manufactured in thinner glass and supplied with poor-quality fittings that may not stand the test of time.
The screen can create a real focal point in the wet room / bathroom be it a large format frameless glass panel, creating a 'walk through' setting, a framed black shower screen, curved shower screen or a luxury 10mm thick screen.
Our selection of high-quality 8mm or 10mm thick toughened safety glass screens are suitable for use with shower trays or wet room floors. Combine more than one panel to make a two-sided or three-sided wet room enclosure.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:
The following recommendations should be considered when looking for and choosing a screen for your wet room or bathroom:
All screens should be manufactured in toughened glass to meet both UK and European safety standards.
A screen of at least 8mm thickness is recommended. This is especially important when the shower will be used by young children, elderly persons and those unsteady on their feet or with mobility problems.
An easy clean coating is a great addition. This will most certainly take the elbow work out of cleaning, and will help to maintain it in a gleaming, pristine condition.
With screen lengths of 1000mm or over, it is strongly recommended that some form of bracing is used at the end furthest away from the fixing wall, this could be a top bracing bar, ceiling to screen bar, or for total stability a floor to ceiling post.
The ideal entry access required for a shower area is 500mm to 600mm, however this all depends on the individual.
Don't forget access for the screen to your room - this can often be overlooked until the delivery day, and then realised you can't get the screen up the stairs or around a corner, especially with the larger (1000mm+) screens.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Nominal Size Measurements
All shower screen widths stated by the manufacturer are nominal sizes, i.e the actual glass panel will be a little shorter than the width stated. For example, a Merlyn Ionic 1000mm screen is actually 969mm in width. All shower screen manufacturers state the screen width as a 'nominal' size to allow for tiling when the screen is mounted on a shower tray, this is standard practice. Some (but not all) of the shortfall in length can be taken up by using the maximum adjustments of the shower wall profile if you are using one, see below.
Shower Screen Adjustments
Adjustments allow for easy, secure fixing when mounting the screen against a wall. Most shower screen manufacturers products allows a generous amount of movement at each wall profile. The profile is the piece that fixes to the wall, and as these profiles have “adjustments”, most screens can be securely fixed into position even when walls are not precisely straight or if the thickness of your choice of tiles affects the installation space for your screen.
Green Tint
The more expensive luxury shower screens (Aqata & Merlyn Series) tend to be more expensive due to the lower iron content in the glass. This lower iron content results in a clearer finsh to the screen. Screens with a higher iron content can have a slight green tint, often signified by the green edge of the glass. Although it must be stressed that this greenish tint is not over obvious, so if you are looking for a shower screen at an affordable price Sommer Evolve & Merlyn Ionic are hard to beat for the price.
SHOWER CONFIGURATIONS:
Shower Screen Enclosures:
By using two or more shower screens together with the use of extra optional fittings, a range of shower enclosures can be created. Resulting in a truly bespoke enclosure as the centre piece of the wet room or walk in shower. Some example configurations are shown to the right.
Shower Screen Flipper / Deflector / Return Panels:
A flipper, deflector or return panel as it is sometimes known, is a panel of glass placed at the end(s) of the shower screens to help maintain the water spray further. Depending on the manufacturer these are available in hinged or fixed configurations in 200mm or 300mm length’s.
A hinged flipper panel is the ideal addition for when you need a longer length screen but you need to maintain enough of a gap to access the shower area. The flipper can be hinged inwards to allow access, and then turned parallel to the main screen when showering to maximise the length covered by the screen.
Hinged Shower Screens / Folding Shower Screens:
If space is of a premium consider using a wall hinged or folding shower screen to maximise access to the shower area. Available in the Merlyn Series range.
THE BRANDS WE STOCK:
SOMMER EVOLVE
MERLYN
KUDOS
AQATA
We hope you have found this guide helpful so that you and your family will be able to shower in surroundings that are not only perfect for them, but that looks great too.