Are you considering having a new shower stall or perhaps contemplating a good shower kit that will look nice in your bathroom and enhance your showering experience? Perhaps your existing shower arrangement has gone old or got broken. Whatever be the circumstances or reasons, you can surely get a first class shower stall or shower kit to have more enjoyable experience in the bathroom.

Shower stalls and shower kits are available in a large variety of designs and materials. You can choose to have a shower enclosure or a corner shower kit. You’ll also need to decide on the material of which it is made of. Again, you may opt to go for a tub or a bi fold shower. So, the options are very many which you should consider, keeping you budget in mind and the space available in your present bathroom. Features, design and cost apart, you must be sure of the space available for the new item you are looking to buy. It will not be out of place to add here that your choice is largely decided by the available space, lest you buy the best quality and an expensive item, only to realize that it just won’t fit in the available space!

If looking for a good shower kit or shower stall, you may start your search by looking at some of the renowned home improvement stores of the kind of Lowe’s and The Home Depot. You can touch and get a feel of the product and perhaps see it in working order before confirming your requirements. Feel free to question the attendants there and seek their advice before you narrow down your choice to any particular model.
It will be a good option to search online and gather information on what all is available and compare the prices and features. You may like visiting Nextag.com that has a vast selection of kits.

Some of the excellent brands that shouldn’t escape your attention are American Standard and Sterling, both of which are made from materials of high quality. These brands are renowned for their quality and design, making it worthwhile for you to spend time checking them out.
Here’s a related topic that I haven’t talked so far, so I make a short subtitle here to describe the same. Those of you looking for a new shower stall in the bathroom will surely find it of interest.

Walk-In Shower Stalls: A Spa Right at Your Home

Well, these are all items of pride, to say the least. They bring in elegance to your bathroom. The continuous process of modernization has included bathrooms too. From flushes and bathtubs to Jacuzzis and whirlpools, a walk-in shower stall is great addition any modern and stylish bathroom.
A walk-in shower stall is quite akin to having an additional room within the bathroom. It acts as a partition between the shower area and the toilet, thus gives a better sense of privacy, which you would surely wish to have when enjoying a comfortable shower at the end of a tiring day.
When space is a constraint, walk-in shower stalls or enclosures may not have any door. This is just an area earmarked for showering that has the looks of a wet room or spa. There is just one partition that segregates the area. The main limitation, however, is that being open area water may enter or get splashed all over the area.

The two most popular themes for shower stalls are the spa and rustic design. The latter gives a country feel and uses materials in earthen tones. It incorporates slates, tiles and shower heads. This design of enclosure mimics sauna, employing elements of beech, cedar, copper and wood.
The spa design, in contrast, represents wholesome relaxation and involves using subdued colors of pastels and creams including materials like limestone.

The most popular material for shower stalls is glass. You can choose it to be clear, frosted, stained or etched as per you personal preference. The other options are bricks or tiles, usually opted for door-less models. Apart from working as a partitioning wall between the vanity and shower area, it can be used for hanging your clothes and works well as a wall décor. Wood may be used to the minimum possible extent, just as an element for enhancing style, because on getting wet, wood leads to the formation of mold and mildew.

You also get enclosures with seat, just enough to get a feel of sauna. Such shower enclosure could reduce your visits to sauna health club and thus save some of your expense. The next obvious step is spa!

The contents of this post were posted by HomeColumns, your source of getting any information on everything starting from ottoman trays to bathtubs.

There is little doubt that followed by kitchen, the most frequented room in any household is the bathroom. So, homeowners look for ways to make that room comfortable for an enjoyable experience therein. The present trend is to have bathroom shower stalls that are comfortable and stylish while remaining functional. As a matter of fact, installation of separate shower stall along with a separate tub allows better utilization of the space available in your bathroom. And, that helps to add to the aesthetics of the bathroom design.

However, many are not aware of the benefits of installing a separate tub and shower stall. One benefit is that the bathroom shower stall helps customizing the look of shower design. You will realize that the shower seats and body sprays are better utilized even when you have a stand alone shower provided with a shower door. As you decide to get installed separate ones, it’s best to have the tub and the stall side by side. Such a layout results to having a better cohesiveness of the design and also saves the plumbing expenses.

Another important advantage of installing the bathroom stalls is that it is easily done. The helping hand need not be very skilled. But the installation of tiled shower stalls is somewhat difficult for an average householder, and it would be worth seeking the help of a professional, should you decide to go for the tiled variety. It’s better to go for a prefab shower stall that is generally made of fiberglass or acrylic. The advantage of these stalls is that they are easy to mend in case they develop spots or get scratched.

The advantages of these units are many. They give a neat look to the bathroom, making it more functional and look bigger. It also adds to the safety of using the bathroom as the water won’t get splashed all over the floor every time someone uses the shower. However, you get better designing ideas on using tiled showers. That’s because in such a case everything is made from the scratch, whereas the prefab kind, as the name suggests, are ready to be installed and give you no freedom of design. Ultimately, it all depends upon your personal requirements and choice.

It’s almost a ritual for most to have a shower at least once a day, though the time and duration of being under the bath varies a lot. The benefits of shower are too well known. It not only provides relief to tired muscles but relaxes the mind too. But imagine an elderly person who is unable to stand without adequate external support trying to have an enjoyable shower. Or the case of a handicapped person who is confined to a wheelchair! Well, there are options for such person in the present technological era.

Handicap shower stalls are specifically designed for the use of handicapped persons. The intention is to provide the bather with a sense of security and safety, enabling him to enjoy showering experience. The shower for a handicap is slightly larger than the normal one. Though it’s possible to transform a traditional shower to suit the requirements of a handicapped person, it’s better to remodel it completely.

There are two options for a handicapped person for the purpose of having a shower. One option is that the handicapped straightaway goes for the shower while continuing to sit in his chair. In such a case, the shower area needs to be a minimum of 60”x30” for the wheel chair to be turned around. Moreover, the doorsill needs to be removed for the wheelchair to enter the shower area. If the doorsill is too high, you’ll have problems getting the wheelchair in the bathing area.

In such an eventuality, you need to have barrier free shower bases or pans. Some of the shower bases are designed to get tilted for preventing water from getting splashed all over the floor of the bathroom. Then, you also get showers with collapsible threshold wherein it gets collapsed when the wheelchair passes over it and again springs back to its normal position thus forming an enclosure for water.

If circumstances don’t permit the use of wheelchair, you need to install a shower bench. It’s better to go for one that can be mounted in the shower. When mounting a shower bench, you need to ensure that it gets anchored to the studs at the rear of the shower. You also get shower benches that get folded against the wall when not in use.

The continued downward trend of housing market is prompting people to upgrade their present homes, rather than shifting to a new place. Bathroom is the second most popular room that undergoes renovation. That’s because we all like to enjoy bathing in a nice looking bathroom. Replacing the whole shower fixture needs massive amount of money, but if you are not in a position to afford that kind of money, there’s an economical solution to that. You may just replace the shower enclosure and get a stylish bathroom with welcoming looks.

The shower enclosures are available in a variety of material and designs, over an equally wide range of prices, Therefore it becomes easy for any buyer to appropriately choose one that comes within the budget limitations. For instance, you may choose to have one in clear glass or acrylic. The framework may be of stainless steel, chrome, polished brass, brushed nickel, or white finish. You may consider any that jells with the overall design of interiors that you may have in mind. It may be hinted here that a modern styled bathroom will look great with shining chrome, whereas polished brass accented showers will enhance the beauty of an antique-styled bathroom.

You may replace your old shower with a new one that precisely fits in the space allotted for the old one or you may opt for a slight variation of size, depending on the availability of space. Then, you get shower enclosure that may be fitted in a corner, on the middle of ceiling or practically anywhere to suit your convenience. Since it is going to be there for a considerable time, it will be worth spending some time to explore different options for its design and installation. End of the day it should have aesthetic looks and add to your pleasure.

The most favorable point for installation of a new shower stall is that it really brightens your bathroom at almost half the cost of a new shower. By marginally extending your budget, you may consider replacing the old showerhead with a new one that complements the new shower stall. Replacement of the shower column is the only expensive part of the whole scheme. That may entail the services of a plumber for making the water connections and you have to pay for installation of the shower column on the wall, unless you decide to do it yourself. Otherwise, you can easily remove the old shower enclosures and replace it yourself without the help of a plumber or any additional helping hand.

So, spare one of your weekends for this easy and simple DIY home improvement project that beautifully alters the looks of your bathroom without necessarily requiring the help of any specialist. You will appreciate that by avoiding replacement of the complete showers, you get the looks of a new shower stall at a considerably less expense, at about half the cost. The money thus saved may be utilized to have similar new arrangement in the other bathroom or perhaps you would like to a couple of the old accessories with some of the modern ones. You’ll really be surprised and pleased to have your bathroom with new welcoming looks at affordable expense that further enhances the pleasure of being in the bathroom.

It’s good that you decided to remodel your home, but do include a shower stall in your scheme of things.

Why Shower Stalls?

Because of the advantages offered by shower stalls, an increasing number of people prefer these to bathtubs. Here are the advantages/reasons:

- The most favorable feature of these shower stalls is that they occupy considerably less space than a bathtub. In fact they are ideal for small bathrooms.

- The present lifestyle of most makes it convenient to have a quick shower rather than spending so much time for bathing in bathtub.

- You don’t need any special or engineering skills for installation of a shower.

Present day shower stalls can be designed in many shapes of varying sizes to suit the available space. Of course, normally you get them in standard shapes of a square or a rectangle, but you also get them in the shape of a triangle, hexagon or even pentagon. Actually, you can have them made to fit the interiors of your bathroom and thus make better utilization of available space, while adding a dash of style.

With shower stalls gaining popularity, an array of interesting and innovative accessories continue to develop simultaneously. Now, you may have a shower stall along with a bathtub. The available accessories allow you to have a theme based shower and a spa like shower. If you can have a source of steam in your bathroom, go ahead with a steam shower, taking extra-care to ensure it remains waterproof. You also get Jacuzzi kits that can be fixed on the bathtub wall, thus creating a Jacuzzi bath.

There’s available quite a variety of designs for showerheads that is not restricted to standard ‘out of the wall’ design. You may have an overhead showerhead or a sidebar showerhead and even a sliding showerhead, with each offering its own advantages. For instance, an overhead showerhead, fixed in the ceiling of your bathroom enables you stand directly below it that allows water-jet to encompass your body. You may have an overhead showerhead along with a side bar that runs along the sides of the shower stall to totally surround your body with water falling from all sides. Sliding showerheads mean that you can adjust their height along the vertical axis, depending on the height of the bather.

For an impressive and beautiful bathroom install a modern shower stall made from etched glass available in pleasant shades. However, there are certain points you need to keep in mind while undertaking the installation of a shower stall in your bathroom or while remodeling the same.

It’s imperative to check your floor space and ensure proper water drainage and water supply system. Make a list of items needed and arrange their installation and carry out necessary repairs, if any. The installation of a new shower stall necessasitates the provision of all the piping work for cold and hot water plus the drainage system. In case of a steam shower you need to ensure proper and sufficient ventilation. In case you decide to have a shower stall with door, the size of the door should at least be 5X8 feet to ensure the required drainage. Such shower stalls also need extra heating arrangements.

It’s a great feeling to have a modern shower stall that simply makes you experience the pleasures associated with bathing, while it continues to reflect your exclusive style therein.

However unpleasant the task of cleaning the bathtub or shower stall be, we can’t help avoiding it for long and it needs to be done for maintaining basic hygiene. The limited size of the stalls further imposes restrictions on the movements of the cleaner who often gets bruises and cuts in the process. Despite frequent cleaning and wiping, the grout, glass, plastic, and metal-parts of the stall would still develop spots or get soiled or corroded.

It’s quite an expensive proposition to replace these stalls. You can prevent all that by following these tips.

They always say ‘prevention is better than cure’ and that holds true here too. You can help the situation by installing a portable wrap-around plastic-curtain liner within the stall that saves the walls and accessories from getting spoiled and they retain their shine for long with very nominal cleaning efforts on the part of the users. You’ll be glad to get rid of grimy, gritty, scummy, moldy stall, and forever.

In principle it involves assembly and installation of a rectangular plastic frame within the stall at the height of the showerhead. This is followed by hanging curtains from the frame all around the interior of the stall. The frame is held in place by the pressure put forth by the flexible crutch tips used for making it. This is just the way an adjustable bathtub curtain rod is kept in place by tension. In effect it means you have created another stall of plastic frame within the existing stall. With its installation, all the wear and tear and spoiling actions are born by the washable curtain-liner. So, you door, walls and the faucets remain clean.

How to make the curtain-liner frame.
The list of required parts and the directions for making the frame are given below. It should be installed just below the showerhead and just behind the top frame of the stall’s entry curtain or door, if there is one. Such a positioning puts the frame about one inch from the wall and 73-inches above the floor of the stall.

At this juncture, hang 2-3 overlapping shower curtains from plastic hooks of the frame, but away from the showerhead. Keep a part of the curtain-liner behind the entrance for sliding open or closing to facilitate entry and exit. If there is no door, set the sliding portion to the point of common entrance.

The total cost of making this labor saving device wouldn’t go beyond $40. Yet, there is always scope for lowering it down by making use of left over parts of some other similar project and by being a smart buyer.

You’ll need the following for a 29×48″ stall.

* Two 10-foot rods of ¾-inch white PVC plastic pipe; $2.50 each
* Four ¾-inch white plastic-pipe T’s; $0.50 each
* Four ¾-inch light-colored rubber crutch tips; $0.50 each
* 36 shower-curtain hooks (plastic); $4 box/dozen
* Three 72-inch tall household shower curtains; $5-10 each

Note: For big rectangular stalls you may use two real twist-adjustable bathtub curtain rods without their plastic caps instead of two long precut plastic pipe rods. It saves the bother of precise measurement and cutting of the rods. Under such circumstances you may need four one-inch washers to hold the bare ends of the rods in place into the T’s.

You may further shorten the whole procedure by having a bathtub curtain rod on both the longer sides of the stall, and then running a nylon cord or aluminum wire across the two far ends of the two rods to have a complete frame. For this quick measure, you need not make any precise measurements.

A standard-sized shower stall may be a 29-inches square or 48×30-inches rectangular or bigger, whereas the size of a bathtub-shower combinations may vary from 60×29-inches or larger. Therefore, before you cut the two end-rods of the frame for the narrow sides of the stall with a fine-cut saw, measure each distance separately, keeping space for the transversely attached T’s on both the ends of both the rods. Follow the directions here.

1. For stalls with standard widths, cut two plastic-pipe end-rods of 25±1/4-inches in length, each as measured. Chafe the rough ends smooth.

2. Put in the ends of these two rods into the side ports of the four plastic T’s (no cement needed).

3. Include a crutch tip into one end of each T on each rod, allowing the tips to be in the same direction. The two end-rods with the T-assemblies attached are now complete for the stall.

4. Carefully measure the estimated length of each of the two longer pipe rods separately for each side of the stall, keeping margin for the combined length of the T’s and crutch tips. The stalls may not be perfectly vertical or squares. That’s why these rods should be cut a little longer than the calculated measurement by roughly 1/4-inch each. Then, following hit and trial attempts, slowly cut these two rods to their exact lengths enabling the frame to hang by itself under the right amount of tension on each side.

5. Fix curtain hooks on all the four walls of the rod frame.

6. Hang the curtains by overlapping them. Keep them away from the shower spray or any likely splattering. Overlap them by 10 to 16-inches, depending on the dimension of the stall and the width of the curtains. Keep an overlap of about ten inches on the sliding portion at the entrance in closed position.

Now, the liner is wrapped around all the inner perimeter of the stall, right from floor to the top of the curtains. The lower end of the curtains may barely embrace the floor. Else, you may slightly raise or lower the frame to take a new position in the corners, without fearing to scratch the walls as crutch tips are already there.

While bathing or showering, use a part of the curtain itself as a sort of hand glove for adjusting the flow of water thru faucets or other controls. This helps to keep the accessories clean and saves you the bother of making holes in the curtains.

The walls of the stall or other accessories behind the curtains are not harmed by steam or mist as they get evaporated in due course of time, as from the mirrors. To continue to have neat curtain liner, use mild soaps and operate the spray at low pressure to avoid splashes over them. Moreover, the floor of the stall is almost self-cleaned by the swashing of bather’s feet.

Going over the main advantages of the frame and curtain-liner:

The walls of the stall and other accessories remain clean and gleaming all the time
You don’t really need a squeegee or wipe-down rag at the end of your bath.
The perimeter-shaped stall liner offers sufficient room to bathe or shower comfortably
It’s easy to maintain the liner curtains, being machine washable, or can easily be replaced whenever needed.
Colorful or designer curtains can be used, if desired
You may hang a shower rack from the showerhead pipe to hold soaps, shampoos, brushes etc
The liner frame is detachable, as it’s not attached to the walls by screws or glue.
The frame and liner give a neat and practical look.

The installation of a prefabricated shower stall is a multi-skilled job, requiring the ability to undertake plumbing, carpentry, and wall-preparation and finishing jobs. But, it’s not too difficult to be ventured into if you plan the activities and have the required tools. Of course it’s not something to be hurried thru as it takes time. Keep a margin of three to four days and go ahead.

Before getting started, make sure you have all the requisite tools, and procure the shower stall before you start building the frame, as it will help to have a perfect fit.

The tools that you are going to use for installing a prefabricated shower include: electric drill, tape measure, caulk, plumb level, screws, pencil, hole saw, shower/tub adhesive, tape, leather work gloves, work boots an adjustable wrench and a hammer. You’ll also need some protective gear for you eyes while handling power tools.

Moving and shifting of a prefab shower into position is a tricky and somewhat cumbersome affair. You have to move in that thru an existing doorway or an outside window. At times one is required to remove small part of the wall for letting the unit inside and that may require professional help.

As prefabricated shower stalls come with watertight walls, you’ll need cement-based backer boards.

It is worthwhile to install insulation between the studs to lessen plumbing noise.

For drilling of holes in unit’s walls to accommodate faucet and shower, you should take accurate measurements and use protective eye-gear at the time of drilling.
Now, carefully position the parts and attach the unit to the frame. To prevent leakages at a later stage, it is important that you correctly fit the drain piece, shower handle, escutcheon, and showerhead and seams should be caulked proficiently. Check for any leaks and make alterations if required. Mind you, it will be very difficult and expensive to carry corrections at a later date.

At the end finish the walls before fixing a shower door or a curtain bar. It’s of paramount importance to seal the joints of the bathroom floor and walls, and the shower enclosure by means of a quality silicone sealant. It will help to install a water resistant drywall along the top edge of the shower stall. Likewise, it is recommended to have tiles on it stop edge. That works better than paint or wallpaper.

Unless you have had good experience of plumbing, dry walling and demolition, it will be wise to entrust the whole job to a professional.

Keep in mind that perfect installation of prefabricated shower stalls needs patience, skills and is a time consuming project. Special care should be taken of plumbing to have a sound unit. Of course, a successful installation is feasible if you take all the precautions to prevent leakages and are not in a hurry to finish the project, else seek professional help.

It’s not uncommon for a bathtub in many homes to serve the dual purpose of a bathtub and a shower. Given the limited sizes of bathrooms that many homes have, it makes a viable proposition to save already limited space while having the option of using the fixture as a bathtub or a shower.

You may find it worthwhile to explore the idea of remodeling or renovating your bathroom to accommodate only a shower or you may realize that certain adjustments in the bathroom will enable you to have two separate fixtures.

Take your time to plan as per the space at your disposal. It’s very important to take precise measurements to avoid unnecessary embarrassments and wasting your time and money. Look into various possibilities of arranging or rearranging of bathroom fixtures. And, you may wonder at the additional space that you get by doing so. This part of the plan is quite akin to shifting and rearranging of furniture in your living room.

Once you have drawn plans for acquiring a new stand-alone shower for your bathroom, including the accessories that you are going to need, it’s time to go shopping.

Consider yourself lucky if you mange to get all the required items from one store, as most often one has to visit a couple of stores to collect all the required items. But you’ll certainly need these: a shower floor, shower walls, a showerhead and a shower door. Apart from these you’ll require other not-so-expensive items needed for the execution of this project and there may be slight variations due typical design of your bathroom.

Stand-alone showers are available in a variety of shapes, designs and styles. As such, there is a wide range of prices also. It should not be difficult to locate one that satisfies your needs while continuing to be within your budget.

Whatever be your choice or preferences, it will be worthwhile to conduct your own research, be it online or off-line to know all that’s available and to have a fairly good idea of the prices. Nevertheless, you should have a minimum budget of two to three hundred dollars, as a model at the lower end is sure to cost that much. But, again it’s a matter of choice and your budget, asking you to strike a balance between the two. No doubt the trendier models are very attractive and priced accordingly.

You should appreciate that any home improvement project is a value-addition to your home, should you decide to sell it anytime. Remodeling of bathroom is one such improvement and lasts for many years to come and provides you comfort and pleasure.

You should be relieved to learn that shower supplies are often sold in kit-forms, meaning all the needed materials are packed together in one lot, thus saving you time and money. You may buy such kits from any of the home improvement stores or you may even order one online to suit your convenience.

With little practical experience and planning you should be able to do it of your own as most of the stand-alone kits provide you with the necessary instructions. At the end of it all, you are sure to feel elated for having accomplished it yourself. Plus you get the added advantage of having saved quite a bit of money in doing so.