Shower enclosures, shower cubicles, shower screens and shower doors

Types and forms of shower enclosures

If you want to avoid splashing shower water on the floor during showering – creating both risk of slipping and unsightly joints and edges - you have to choose a shower screen or a shower curtain. One thing becomes clear: shower enclosures are increasingly overtaking the well-known shower curtain. Not only do they offer higher splash protection, they are also more visually appealing and more hygienic because they are easier to clean. In addition, they offer an optimal solution for almost every shower and bath tub. Here you can find out which shower enclosure is suitable for which shower.
The most popular shower actually is the walk-in shower. As the name suggests, it is characterized by the fact that you can enter without any obstacles. That means there are neither doors nor steps. Usually you only need a single shower screen for a walk-in shower. This can be positioned in a corner of the room, freestanding in the room or in a niche. It is important to ensure that the shower area is not completely closed and thus guaranteeing a free space. What makes walk-in showers so special is their functionality, because they are composed of a wet and dry area: while showering takes place in the wet area, the dry area is used to enter and leave the shower. However, this also means that walk-in showers require a generous room space in the bathroom, as a certain distance between the shower fittings and the open shower area is required in order to avoid the risk of flooding the bathroom.
Niche showers are welcome, too. Here a glass door is installed in a wall niche. Which kind of glass door is used is depending on the availability of space and on the personal preference. The pivoting hinged door swings over the entire width, for example, and therefore requires enough free space in front of the shower. This also applies to two-part hinged doors, with the difference that two doors swing outwards and thus the radius needed is halved. The situation is similar with swing shower doors, which can swing inwards and outwards by 180 degrees depending on the hinge. Depending on the model, they are offered in one, two or even three-part version. The more parts, the narrower the entry area and thus the radius. Folding doors also take up space, but relatively little. They are usually folded completely to the side and therefore require a free space depending on the number of folding elements. The more folding elements there are, the less space is required. Those who have only limited space should opt for sliding doors. While opening the door, the flexible glass elements move to the right or left towards the fixed glass panel and do not take up any additional space.
However, corner showers are the most frequently represented. Here we need a shower enclosure going around a corner. Usually, it is composed of one fixed panel and one shower door. This makes the installation situation comparable to that of niche showers. Accordingly, the doors mentioned above can also be found here.
Last but not least, there are also bathtubs that require a shower enclosure. They often fulfill the function of bath tub and shower at the same time. In most instances, a fixed glass panel expanding over the half length of the bath tub is sufficient, so that you can enter on the open half of the tub. If the bathtub is not installed in a corner, it is advisable to install a glass panel at the head end of the tub, too. Of course, there are also shower enclosures surrounding the entire tub. However, these versions are getting increasingly rare.