Looking for the bathroom of your dreams? asks BathEmpire. If you are, it’s within easy reach. BathEmpire have over 20 years of bathroom expertise behind them and they’ve given us their top tips to get the perfect shower, from coping with smelly teenagers to showering in luxury. Read on:
Shower vs shower bath – who wins? And why?
It all comes down to space and lifestyle. If you have one medium sized bathroom in your house then a shower bath may be your best choice. But if you have an en suite bathroom or a second bathroom you should ask yourself if you really need two showers. If you have a large family or smelly teenagers then a shower bath and a separate shower would make a lot of sense!
Concealed shower vs exposed shower – who wins?
It all depends on whether you are completely redesigning your bathroom. If you are happy with your tiles as they are, then exposed is the only choice. If you are redecorating the whole bathroom then I would definitely recommend a concealed shower. Body jets, bath fillers and large shower heads simply cannot be used with an exposed shower.
A shower is the ideal space–saver, but does size still matter?
I might have partly answered this with the first question. The only other thing to add is that most people simply don’t have time for baths – truth be told it’s been nearly a year since I last had a bath! However, we actually sell a number of shower enclosures that are only slightly smaller than a regular bath.
Which shower do you recommend for your older clientele?
Buying a thermostatic shower is a key consideration for older customers (and those with young children too). These feature a neat little device that prevents accidental scolding: you just set the temperature and enjoy.
Your top tip for buying a shower head?
There’s three things to consider: practicality, luxury and the environment. Shower heads can be a nightmare to clean but most BathEmpire shower heads feature rubber nozzles which make cleaning a dream. Our 16 inch wide showers heads are extremely luxurious, but stick to an eight inch star, square or round head shower head if you want to keep up your green credentials.
One thing to avoid when choosing a shower…
Make sure your shower is made of brass, which will not corrode in water. And if you are buying a chrome shower, check that the coating is at least 40 microns thick. Anything less than that can become flaky and your nice shiny shower will start to look shabby before long.
One thing to remember…
If you are buying a shower to fit in a shower enclosure then you might not see a reason for buying an additional hand held shower head. Certainly, the benefit isn’t obvious, at least not until you want to rinse it out afterwards. For the relatively small extra cost, these hand held shower heads are invaluable when cleaning your enclosure.
If money is no object…
Obviously the ultimate shower would have to have the largest 16 inch shower head. These are also available with LED lights which change colour as the water heats up – watch this video of the 16 inch LED shower head.
Or if you’re on a budget…
For just under £100 you can buy an exposed shower with a hand held shower head, which comes with a riser rail. This gives you a fully adjustable chrome finished shower for an absolute steal!
Any parting words of wisdom from BathEmpire?
Make sure that you plan designing your shower well in advance. You may not think at first that you need body jets or a bath filler, but it’s a hell of a lot less painful to get them added at the beginning than to wish for them later.
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