5 tips to help you select the right shower screen

If you're building or renovating, you may be feeling a bit stuck or overwhelmed with all the selections that need to be made. Bathrooms have so many different components that need to come together and while selecting a shower screen might sound simple and boring, there are actually a few options available. Taking a moment to understand the different types available can help you select the most suitable option for you - that's why we've put together 5 tips to help you select the right shower screen:

1 | Open or Enclosed

Whether a shower screen can be open or enclosed mostly depends on how much space you have and the location of your shower within the room. We love walk-in showers with shower screen panels where one end is completely open as it looks really luxurious and can help your bathroom feel much larger. However, you need to make sure you have enough space for a 1200mm long screen minimum so that water doesn't splash out of the shower constantly. It's also helpful to consider what sits in front of the shower, as even with a 1200mm screen, it may still get wet. Are you happy to wipe down surfaces after you shower if water does splash out a little? If not, you may need a 1500-1800mm long screen instead. You also need to make sure you have at least a 600mm opening to get into the shower comfortably.

If your bathroom is on the smaller side and you don't have enough space for a 1200-1800mm long shower, then an enclosed shower screen with a door is usually the best option. Keep in mind where your shower screen door will be located in relation to other doors, towel rails, vanities or toilets so that the door isn't hitting something else when being opened. You can also consider a sliding door on your shower screen if this is more suitable to your space and layout.

2 | Framed or Frameless

Glass shower screens come in fully framed, semi-framed or fully frameless. We mostly use fully frameless shower screens as it can really help make the space appear larger and is much easier to clean as well. However, framed shower screens can also become a feature and really enhance your design if done right. Frames usually come in chrome, brushed chrome, matt black, brushed gold, rose gold and white finishes. This means that you can often match the frame to your tapware if using a feature colour. You can also consider doing a contrasting finish to your tapware to make the screen a focal point - for example, if using chrome tapware, you might do the shower screen, feature lights and/or handles in a matt black or gold as a feature within the space.

3 | Clear or fluted

The most popular type of shower screen glass is a standard clear finish, however, there are other options as well. Fluted (or reeded) glass shower screens are becoming quite popular at the moment. The textured glass finish makes it more of a feature which looks fantastic particularly as a stand alone shower screen panel. Fluted shower screens also have the added advantage of creating more privacy than a normal clear shower screen. Other (less popular) options also include frosted or tinted glass.

4 | Wall and/or glass

Depending on your bathroom size and layout, you might prefer to ditch the glass shower screen altogether and add a tiled wall instead. This can enhance the room as well by creating a wall that can be used to place a vanity, towel rails or a bath on the other side. You can also do a half tiled wall to the bottom and half glass wall to the top. This still allows you to break up the room and create an extra wall for towel rails, etc. while allowing light to pass into the shower space and make the room feel bigger.

5 | Additional considerations

A few other things that are important to consider:

• Heights - it's important to ensure that the shower screen is high enough to go past the top of your shower rose so no water can come out the top. Floor to ceiling shower screens look fantastic, but we tend to avoid this for enclosed showers as it traps the steam inside the shower cubicle. If you're considering a very high and wide shower screen, make sure you are able to fit this through doorways and staircases to get it into the bathroom.

• Curved corners - a simple but effective feature you can add to a frameless shower screen panel is a curved corner. You may even want to go one step further with an arched shower screen.

• Hardware colours - even if having a frameless shower screen, you will still need to specify a finish/colour for the wall brackets/channel and the door handle if having an enclosed shower. As with framed shower screens, these usually come in a range of finishes so there is often a colour that can match your tapware.

I hope these tips have been helpful! If you want to find out more about how we can help you with your project, get in contact with us below:

Have a wonderful week!

Nina xx