Shower Head & Tap Positioning
To minimize leakage, position showerheads toward tiled walls or fixed panels. Where possible avoid shower heads being positioned opposite a door or other opening.
Consider tap placement for ease of getting in and out of your shower. This goes for your towel rail placement also, near the door or entrance to your shower and away from any potential over spray, particularly important for showers with no door.
Save money design with the right angle in mind
Plan for your shower to be built using 90°, 135°, or 180° angles. Most shower hardware is designed to accommodate these angles, so planning your shower with this in mind ensures a more cost-effective installation and a properly functioning enclosure.
Shower Doors
For compliance hinged shower doors MUST open outwards. Premium hardware and best practice would ensure an out-ward and inward swinging door.
Try to avoid designing your shower screen door opening into the vanity or the bathroom door. This creates a hazard for those swinging toughened glass hitting something risks the glass exploding.
Don’t underestimate your door size. Space may be limited but if your shower has a door make sure you can still fit through it! I would aim for 550mm at an absolute minimum, but just make sure it’s designed with the main user in mind. You don’t want to walk sideways into your shower everyday.
If your space cannot be configured for a hinged shower door, consider choosing a sliding shower door. Your other alternatives include double sliding doors, which come either semi-frameless or framed, and a shower screen which leaves ample clearance space in case of an emergency.
If you opt for no door, the position of your drain and fall of your tiling is critical to minimise excessive water on the ground outside the shower. No slip tile choice is a must in this design also.
Choose Custom Glass
75% of houses have out of plumb walls so purchasing glass that’s not made to measure for your walls will lead to unsightly gaps, water leakage and or hinge bind.
MOST IMPORTANTLY…
✔ Choose Peace of Mind
✔ Choose an expert to measure and install the glass!
While this may seem like a no-brainer, I’ve spoken to many homeowners who have attempted to select and install shower screens on their own or hired a plumber or handyman with next to no experience in glass.
Do not make this mistake! Installing shower screens takes a significant amount of skill.
If things go wrong, it becomes a costly and more importantly, a dangerous affair. Common rookie errors often involve long term water issues from poor design and or execution including drilling in the wrong place compromising waterproofing. Often this may not be discovered until later and can lead to excess of water which over a long term can cause structural, discolouration, mould and rot.
Engaging someone with the expertise to precisely measure is critical. Frameless showers require perfect gaps to minimise water leakage and correct functionality of the door. Not to mention the perfectly aesthetic finish required.
You want your shower glass custom made for every panel to line up seamlessly with the grout line of your tiles.
Your shower needs to comply with current Australian Standards: AS2200 and AS1288, this includes the selection of the glass type and thickness, hardware, silicone used and the way it is installed.
Using a professional means less headaches and if something goes wrong you have a warranty to fall back on.
