There's lots to think about before you invest in a new bathroom...
What water supply do you have? Conventional gravity system, a 'combi' boiler or a pressurised system? Do you want both a bath and a shower – or just one or the other? If you're including a shower, do you want to go the traditional route with a tray and enclosure arrangement or with the increasingly popular wet room option?
Is accessibility an issue? If so, you might want to think about a wet room or a rectangular, walk-in shower that offers more space than a corner cubicle and can accommodate a seat if it's needed.
And that's just the beginning!
BATHS
There's a massive selection of baths available in various shapes and sizes.
The more traditional styles typically vary from 1200-1800 mm in length and come in all manner of constructions. Then there are the shower baths, free standing baths and corner baths.
Some are fashioned in steel, while others are acrylic or resin and reinforced to different strengths and rigidity standards.
With so many options, we suggest you look at what's available from these manufacturers and suppliers, who supply some of the most popular ranges.
However, please tell us if you see something you like elsewhere, as these are by no means the only people we deal with.
SHOWERS
If you're planning to install a shower, first you need to decide whether it's to be a tray and enclosure or a wet room.
We can help with both.
SHOWER TRAYS
There are many manufacturers of shower trays and they come in many forms, including a 25mm composite construction, a 35mm deep steel variety and – on special order only – a 90mm deep stone and gel coat tray.
WET ROOMS
A wet room system requires
a completely level access area throughout the bath/shower room. Generally, the overall design is minimalistic, with a single glass panel installed to contain some water. Of the many players in this field, we mostly recommend
Kudos,
Jackon,
Wedi and
Impey – all have proven to be very reliable.
SHOWER ENCLOSURES
Of all the numerous options out there, we think
Kudos takes some beating – and not least because its entire product range comes with a lifetime guarantee on mechanical parts and there's a team of skilled technicians available to help if any problems do occur.
Kudos only does showering solutions: all are beautifully designed, precision-engineered and at very competitive prices. There's something to suit all tastes and situations, with three distinctive enclosure styles: standard, semi-frameless and walk-in. There are also curved enclosures and various bath shower screens available.
Shower trays have a depth of 45mm and a high flow waste, so are able to cope with water flow rates up to 24 litres per minute. The latest Connect 2 trays have an innovative solution to the problem of joists being in the way of the waste connection – they have 'twin' offset waste positions that will always miss the joist.
Four main shower ranges feature in
Lakes'
catalogue; one of the more interesting is the Mirror Collection which, as the description implies, transforms the shower enclosure into a large mirror.
Other manufacturers worthy of consideration include
Vivid by Merlyn and
April.
SHOWER CONTROLS
As you'd expect, there are multiple products available in both modern and traditional styles with warranties ranging from two to five years (Mira) and up to 12 years (Vado).
Your choices will include manual, thermostatic, digital or electric controls and plenty of water delivery through single, double and triple outputs (three-way controls are especially recommended if being fitted to a high-pressure water supply).
Vado is another company that we deal with extensively and has an excellent selection of modern and contemporary shower enclosure styles as part of its extensive collection of bathroom solutions.
All Vado products come with a 12-year guarantee.
Mira's bathroom products, which include shower trays as well as shower valves and fittings, also extends to electric, conventional, power and digital showers. Its range of 'Digital' showers has been well thought through with accessible controls, so you can turn your shower on to warm up without getting wet. These are designed for pumped and high pressure solutions.
Roper Rhodes
has an expanding range of shower controls and water delivery options, including build-in and exposed showers; while
Bristan
too has a large selection of traditional and contemporary shower controls including manual, thermostatic and electric versions. Aqualisa
is probably the best known in this market, with digital technology options, along with power, electric and more conventional showers.
TAPS
There are huge numbers
of brassware suppliers
– that's what the plumbing industry calls taps, shower valves and fittings.
Most have a truly extensive product range, including many different types and styles of bathroom tap. There are plenty on offer for both low and high pressure systems and at prices
to suit all budgets.
We've already mentioned
Vado,
Roper Rhodes
and
Bristan products elsewhere, and it's certainly worth looking at their taps too. Vado alone does more than 20 different tap ranges, not to mention loads of accessories.
If you're looking for something a bit different take a peek at the
TRES
thermostatic tap. This company claims its MONO-TERM will be the mixer tap technology of the future (it also produces taps in colours including purple, orange and green!).
These are only some of the taps we supply; if you see something else you like, we may well be able to help you.
One last thought…
…you don't actually have to fit bath taps or mixers at all.
Mira, Vado,
Aqualisa
and others offer products with control valves that fill the bath via the waste overflow filler.
TOILETS
AND BASINS
Toilets, basins and bidets come in different designs and, of course, there's a range to suit all tastes and budgets.
We sell more Saneux
sanitaryware than any other brand. There's some stylish designs offering good value, as well as good quality.
Roper Rhodes, Britton Bathrooms and Roca
are long established companies with comprehensive modern ranges and for traditional designs have a look at Burlington. TapRack also offers some affordable options.
If you're looking for a WC at a comfortable height that allows for easier access for someone less able, Roper Rhodes,R2
and
Jika
is the place to go. Part of the Laufen Group
has versions that are around 8 cm taller than standard toilets. Twyford
also has complete solutions and ranges that include special care products for the less able.
