Help choosing a shower tray from bathroom-envy.com
Get help choosing your shower tray by reading the article and points below, please note that the advice here is to 'HELP' you chose your shower tray, please always consult your installer or the manufacturer if you have any further questions
Choosing the right shower tray - Material
there are several different shower tray materials on the market nowadays, but perhaps the two most common are Resin-Stone shower trays and Acrylic.
Resin stone shower trays are made from a mixture of crushed stone and a resin based glue this mixture is then poured into a mould and set, then a special gel coating is applied to give the tray its smooth white appearance.
Acrylic shower trays are made from, as the name suggests Acrylic, now in the past these trays have been branded as weak and flimsy, this certainly is not the case now, technology of these trays have moved on so far and what with newer tighter EEC regulations being enforced the shower trays have all but the same strength and durability.
Both trays have their benefits and some people prefer one over the other, the truth is that nowadays there is not much between them in terms of strength and appearance its more suitability for the job and often old fashioned information that determines which shower trays are chose. there is no question that stone resin shower trays are more durable then the acrylic ones however the overall strength of these trays are increasingly improving and Coram boast that their new 'Coratech' technology which is applied to all their trays has the same strength as a stone resin tray but with only half the weight - see Coram Shower Trays guide for more information on this. In summary we feel that if your Shower tray is to be fitted either downstairs or on a concrete base you might as well go for the traditional stone resin tray but if fitted up stairs or on weaker floor joists then fit the acrylic trays, this is only a suggestion both shower trays can be fitted in either scenario.
Choosing the right shower tray - Size
Shower trays come in a vast array of sizes ranging and here at bathroom-envy.com we are proud to say that we stock the vast amount of them from 760mm x 760mm standard shower trays to 1700mm x 760mm slimline rectangle shower tray, we also stock quadrant, offset quadrant and pentangle trays, the truth is that no one can tell you what size tray you need it always has to come down to the size of the operative and more importantly the available size in the room, but one piece of advice that we can give you about your shower tray is that if your space permits always go for the next tray up in terms of size as you would be surprised how much that extra 100mm gives you in terms of feel.
Choosing the right shower tray - Make
There are many manufacturers of shower trays available to buy on the internet these days and many of them are of good quality, but beware of the cheaper substitutes often imported from far eastern countries. At bathroom-envy.com we only supply shower trays from the most reputable (often English) manufacturers. one great tip is to do some light research on the tray you intend purchasing by searching the manufactures name through your search engine & make sure they have a website of their own advertising their own products, we feel that this is incredibly important as your shower tray only wants to be installed once.
Please see our top 3 recommended shower trays - in order!
Mira shower trays are arguably the best trays on the market in terms of design functionality and value, these trays are stone cast resin and carry long guarantees, for those who have not heard of Mira they are the market leaders in showering and of course based here in the UK see there website by typing Mira Showers into your search bar
Coram shower trays are another fine example of precision engineering and great value for money, they offer two heights of tray both made from durable acrylic, there standard height tray and there slimline 60 which is gets our thumbs up for design and appearance the reason that we have moved these trays into position 2 on our list is simply the demand for these excellent shower trays is not as great as Mira's, Coram shower trays are also manufactured here in the UK.
JT - Just shower trays have probably the biggest range of shower trays available on the net some are made from stone resin and some from acrylic each range differs so if your set on a particular tray then check the range before you order, these trays again are excellent quality and are stocked by most good retailers they are widely available and moving up the ladder in their sector, becoming increasingly more popular with installers. Again another UK based company.
If you have any questions regarding purchasing a shower tray you can either call the manufacturer of your desired tray or give us a quick e-mail and someone will call you back with some technical advice.
