Walk-in shower guide
Walk-in showers are a type of shower enclosure that don't feature a door. Instead, they use glass shower panels and a tiled floor or shower tray to create an enclosure that you can simply ‘walk into’. In this guide, we outline everything you need to know about walk-in showers so you can make the right choice for your bathroom.
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Walk-in shower components
Walk-in shower enclosures consist of the following parts:
- Shower tray
- Walk-in shower enclosure
- Bathroom walls
Shower tray
Unlike a wet room, a walk-in shower will either have a tiled area that's separate from the rest of the bathroom, or a shower tray. In general, larger shower trays are chosen for walk-in showers as they allow you to shower without splashing too much water into the rest of the bathroom. If you want to create a more seamless transition between your shower and the rest of the bathroom, choose a low profile shower tray.
Walk-in shower enclosures
Walk-in shower enclosures are lightweight partitions that enclose your shower and keep it watertight. You’ll need between one and four glass panels depending on the layout you choose.
Bathroom walls
For the walls of your walk-in shower enclosure, you’ll need to use tiles or bathroom wall panels.
Walk-in shower layouts
The layout of a walk-in shower can be adapted to suit your own needs and the layout of your bathroom.
Installing against 1 wall
If you’re installing your walk-in shower against 1 wall, you can use 3 or 4 panels.
Installing against 2 walls
If you want to install a walk-in shower in a corner, you can use 1 or 2 panels.
Installing between 3 walls
If you’re installing your walk-in shower between 3 walls, you can use 1 panel or no panel at all.
Benefits of walk-in showers
Walk-in showers will give your bathroom a beautifully modern, minimalist look without the cost and expense of installing a wet room. The open layout of a walk-in shower will also help your bathroom feel more open and spacious, helping to turn it into a relaxing oasis.
Walk-in showers are also highly adaptable to different bathroom shapes. Whether you want to install against 1, 2 or 3 walls, you’ll be able to find a combination of shower panels and shower tray to suit.
With no door, there’s also no hinges or sliding mechanism to hide dirt and grime. This means walk-in shower enclosures can be much easier to keep clean.
Larger, more open showering space
One of the key benefits of a walk-in shower compared to a traditional shower enclosure is the extra space they provide. Particularly when installed with a larger shower tray, walk-in showers offer more space to move around comfortably, and also leave more space for adaptations such as shower seats and grab rails to be installed.
Walk-in showers also don’t feature a door that needs to be opened and closed and will often have a larger entry point than a traditional shower enclosure. This makes walk-in showers much easier to enter and exit than a smaller enclosure with a door.
Low threshold
Walk-in shower enclosures don’t provide the threshold free entry of a wet room. However, they can be installed with a low profile shower tray which will reduce the height of the step into and out of the enclosure. Walk-in showers do, however, feature a much lower threshold to entry than a traditional shower bath and many standard shower enclosures.
Simpler installation
As walk-in showers don’t require your entire bathroom to be waterproofed, they are easier to install than a wet room. You may also be able to install a walk-in shower without needing to completely renovate your entire bathroom, as it’s likely you would when installing a wet room.
Easy to adapt
Walk in showers are more open and spacious than other shower types, which leaves more room for adapting the space with independent living products such as shower seats and grab rails.
Anti-slip
When choosing a shower tray for your walk-in shower, choose an anti-slip tray which will provide more grip than a standard shower tray, helping to prevent slips and falls.