Shower Trays

There are a number of different shapes available and quite a few different materials. Each of these shapes is offered in several different sizes depending on the manufacturer and our new updated pages have details of the most popular sizes.

Shower trays are used in conjunction with a shower cubicle (or shower enclosure) although they can be used (less satisfactorily) with a shower curtain.

This site has had a major upgrade and there are now many more pages available with a lot more information on shower trays - click the following button to find out more:

shower tray

Available space will be the main factor in determining your choice of shower tray. When choosing a shower tray the general rule is to opt for as large a cubicle as possible, although the shape can also be important. The smallest cubicle, 700x700mm, is very small and should only be selected if you have no other option.

A shower tray is not always made by the same manufacturer as the shower cubicle, so care must be taken to ensure that the products chosen are compatible. This is especially important with quadrant shower cubicles as the radius of the curved section can vary, so always buy this type of cubicle and tray from the same source.

Shower Tray Materials

Shower trays can be made from several types of material:

  • stone resin shower trays
  • acrylic shower trays
  • foam filled acrylic shower trays
  • fireclay shower trays
  • steel shower trays

The majority of shower trays sold in the UK are now of the resin bonded stone variety.

Stone resin shower trays are available with a flat base suitable for installation on a solid floor with the pipework being run below the floor level. However, some are also now available with adjustable legs and detachable panels enabling the waste pipe to be run above the floor and allowing access to the shower trap. The main disadvantage of stone resin shower trays is that the gel coat used to produce the glossy surface is softer than other materials and can lose its sheen over a period of time. To address this problem some manufacturers now offer stone resin trays that are capped with an acrylic layer rather than a gel coat.

Acrylic trays are made in the same way as acrylic baths and are reinforced by a solid baseboard with adjustable legs, enabling pipework to be run above floor level. The foam filled acrylic trays that first appeared in the 70's had no reinforcing and acted like trampolines before eventually cracking. The finish on acrylic trays should outlast stone resin trays but they are generally more expensive.

Shower trays can also be made from enamelled steel or from ceramic. These are not very common in the UK and as a consequence are expensive by comparison.

Shower Tray Upstands

Some shower trays are available with "upstands" on two three or four sides. These upstands can then be tiled over, ensuring a watertight finish is produced. Upstand trays require the walls to be true and square to avoid the tiles protruding. These upstands can also be used with a shower wall panel.

Shower Tray Colours

Most trays are available in white, pergamon, and soft cream. Standard stone resin trays are also available can still be obtained in many of the older or "discontinued" colours i.e. burgundy, avocado, champagne, sun king, pampas, coral pink, turqoise, primrose, sky blue. We have established a link with a supplier that specialises in these discontinued colours - click here for details

 


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