Shower Trays: A Popular Bathroom Choice for a Reason

Besides choosing the right bathroom basin and flooring solution, another thing that can play a huge role in the aesthetics of your bathroom is the shower base. Gone are the days when bathtubs were the one and only choice for bathrooms. Nowadays, you can choose from a large selection of enclosures, shower doors and shower bases. Also known as shower trays or pans, shower bases can make or break the aesthetics of your bathroom. For that very reason, choosing the right look and material is of vital importance.

Reasons to Install a Shower Tray

Shower glasses and shower bases are way more attractive than bathtubs. They are ideal for people in love with modern, contemporary, minimalist and even Scandinavian bathroom styles. Thanks to their simplicity and incredible appeal, they can seamlessly fit into any of these bathroom styles. Ranging in size, shape, height, material and finish, finding the proper shower pan for your bathroom shouldn’t be a problem. And not to mention that it’s way easier to get out of a shower base than out of a bathtub. This is especially true for children, older people and those with mobility issues.

The Most Popular Materials

SMC (Sheet Mould Compound)

The main things you should look in a shower floor are strength, functionality, flexibility and good aesthetics. One of the few materials that combine all of these features is SMC. High-grade SMC shower trays are strong, affordable, extremely light, non-corrodible and non-hygroscopic, or in other words, the ideal bathroom shower solution. This material has undergone many changes over the years in order to be used for this purpose. And besides being a great addition for almost any bathroom style, these trays are very easy to clean.

Fibreglass

Fibreglass is also a common choice for shower pans as it’s appealing, lightweight, durable and affordable. However, one of the main downsides of low-quality fibreglass trays is that they may be prone to cracks, stains, scratches and bacteria. That is why when looking for a fibreglass shower pan, you should look for high-quality models that might be a bit more expensive. However, even if you clean them regularly, mineral deposits from water may build up over time, which are usually cleaned with abrasive cleaners. Unfortunately, these cleaners can scratch the fibreglass, which is why you should also invest in fibreglass-appropriate cleaning solutions.

Acrylic

Acrylic is another popular material for shower bases. When compared to fibreglass and SMC, acrylic bases are pricier. Besides being lightweight, appealing, smooth and durable, this material comes in a range of colours, shapes and sizes. It can also be custom-made in order to fit in non-standard spaces.

How to Clean Shower Tray Stains?

Regardless of the type of material that they’re made from, shower bases can always be cleaned the natural way with the all-time-favourite baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice power cleaner. However, if the stains are too persistent, you can always add some other ingredients to your homemade cleaning solution. This homemade cleaning solution can be used literally for cleaning your overall bathroom.

The vinegar and baking soda solution can also be the ideal cleaning/unclogging solution for drains as well. Although there are many mass-produced cleaning chemicals you can find in stores, a great number of them can be harsh, particularly on the pipes. The aforementioned homemade solution on the other hand is natural, gentle to the pipes but strong enough to unclog drains. All you need to do is to pour baking soda down the drain and follow with distilled white vinegar. This combo will immediately create a fizzing action that will get rid of any blockages and grime. Once done, leave it for at least 20 minutes and finish off by pouring a full kettle of boiled water.

Can You Repair a Cracked Shower Tray?

Although there are many repair kits with which you can mend the tray, practice shows that replacing it is the best option in the long run. The main reason for this is that the constant stress on the mended spots can lead to leaks and further damage that can cost you a lot more than the replacement itself. Plastic trays, especially acrylic and fibreglass, are almost impossible to be repaired. Even if you seal the cracks, faults may appear again.