How do I choose the best shower enclosure for my bathroom?

Many shower enclosures can be suitable, only a few shower enclosures are perfect

In practice, there are two or three factors that will help you choose a particular shower enclosure model that will help you skim a range as rich as that of Calibe. Behind this choice, however, there are assessments more related to the intrinsic value of the product you are about to buy: how do you find your way around the many types of shower enclosures available on the market? How can you be sure that you make a choice that prioritizes quality and whose value exceeds cost?

Before we get to these considerations, let's start with suggestions to find the most suitable model for your bathroom.

Three things are to be considered to start the search

The location of the shower tray in the bathroom

That is the first point to consider. Is the shower tray in a niche, located between three walls? Or is it positioned at an angle, with two sides of the shower tray resting on two adjacent walls? The tray could be against the wall, i.e. with only one side in contact with a wall, or be placed next to a wall, therefore requiring the installation of a shower enclosure with fixed side above the wall.

The width of the side with the door

There is a second aspect that should be immediately linked to the first: how wide is the side of the shower tray on which the shower enclosure door will stand? This is a fundamental distinction because it is clear, for example, that there is a significant difference between the shower tray placed in a narrow niche and the shower tray placed to occupy the entire floor of a bathroom. A large width might also make you opt for a walk-in shower, that is, without a door.

The type of opening

The width of the door side may influence, among other things, the choice of the most suitable opening type. The choice of opening may also be affected by other factors, such as the presence of external dimensions close to the shower enclosure: heating elements, towel warmers, sanitary fixtures, protruding walls or furniture. These dimensions may not recommend opening with a swing door , and you may prefer a sliding or folding door. In some situations, when the shower tray is deep enough and there is also space outside the enclosure, the functional inward/outward opening can be chosen. A pivoting door could also be considered with less space.

**Filter the offer **for an easier choice

Type of installation, width and type of opening are the highlighted filters on the page that presents all Calibe shower enclosures. Use them to narrow down the possibilities of choice and then to focus on elements of design, style and functionality. Each Calibe collection has aesthetic and functional features that can guide the choice.

Personalisation and accessories

There are a number of personalisation options available for each shower enclosure that may prove decisive.

Are your bathroom taps colourful? You can consider the shower enclosures with profiles in PVD finish, available in the colours Black, Gold, Bronze and Copper.

If you want to give your bathroom a brighter, more spacious feel, the extra-clear glass might be just what you need. It's even more ethereal than the clear glass. It is also an option to be considered in combination with partial etching of the glass, in order to obtain a greater feeling of privacy and a fine aesthetic result.

The availability of the accessories is also worth mentioning when selecting them. The stainless steel hook, for example, is a very practical solution. It elegantly solves the need for a place to hang the towel or bathrobe, is fitted to the glass,without encroaching on other bathroom walls, without having to insert dowels and without using the inconvenient suction hooks.

In-store consulting

Our website will allow you to evaluate the basic features of each Calibe shower enclosure. Equally valuable, if not more so, may be the assistance of the consultants available at the Calibe authorised sales outlets. Go see them after taking the basic measurements of the shower tray and rely on their advice: they will advise you on the model and type of customisation that best suits your bathroom and your needs.

If you want, you can also receive more details from them on the theme of this page: How to choose the best shower enclosure?

For us, this reflection starts with another question. Please find it below.

Does a permanently new shower enclosure exist?

Being forced to change the shower enclosure because it starts showing imperfections and signs of time: that's what should never happen. So, when choosing a new shower enclosure, it is best to single out a product that can remain beautiful and intact over time.

The value of a stainless steel shower enclosure

Choosing a stainless steel shower enclosure is certainly an advantage in terms of longevity. Compared to other materials (other metals, alloys or plastics), stainless steel is better suited for contact with water, more resistant to corrosion and scratches and allows the mechanical rehabilitation of any micro-scratches. Stainless steel is not covered by films or chromium plating that can be damaged, and it maintains its gloss over time. Easy to keep clean, stainless steel is preferred also in terms of hygiene, so much so that it is a material typically adopted also in the medical field.

Of course, it is important that stainless steel is machined properly.
Since the day of its foundation, Calibe has chosen this material as the exclusive metal for its shower enclosures, thus accumulating over twenty years of specific experience. This experience enables it to purchase the highest quality stainless steel and to optimally machine it, taking a craftsmanship approach with dedicated tools and cutting-edge technologies.

Fragile for whom? The robustness of a shower enclosure also depends on the glass

If the stainless steel profiles win over any other alternative in terms of longevity, solidity and strength, the choice of material used for the shower enclosure panels is equally important. Tempered glass is undoubtedly the preferred option, both for its aesthetic quality and for the performance that glass can guarantee: resistance and hygiene over all. In particular, high-thickness glasses give the door and shower enclosure walls optimal structural rigidity, which limits deflections and vibrations to almost zero.

Be careful of plastic gaskets

In a shower enclosure, the elements that most easily collect dirt and that age, and therefore need to be replaced periodically, are PVC gaskets. So, choose shower enclosures that are designed to minimise their usage while ensuring the best water seal. This is exactly what Calibe guarantees with its shower enclosures: perfect sealing with the minimum presence of plastic materials, also offering a selection of shower enclosures have absolutely no PVC gaskets.

In cases where the use of PVC gaskets cannot be avoided due to technical or design requirements, it is important to ensure that the shower enclosure you purchase has original spare parts and is guaranteed for years to come. Long-term storage of spare parts (over twenty years), both for gaskets and for every other part of the shower enclosure, is precisely the policy adopted by Calibe.

Timeless elegance

By making the right choices, your shower enclosure can last for decades and not just for years. So, it is important that its style does not age over time.

Surely design choices that focus on linearity and essentiality lend themselves better than others to convey an idea of elegance and contemporaneity beyond the fashion trends of the moment.

Is it possible to tangible make a sustainable choice?

Choose stainless steel shower enclosures. Reduce the presence of plastics. Choose timeless style. The criteria we have suggested so far for choosing a new shower enclosure are naturally guiding us toward a sustainable choice.

For starters, product longevity is directly linked to sustainability, because choosing durable products that limit the need and frequency of replacements is also an indication of environmental responsibility.

Reducing the use of plastic is certainly an advantage, as is also focusing on stainless steel. In fact, this metal has characteristics that make it appreciated also from the point of view of sustainability:

• it is a recyclable material that can be disposed of responsibly;
• its machining during the production of shower enclosures is environmentally friendly - in fact, it does not require painting, galvanic treatments or chemical transformations;
• PVD finishes that give stainless steel a colour are also produced by environmentally friendly chemical-mechanical processes.

Value that is vital: a truly customised shower enclosure

A valuable shower enclosure must ensure maximum freedom in choosing and customising details and sizes according to design choices or practical needs.

A freedom that can only be guaranteed by those who produce shower enclosures with a tailored approach combined with an excellent technical capability in order to guarantee a truly tailor-made production with millimetric precision.