Showers are today an essential feature in nearly every bathroom due to the fact they take up a lot less space in a bathroom than a bath, are more water efficient and energy saving than baths and in todays fast-paced world, are much quicker to use.

To suit the many different potential sizes, shapes and layouts of bathroom, there will certainly be a shower enclosure to suite the space available, so the best type of shower enclosure for your bathroom will be the one that makes the most efficient use of the space available but at the same time provide the most space for showering.

In this guide we give a run down of all the different types of shower enclosure available and the size, shape and type of bathroom they are most suited for.

01 Quadrant Shower Enclosures

Arguably, the quadrant shower enclosure is one of the most popular types of enclosure and found in many homes, especially in new build properties as their curved glass front is designed to fit into tight corners and make the best use of any space available.

Due to their popularity quadrant shower enclosures are available in a huge range of designs and styles to suit any tastes, and also a range of sizes with the most common being 800×800 or 900×900.

In almost all cases, quadrant enclosures will feature sliding doors as they are the most efficient in terms of space saving but it’s also possible to find them with hinged outward opening doors.

02 D-Shaped Shower Enclosures

The D-shape shower enclosure is very similar to the quadrant enclosure in that they are designed to make the best use of space in a small bathroom, but in some ways they go one step further.

Whereas quadrant enclosures are design to fit in a corner, the D-shape enclosure is designed for a small bathroom with limited space that may not have an available corner, but instead only has a flat wall.

In terms of sizes, D-shape enclosures are available in widths that range from 800mm up to 1050mm.

03 Pentagonal Shower Enclosures

The pentagonal or pentagon shower enclosure is again fairly similar to the quadrant enclosure and is very suited to small bathrooms as they provide decent space for showering and also minimise the area they take up within the bathroom itself.

The main advantage of pentagonal shower enclosures over quadrant enclosures is that as they essentially have a flat front, this allows more options in terms of what doors can be fitted, so instead of sliding doors, you have the option for hinged, pivot or bi-fold doors.

When it comes to sizes, again, pentagonal enclosures offer a range that includes the usual 800×800 or 900×900 but also some more offset sizes such as the 1400×900.

     04 Square Shower Enclosures

The square shower enclosure is, as the name suggests, square in shape and due to this offers considerably more showering space than any of the quadrant-style enclosures.

Square enclosures are more suited to bathroom areas that are not short on space. In most cases they are installed against a flat wall, but where space allows, can be installed anywhere, even in the middle of a room!

Due to their square shape, this allows for many more options in terms of the type of door or frame that can be fitted.

05 Alcove Shower Enclosures

The alcove shower enclosure differs slightly in that it is created within an existing alcove space within a bathroom, meaning it’s surrounded by 3 existing walls and then you simply fit a door or curtain in front to create the enclosure.

As you can only essentially fit a curtain or door (door being the preferred option) you do have several options including hinged, pivot and bi-fold outward opening doors. In some cases, you might also be able to use inward opening doors, but this will depend on how much space is available.

The size of alcove shower enclosure you can have will be dictated to you by the size of actual alcove. If you’re lucky you might be able to find a shower tray to fit the space but if not you may have to go down the custom route.

06 Walk-In or Fixed Divider Panel Shower Enclosures

A walk-in shower enclosure normally allows the user to simply “walk in” to it without the need to open any doors which differs slightly to other enclosures.

In most cases, walk-in enclosures are constructed from thick (usually at least 10mm) toughened glass panels. Normally, the panels are fixed to the surface of a wall and then down on to the shower tray to prevent movement.

As mentioned, the walk-in element normally indicates that you simply walk in to the shower so no doors are present (although they can be fitted if required), and it’s the way that the glass panels are arranged that prevent water spilling out into the rest of the bathroom.

07 Wet Rooms

The wet room is in essence, very similar to the walk-in shower, with the only major difference being that the bathroom as a whole acts as the actual enclosure.

In most cases a fixed divider panel will be installed also to prevent water from the shower soaking the entire bathroom but if the room itself is big enough there may be no need.