DIY Shower

DIY shower projects are usually incorporated as part of some sort of DIY bathroom project. But these projects are surprisingly versatile. They range from installing new shower units in bathrooms to installing showers that become part of the bath experience, with a shower head that projects water into the bath itself. DIY shower projects can also be surprisingly simple, because you don't need a tub or even a shower base for them to work. DIY shower projects may even be completed outside, where you can shower under the stars, come rain or shine, using cold or steamy-hot water.

The idea of washing under a descending stream of water, rather than wallowing in a body of water filled up in a tub, isn't a new one. If you think about it, the earliest and most simple showers involved tipping water over the user's head. As bathrooms developed, perforated buckets were suspended from a hook or some other type of framework, and filled with water that spilled over the person wanting to shower. By Victorian times, quite sophisticated showers had been developed, and if you are designing a traditional-style bathroom, you may be planning to imitate these and use an ultra-large shower head to disperse the water.

The big difference between the Victorians and most of us today is that we usually prefer separate enclosures for showers, whether we build them ourselves or call in the professionals. The first glass shower cabinets were invented by the Americans in the 1930s, and they have evolved into a plethora of different types. A popular version involves a shaped frame (often aluminium or another coated metal) that is fitted with glass or some other transparent material, and which is fitted around a shower tray that is connected to an outside drain. Typically, there is some sort of sliding door so that we can get into the shower and then, when the door is closed and the water flows, it doesn't splash all over the bathroom.

The advantages of a shower shouldn't be underestimated. Many people consider showering to be a lot healthier than bathing. Their argument is that you don't soak in dirty water, but rather stand under a constant stream of clean running water. Many people argue that as long as you don't stand under a shower for lengthy periods of time, a shower is also a lot more economical than a bath, because it simply uses less water. For the elderly, showers are also generally safer because it's a lot easier to step in and out of a cubicle that to climb in and out of a slippery tub.

Perhaps the most important advantage of a shower (as opposed to a bathtub) is that a shower can be installed just about anywhere. A small shower cubicle or shower tray may be squeezed into less than a square metre or 10 square feet. As we have also said, it can also be created outdoors. So what are you waiting for? Get started with you own DIY shower.