Everyone wants to have a beautiful bathroom in their house with modern features and well-furnished. The main element or main highlight of every bathroom is a shower pan.
Now there may arise questions about which shower pan to buy, what will be the amount of these shower pans, and which shower pans are highly recommended to purchase. Well, no need to worry about that, as we are here to clear all your doubts and problems regarding the shower pan.
There are different types of shower pans available in the market according to different sizes and budgets. Don’t worry about that, as we will be discussing the different types of shower pans with their size and how much will be the costing. So this article will be a buying guide for shower pans.
What is a Shower Pan?
Now for those who don’t know or are not familiar with the word shower pan, it is nothing but a platform where one stands in front of the shower and has a bath. It is attached to your floor, which has a drainage system where the water gets drained out, just like a bathtub. They are made with tiles, fiberglass, acrylic, or stone as well.
We will be discussing these types below for your better understanding.
1. Shower Pans Made of Tiles
Tile shower pans are usually the preferred ones for every people. This is the first choice that people usually make. The plain and simple reason is that they are easily and widely available everywhere. Whether online or offline, you can get them anywhere and at any time. You will find it in most homes. People tend to have a tile shower pan as it is affordable to have them.
But you should always remember that you have to choose the best tiles which match the vibes of the bathroom, which is its color mainly. There are many types of tile shower pans available in the market. From small to big and from normal to highly designed every type of shower pan are available. But before that, you have to check the size of your bathroom floor. This needs to be done because you have to check how much is your shower area space and how much will be the tile shower pan size that you have to check.
The smallest size for any shower pan is 32 x 48 inches. But the one which is shown in the picture is 32 x 60 inches which itself is pretty big and will be taking up a huge amount of space. It’s time to check what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a tile shower pan. Let us have a look into them.
Designs
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The first design of the tile shower pan has a shower pan single drain at the left. In this type of design, you will see that the drainage system is provided on the left side of the tiles cleaner. You will have to put this pan below the shower. It comes in either grey or black color even.
The second design is to have a shower pan of drainage system in the middle. This is another design that you can have in your shower area. In this type, you will see that the drainage system is in the middle of the pan. No matter where the shower is, the water will drain out from the middle of the shower pan. You can have it in white, grey or black color as well.
Advantages
When you install a tile shower pan, it somewhat reduces most of the time, and also it reduces the amount of work. When you have a tile shower pan, it also reduces the leakage problem to some extent.
Disadvantages
However, from the cost point of view, it can be a little expensive to buy them. Tiles and shower pans come in a limited number of sizes. This marks a major disadvantage as one won’t get to choose from these as they have limited options. Now from the costing point of view, as we have discussed, it will be a little bit costlier for one to have them in the bathroom.
2. Shower Pans Made of Acrylic
After the tiles, it’s time for us to discuss the acrylic shower pan. It seems to be looking like a tile shower pan, but in reality, it is not. It is a different material and is good for your shower area. You can get this at your budget as it is comparatively low than having a tile shower pan. When you install this in your shower area, it will add charm to your bathroom.
These are available in many colors. In some acrylic shower pans, you will see that there are some patterns made over it which will, in turn, will, give a grip and rough surface for standing under the shower. In some cases, you will find a smooth flooring shower pan in white color. You will get plenty of options to choose and select from. Some people use acrylic shower pans instead of using normal tile shower pans. These usually come in 5×3 feet which can be easily a good fit for a bathroom. Now let’s check out its advantages and disadvantages.
Designs
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The first one is just a normal plain acrylic design of white color. This is usually used for a medium-sized shower area. However, you can get a custom-made size according to your bathroom. If the size is more, the price will be automatically more. But relatively, it will be on the cheaper side as compared to tiles. You can see that the drainage system is on the left side where the shower is placed.
The second is the acrylic shower pan of a triangle shape. If you have a bathroom and your shower size is a somewhat triangular-shaped area, then you can make a custom triangular-shaped acrylic shower pan. In that, you can either have a front drainage system or a backside drainage system.
Advantages
It becomes very much easy to maintain an acrylic shower pan other than a tile shower pan. From the cost point of view, it is easily feasible and comes within budget for everyone.
Disadvantages
It has only one major disadvantage, and that is its limited option. Yes, in this type of shower pan, you will get a limited number of options. Its style stands out to be a major disadvantage too.
3. Shower Pans Made of Molded Stone
The third is the Stone Shower Pans or Molded Stone Shower Pans. It is made with natural stone, which gives you a shiny and classy look to your bathroom, especially the shower area. Usually, the length and width are 48 ft and 32 ft, respectively, which is somewhat a medium-sized pan for your medium size shower area.
You will find this is a rectangular shape mainly. No other shapes are available in the stone shower pans. This stone shower pan has got a feature that it has got a quick drain connector which makes it different from other types of shower pans. Mostly these are seen in the homes of Asian and European countries. But nowadays, almost everyone uses these types of shower pans. From the cost point of view, it is slightly costlier as making something with stone costs you more. Otherwise, you can have it in your home as well.
Designs
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Here in the first picture, you can see that this modeled stone shower pan is in black and fitted fully with the ground. Also, if you notice clearly, you will see that this modeled stone is a very thin layer. However, you can get a thick layered one according to your choice. Modern-day shower areas have a thin-layer shower pan, so it is highly recommended to get yourself a thin-layered one.
In the next picture, you can see a molded stone shower pan with a central drainage system. It’s a pretty simple design in black color, having a drainage system in the middle of it. You can have it in your shower area, as it is highly recommended.
Advantages
They are made with natural stone along with some synthetic plastic for experiencing durability. Also, it will give you a luxurious experience when you have this in your shower area. It has got a quick drain connector which is slightly different from others.
Disadvantages
The only disadvantage of having a molded stone shower pan is its cost. As we have discussed earlier that if you are making anything with stone, it will cost you a bit.
4. Shower Pans Made of Fiberglass
The last type of shower pan is a fiberglass shower pan. These are low-weight and very easy to use and install in your shower area. One amazing fact about having these is they have no dedicated shape as what other types have. They are the best fit for your bathroom. As because it won’t take much effort and time to get the job done.
In addition to that, it will be less costly when compared with the tiles and stone shower pans. The price is somewhat as same as having an acrylic shower pan. They normally do have a plywood base which will be easier to install. Overall if you want to have something which is under budget and light weighted as well with little to no maintenance, then you should go for it. If we talk about sizes, then the smallest ones come in 32 x 32 inches, but the one which is shown is somewhere about 32 x 48 inches. However, you can have a bigger shower pan if you have a decent amount of space.
Designs
Here you can see that it looks just like an ordinary tile or stone shower pan with a centered drainage system. But the built quality will differ here as it is made of plywood mainly. And it will be easy to install and use. Along with that, you will easily get the materials available in the market on a cheaper side.
Advantages
The main advantage is that it has no limitations. That is, it not having any dedicated shape. You can customize it according to your choice and your shower size. Along with that, it requires low maintenance for maintaining it.
Disadvantages
We normally know that the fiberglass is strong and has the capability of handling weights, but excessive weight can cause a crack or a breakage in the fiberglass shower pan.
Final Thoughts
We have discussed the 4 types of shower pans. These 4 types are different from each other in terms of size, quality, cost, and availability. Some of them have fewer options, and some have wide options. Some shower pans can be customizable, and some are not. Tiles and stone shower pans are somewhat a bit costlier, whereas acrylic and fiberglass shower pans are relatively cheaper and inexpensive.
Now the thing is which one to choose from the above. All the types are good in their places, but you are to choose which one is suitable for you. If you are going for highly designed with luxury, then you can either go for tiles or stone shower pan. But if you are thinking of a budget and in that budget, you want a glossy look. Then you can opt for acrylic and fiberglass shower pans.
We hope that this article will be worth helpful in terms of decision-making.
