In Khrushchevs and some other apartments in houses of the old Soviet construction, the bathroom is either completely absent or so small that even a short bathtub cannot be installed in it. Many generations of residents of such apartments used ordinary metal basins or troughs during water procedures. Currently, a solution to the problem may be the installation of a shower cabin or a shower corner.
However, these types of plumbing equipment have a number of disadvantages, in particular:
- they are expensive (cheap models of disgusting quality, can fall apart after a month of use);
- difficult to care for;
- not as compact as it seems;
It's hard to find a place for them.
Shower niches look much more interesting solution. Often they are made in a narrow or even in a different room (in the same Khrushchev houses, a pantry is often assigned to a niche).
It is convenient to wash in them, special care is not required, and in terms of money it comes out much cheaper. 
The only difficulty is the choice of a shower tray for a niche. The pallet can be made of concrete (floor) and brick (walls), well waterproofed and lined with ceramic tiles. However, this option is quite time-consuming and when the house sags (which happens often in old houses), it may well leak: the concrete cracks, tears, and water begins to flow not only into the drain, but also to the neighbors below.
Minimize labor costs and minimize the risk of leakage by installing a prefabricated shower tray. The main thing is to choose the right one, because some models have a lot of flaws. We will talk about the nuances of choosing a finished shower tray for a niche below, having examined the main parameters that you should pay attention to when buying.
CHOICE OF SHAPE AND SIZE
Shower trays come in a wide variety of shapes, but most are designed for shower enclosures and corners. It is recommended to install only rectangular or square models in niches. With everyone else there will be a lot of problems - from difficulties with installation to the inability to hang a curtain or install.
The size should be selected according to the place where the shower tray will be installed, taking into account that it should fit snugly against the side walls. The minimum size for comfortable washing is 70 x 70 cm, but it is better to choose a model with a width of at least 80 cm, optimally 90 or 100 cm.
DEPTH SELECTION
The depth of the shower tray is the distance from the bottom of the shower tray to the top of the shower tray. According to this indicator, pallets are divided into low and high. For the former, the depth is 3-8 cm, for the latter, 20-40 cm. High models are more practical, since they can bathe a child, wash something, and wash a dog. In the absence of a bath, they save from domestic inconveniences. However, there is one caveat - for the drain to work correctly, the shower tray must be raised above the floor by about 7-15 cm. Plus the height of the high tray - and it turns out that in order to wash, you need to overcome a half-meter barrier. This is very inconvenient, especially for children and the elderly.
The disadvantage of high trays for shower niches lies in the fact that their range is extremely sparse and you often have to choose literally from 5-10 models from several manufacturers, while low models are at least 100. However, in the absence of a bathtub and the presence of children or a dog , a tall shower tray is a priority.
MATERIALS
For the shower niche, you can purchase a tray made of ABS plastic, enamelled steel, acrylic, ceramics and artificial stone. Which of the proposed materials is better to choose? It is difficult to answer this question, because each of the options has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Therefore, you will have to choose on your own, taking into account the most important parameters in a particular case. The feature table will help you with this.
| Parameter | Plastic | Steel | Acrylic | Ceramics | Stone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | Warm | Cold | Warm | Cold | Cold |
| Strength | Medium or low | high | high | high | high |
| maintainability | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Preservation of appearance | Not for long | Not for long | For a long time | For a long time | For a long time |
| Does the shower tray flex underfoot? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Appearance | budget | Very budget | Normal | Normal | Normal |
| Corrosion | Turns yellow, fungus appears | Rusting places where the enamel has broken off | No | No | No |
| Smell when in contact with hot water | Often | No | No | No | No |
| Weight | 10-15 kg | 7-15 kg | 15-25 kg | 15-30 kg | 20-45 kg |
| Average service life with preservation of appearance and absence of serious defects | 2-4 years | 2-4 years | 5-10 years | 5-10 years | up to 20 years |
| The need for soundproofing | No | Eat | No | No | No |
| Price | Low | Low | Medium | Medium | high |
The most popular are acrylic shower trays. A good quality rectangular model will cost from 12,000 rubles. Recommended manufacturers: Radaway, Ravak, Kolpa San and Riho, buying pallets from other brands is a bit of a lottery (you can buy a good one for cheap, or stumble upon a very poor quality). It is better to buy from an authorized dealer so as not to purchase a fake ( dealer shop in Moscow).
PALLET BOTTOM
The bottom of the shower tray, like that of bathtubs, can be smooth or have a relief pattern.
Both options have their drawbacks:
- dirt will clog between the elements of the picture and it will have to be washed out from there periodically;
- a surface without a pattern will be more slippery, but it is very easy to wash it.
You must decide what is more important for you, safety or ease of cleaning, and choose the appropriate model. Incidentally, plastic and metal shower trays are the most slippery. Acrylic, ceramics and artificial stone are noticeably better in this regard.
PRESENCE OF LEGS, FRAME
The shower tray in a niche is installed at a distance of 7-15 cm from the floor. This is necessary for the installation of the siphon and the correct discharge of water into the sewer. There are several ways to raise the pallet above the floor:
- install on bricks using a shock-absorbing pad made of rubber or similar material (pad minimizes the chance of damage to the pallet);
- install on a metal frame;
— installation on legs.
Installation using or other blocks is rarely used, since it is extremely difficult to perfectly align the pallet so that the load is distributed evenly and so that it does not stagger when you step on one of the edges. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase models with legs or a frame in the kit. Eastern European manufacturers, as a rule, have them (Radaway, Ravak, etc.), Chinese ones are often absent, especially for models made of plastic and enamelled steel.
You can make a frame yourself, or order it from a company that manufactures metal structures. Some craftsmen make frames from unusual materials, such as PVC plumbing pipes.
SIPHON
When purchasing a European shower tray, you can immediately buy a branded siphon for it.
This is convenient and practical, because you do not have to order a siphon separately, and the quality of a branded product will be better. However, it should be borne in mind that branded siphons are significantly more expensive (2-4 times). If you want to save money, we recommend taking a pallet in the basic configuration, and buying an ordinary siphon in addition to it in the same store.
DECORATIVE SCREEN
A decorative screen closes the space between the shower tray and the floor.
If necessary, it can be easily removed. If a screen is not included with the pallet, then you will have to mask the gap in a different way. As a rule, wall ceramic tiles and a small plumbing hatch on latches are used.
In any case, in the SanSmail plumbing online store you will choose the shower tray model that suits you completely.
