Advances in Bathroom Design

Even if your existing bathroom is only 10 years old if you look at what is available in the bathroom marketplace now, you will be amazed at the advances in design since you last had a new one installed. Many of the advances that you will see have been made possible because of technological improvements; for example, many shower heads now include coloured LED lights that are illuminated by the force of the water. Some change colour depending on the heat of the water or if you can't decide which colour you prefer then how about a remote control device where you set your mood and the lights in a rainwater shower head change to an appropriate colour to suit your mood at any given time? Now that really is cool.

Remote controls are now available for almost every type of bathroom fitting. If you don't want to get out of bed until the shower is hot then get a remote control to keep by your bedside that will tell you when the water is up to the desired temperature. Or if you don't want to switch the bathroom light on in the middle of the night then how about some low level lighting that is triggered by a motion sensor to guide you subtly where you need to go? Toilets that flush with the wave of a hand and taps that gush with water when you put your hands under themusing motion sensor technology are starting to seem positively out of date compared to some of the latest gadgetry available.

And it's not just the electrical gadgets that have taken leaps and bounds forward in the past few years. Waterproofing technology has improved so much that a wet-room type of bathroom is now a possibility in almost any situation and in buildings of almost any type of construction; even in first floor bathrooms constructed on wooden floor joists. Until relatively recently wet rooms were only recommended on concrete floors but that is no longer the case. Formed shower "trays" are also available to ensure the correct slope to the drain in the wet room is easy to achieve. Perhaps this is not a technical advance but it certainly makes the process of successfully installing a wet room easier and every element that ensures a wet room is both waterproof and practical is an advance worth having.

Tiles are another area where advances are benefitting the everyday consumer. We all know that porcelain tiles have been becoming more and more the norm over the past few years. (Although many people still refer to them as ceramic tiles, and technically, they are just a type of ceramic tile but manufactured in a different way). Porcelain tiles have the benefit of being extremely hard and that allows them to be manufactured in very much larger sizes than the traditional ceramic tiles. These large sizes can be up to 1.2 metres square and, if you have a room large enough to accommodate them, offer the advantages of being easier and quicker to lay, with less grout lines to get dirty and less waste.

Article by: michelle n symonds