Shower Accessories

The fittings that complete a shower — and the parts most often forgotten until the installer is on site.

Slide rail kits

A riser rail, handset and hose in one. Height adjustable, so useful where users of different heights share a bathroom, and the handset lifts off for washing down or assisting someone seated.

Curtain rails

Still the most practical way to contain spray in an accessible bathroom, because a curtain moves completely out of the way for a carer or a wheelchair — unlike a fixed glass panel. Available straight for a bath or alcove, L shaped for a corner, and U shaped to enclose three open sides. See curtain rails.

Ceiling fixed rails give a cleaner look in a wet room but need a solid fixing — a plasterboard ceiling wants noggins above.

Curtains

Size the curtain at around 1.5 times the rail length so it gathers rather than pulling flat, otherwise it will not seal at the ends. A weighted hem stops it billowing inward. Some accessible curtains include a mesh panel so a carer can see the user without opening it. See shower curtains.

Screen parts

Brace bars, seals and wall profiles — the bits that make a screen rigid and watertight. Seals perish over years and are cheap to replace before assuming a screen has failed. See screen accessories.