Thinking of removing your shower cubicle? Pick up a few tips first.

The time comes when worn-out fittings ought to be replaced. Planning to replace your old shower enclosure with a new one, but not sure you can manage the job yourself? Here are a few tips that might prove helpful.

Why are shower enclosures still a good choice?

A shower with a tray remains a very popular solution in Polish homes. It not only saves space, but it also works well for people with reduced mobility, for whom getting into a bath could be quite a challenge. The growing popularity of small flats also speaks in favour of this type of sanitary ware. Because shower enclosures don’t take up much room, you can opt for a larger washing machine or even add a separate tumble dryer.

When is it necessary to dismantle a shower enclosure?

There are a few reasons why taking apart a shower enclosure may prove necessary. For example, when you want to repurpose an old bathroom, you dream of replacing old fixtures, or you’ve decided to install a luxury bath.

It can also happen that repairing a serious fault will require the shower tray to be taken out. Ignoring leaks in the pipework can lead to irreversible damage to the floor or even flooding the neighbours. Whatever the reason, dismantling a shower should be done thoughtfully and with care.

How to dismantle a shower enclosure?

Whether you want to replace your old shower for aesthetic or practical reasons, before you start the job prepare a few basic tools and a pair of work gloves. How do you remove shower enclosure doors? A full dismantle isn’t as hard as it might seem and takes, at most, a few hours.

Begin by removing any moving parts and the sealing silicone. The next steps may look a little different depending on the specific enclosure model.

In most cases at this stage you should unscrew the stops of the sliding systems and the guides (or hinges), ideally with a cordless screwdriver, and remove the seals. At this point, taking down the moving panels should be straightforward.

The next step is to separate the connectors that bind the fixed panels to the enclosure’s top and bottom profiles. Disconnect the frame from the wall profiles, then remove those from the walls along with the mounting plugs. And that’s it!

Replacing the glass in a shower enclosure

Don’t want to dismantle the entire shower enclosure with tray and only need to replace old or damaged panes? To do this yourself, simply get matching replacement parts, fit the sliding gear to them and unscrew the stops. After removing the old shower doors, you should place the new ones on the tracks.

If you also want to replace the fixed panels, release the connectors that fasten them to the wall profiles, insert the new panes and reassemble the enclosure. Remember to replace the seals and use silicone to secure any potential leaks.

Wondering what to use instead of glass in a shower enclosure so it won’t get damaged as often in future? To avoid frequent replacements, you can go for affordable panels made of acrylic or toughened glass.

Dismantling a shower tray

As with dismantling the shower enclosure, start removing a tray by cutting away the silicone seals. You can do this with a dedicated scraper.

Next, remove the cover plate and unscrew the plumbing components, including the shower-tray trap. If you’re dealing with a classic tray on legs, those need to be unscrewed as well. Once the tray is off, gently scrape any remaining silicone from the tiles. If necessary, call in a professional to seal the pipes.

As you can see, dismantling a shower isn’t rocket science. Doing it yourself is a good choice if you want to save on tradespeople.