Material
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Acrylic. The most popular modern material for shower trays. Simple to produce, inexpensive, and quite convenient and practical. From the specific advantages of acrylic worth noting good strength, ease of cleaning, non-slip surface, as well as low noise and poor thermal conductivity - thanks to the latter such a tray does not cold legs, and its surface is very quickly heated under a jet of warm water. True, on the acrylic surface easily appear scratches, but they are also easy to attach. In addition, acrylic products are relatively light; and in combination with other equipment (such as massive glass partitions) the whole design may not be very stable.
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Quaryl. Modification of acrylic (see above), combining actual acrylic with quartz sand. Its main advantages are its high strength and reliability, due to which it is possible to give the pallet any shape (incl. and with many bends), and the probability of damage in impacts is much lower than that of acrylic. In addition, the quartile for a long time retains «commercial appearance». On the other hand, it is somewhat heavier than acrylic, it is more expensive, and in the restoration is quite complex (if a scratch or crack does appear).
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Marble composite. The name «marble» in this case is conditional, all categories of engineered stone are included in this category. Such pallets are quite expensive and
...have a large weight, which makes it somewhat difficult to install. On the other hand, a large weight ensures stability. In addition, «marble» products differ in a very beautiful appearance, and this kind is preserved for a very long time due to the resistance to scratches. Such pallets are easy to clean, in the extreme case, you can use even «hard» abrasives. In addition, the stone surface is not inclined to slide, does not emit a special noise under the stream water, and it is extremely difficult to break it, even if specifically set such a goal.
— Ceramic composite. Ceramic pallets are distinguished by their pleasant appearance, they stand up to scratches, are easy and unpretentious to clean, and do not create noise when water jets hit them. They are heavy, which creates inconvenience for installation, but makes the product stable during use. But the drawback of this material, in addition to the rather high cost, is the relative fragility - ceramics can break from impact. Note that the market is represented by two main varieties of ceramics - Sanfayans and Sanporefor; the first is somewhat cheaper, the second is stronger and better counteract pollution.
— Enamelled steel. Steel coated with special enamel. Steel itself is a very inexpensive material, which is characterized by a high strength: even a very strong impact is likely to leave a dent in the pan. On the other hand, steel thickness is small, especially in inexpensive pallets, and under high weight the product can deform - which is especially unpleasant if it is used as a basis for shower cabin. However, this can be corrected by using additional poles or installing in a concrete bed. It is also worth noting that steel makes a lot of noise under the stream of water and can cold the legs if such a surface is not warmed up beforehand. As for enamel, this coating gives the surface a pleasant appearance, protects the metal base from corrosion, is easy to clean and retains aesthetic and operational qualities for a long time. At the same time, strong punches are dangerous for enamel: such a blow on the surface may appear chipping and scratches that require special repair.
— Fiberglass. Composite material, which is a glass fiber with plastic filler. Characterized by high strength, wear resistance, has a pleasant appearance and is quite easy to clean. In terms of resistance to scratches and rubs fiberglass is inferior to stone and ceramics, but is noticeably superior to acrylic, and is not so expensive. There are relatively few fiberglass pallets on the market, but this is due to the fact that this option is used not so long ago.
— Polystyrene foam. Shower plates are made of polystyrene foam. Polystyrene foam (XPS or extruded polystyrene) is a dense and durable material with high moisture resistance. Polystyrene foam shower plates are extremely low weight. At the same time XPS-plates have a solid life, at least 40 years. Polystyrene polystyrene foam is mainly valued for not allowing moisture or steam to pass through, and at the same time exhibits high thermal insulation performance. Foam Polystyrene Shower Plates are easy to install and XPS can be installed directly on the tile mortar.
— ABS plastic. In many respects, this material is similar to the above acrylic: on the one hand, it is relatively light and inexpensive, does not make a loud noise when water falls and almost does not cold legs, on the other - the plastic surface is sensitive to scratches.Tray panel
Type of panel supplied with tray.
Panel is a detail that is located on the outside of the pallet between the upper edge and the floor; it covers the space under the product from water and dirt, and gives it a neat appearance. There are such options for panels:
— Whole. The part, which is a single unit with a pallet; in fact, the role of the panel in this case plays a downward bent upper edge of the product. The convenience of this option is obvious: you do not need to tinker with the selection and installation of a separate part, it is enough to install a pallet - and the panel will be in place. On the other hand, in some cases, such a construction may create inconvenience - for example, if there is a small obstacle at the site of the intended installation of the pan, into which the panel would stick from above. And to get into space under such a pallet, you have to lift it whole. Also note that not all materials are suitable for the manufacture of solid-cast panels: for example, steel pallets are not equipped with such parts.
— Included. Panel in the form of a separate part, supplied as a set and fixed after installation of the pallet. This requires additional time and effort compared to the solid-cast panel described above; however, the installation is generally very simple and cannot be considered a serious disadvantage. At the same time, this option gives an important advantage: it allows you to get to the
...space under the pallet, just removing the panel. In addition, you can not install the panel at all. On the other hand, the separately made parts are somewhat inferior in strength and reliability to the solid-cast.
— None. Among products without panels, two main varieties can be distinguished. The first is pallets, to which the user can choose the panel; in some situations this is more efficient than relying on the manufacturer’s choice. The second is products that do not need panels; in particular, some models of deep pallets.Adjustable feet
The presence of legs in the tray
, each of which can be adjusted in height - usually within a couple of centimeters. This adjustment is designed to adjust the legs for small irregularities of the floor on which the product is placed; it allows you to achieve a stable position without resorting to tricks like laying under the feet of planks.
