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The bathroom is one of the smallest spaces, but it takes a lot of time and money to equip it. The main problem in choosing materials is that they must withstand high humidity. In this article we will talk about shelves for the bathroom. About what they are in design, shape, what materials they are made of and how, after all, to choose them.
Types of bathroom shelves
First, let’s take a look at what bathroom shelves are. According to the method of installation, there are only two of them – floor and suspended. Floor shelves do not always have a place to install – not everyone can boast of a large area. Most people try to rationally organize a small space and therefore floor shelves are not very common.
Shelves that are attached to the wall are more popular. They can be angular and linear. Corner ones are convenient above the bathroom – they use that part of the space that usually remains empty. In addition, located near the shower head, such a shelf allows you to store everything you need at hand. Below is a brief classification.
- Floor. These are rather whatnots for storing towels, household chemicals and other things.
- Mounted:
- wall:
- single-tier;
- two or three tier;
- angular:
- on a common bar;
- individual installation.
- wall:
In addition, built-in shelves are worth highlighting as a separate category. Their basis is made of drywall at the stage of repair. Then they are finished with waterproof materials: ceramic tiles, mosaics. They are practical, but after the repair is over, it is impossible to make them.
With a mirror
It is hard to imagine a bathroom without a mirror. It can be separate, or it can be part of a shelf. A shelf with a mirror can be cabinet – this is one of the types of bathroom furniture. The base is made of waterproof MDF, covered with either a layer of paint or a laminated PVC film, and a mirror and shelves are attached to this base.
The second option is a frameless mirror shelf. In this case, the basis may not be at all. The mirror is taken thick and shelves are attached to it.
Cabinet shelves with a mirror are more often called a bathroom mirror cabinet. They can have shelves on the sides and bottom. Often make built-in lighting. In this case, there is also a jumper on top, into which lamps of small depth are built in. The upper part can also be used, but storing something heavy there will not work. Shelves can be open or closed. Usually they are made from the same MDF, but you can find glass or mirror options.
The mirror can be attached to the base. Then it is framed by the surrounding shelves. The second option is on the cabinet door. There are two ways to open the door – as usual, to the right or left or up – with a lifting mechanism.
Frameless mirror shelves often have a frame to which the shelves are attached. There are few of them, most often one from below. There are also those in which the shelves are attached to the main mirror. It is not recommended to load them too much.
Wall and corner hanging shelves
It can take a long time to describe the options for shelves in the bathroom with wall mounting – on a plane and in a corner. There are a lot of design options. This applies to the choice of form and material. But the designs are limited. They will be discussed.
First, let’s talk about the number of “floors”. There are single-tier shelves, there are two or more levels. If we talk about single-tier, each of them must be fixed separately. And these are additional holes in the walls. Since our bathrooms are mostly ceramic tiled, every hole is like a wound. Therefore, if one plane is not enough for sure, consider multi-tiered options.
On the other hand, several single shelves can be hung at the distance you need from each other. For non-angular ones, you can still choose any position relative to each other. In general, more freedom of action. With this, we hope it is clear.
The second point: the presence of a fence. Both corner and wall-mounted can be with or without railings. The lack of sides is not so critical if it is hung evenly. Yes, you can accidentally push some tubes. But, if there are no children, this does not happen so often. But it’s much easier to set up.
Shelves with sides are not very convenient for use – it is harder to put and get items. Especially high ones must be tilted carefully under a certain degree. In general, also a hassle.
Another modification is found in wall-mounted shelves. There may be a bar or two for towels at the bottom. There may also be hooks. Here you can hang not only towels, but also some accessories. It makes sense to place such models not in the “wet” zone, but very close so that you can take off the towel with your hand outstretched.
Angular on the bar
Corner shelves can be mounted on one vertical bar. Moreover, they can be plastic, metal, glass. Shelves can be fixed with the same pitch (more common), but you can find models with installation at different distances from each other. Why are they good? The fact that they require less fasteners. In the classic version, the bar is attached at the top and bottom, and the shelves are held on it, as well as due to the emphasis on the walls (on the far right in the photo).
There are options for corner shelves with installation without drilling holes. Two ways – with a spacer bar and with suction cups. More reliable – spacer bar. It is installed in the right place, pushed all the way to the floor and ceiling, fixed in this position with a special clamp. The design is quite reliable.
What you should pay attention to. For rod material. The shelves themselves are most often made of plastic, and they are attached to a metal pipe. This is bad: the metal quickly begins to rust. Therefore, it is better to look on a plastic bar. The load from cans-bottles is by no means hundreds of kilograms or even tens of kilograms, so the margin of safety of a plastic pipe will be more than enough.
Materials
It is difficult to determine the material from which the shelf is made. As usual, we want high-quality, beautiful and inexpensive. You probably understand that only two out of three requests can be satisfied at the same time. Everyone has their own concept of beauty, but if your taste is not so refined as to deny plastic, then it is quite possible to combine all three requirements in plastic. But “inexpensive” is relative to, say, stainless steel. And very cheap ones can hardly be called durable.
Plastic
Plastic shelves for the bathroom are good because they can be safely hung in the shower. They feel great under running water. Just put it in a bath of water. That’s just so that there are no problems with cleaning, make sure that there is a possibility of moisture drainage. Models are very different – and floor, and corner, and wall. Moreover, mounting on suction cups is available. Few of them, unfortunately, keep well. But, if the tile is smooth, without relief, there is a chance that you are lucky.
If we talk about special designs, then, perhaps, shelves on the sides of the bath are made only of plastic and stainless steel. But the price of stainless ones is like that of an airplane wing. We can’t find them here, but it’s a very convenient thing. There is another option – mounted. These are models that can be hung on the partition of the shower cabin, if it is not up to the ceiling (in the photo on the left below). Such options can still be found among metal ones, but the word “cheap” does not apply to high-quality models.
A couple more practical things. First. If your water is hard, it is better to take light shades – salt deposits are not so visible on them. The second point also concerns the choice of the color of the shelf, but the approach is in terms of design. If the design turned out to be boring, you can add colors just with bright plastic accessories – you get a “cheerful” bath. If you are closer to a more restrained style, choose gray, brown, black. Play with contrasts.
Glass and mirror
Glass shelves are considered dangerous by many. Maybe so, but think, have you ever heard of someone hurting themselves with a glass shelf. Just the shelves in the bathroom are usually located in places where it is problematic to damage them. Above the washbasin, in the corners of the bathroom. In addition, thick glass is used, which is difficult to damage. Of course, if there are children-fidgets-experimenters, then, probably, it is not worth it. But if everyone has come out of the age of unbridled exploration of the world, you can hang glass shelves in the bathroom without any problems.
Why are they so good? The fact that they look good in both large and small rooms. In small ones, they give an additional plus, since they do not visually clutter up the space. They are almost invisible. Only holders stick out of the wall, and the shelves themselves are “weightless” and transparent.
When buying a glass shelf, you can safely look for stainless steel holders and “swing” at good companies. There is not too much stainless steel, so beauty will result in a small amount. If the assembled shelf still shocks you at the price, look for holders for glass shelves in furniture fittings stores. You can also find limiters there if you want to install them.
Ask the shelf itself to be cut in a glass workshop. There you will process the edges and make holes. Just be sure to specify what you need. By the way, there are colored glasses, there are frosted ones. So “transparency” is optional. You can also use mirrors. Or patterned glass, and in order to have less problems with cleaning, turn the “patterned” side down.
In terms of care, glass is a normal material. That’s only if the water is hard, there are traces and stains. In this case, do not take “transparent”, it will be easier with matted ones.
Metal shelves
The most popular and, perhaps, the most difficult type to choose. It’s not about the form, but about the choice of the manufacturer. Metal bathroom shelves can be:
- made of stainless steel;
- chrome-plated (ordinary steel or brass with a spray layer);
- enameled;
- with powder coating.
The most durable are stainless steel shelves. But high-quality ones are very expensive, but there are no “average” ones for the price. There are cheap ones in the assortment, and then very expensive ones with a sharp price gap. Prices differ 5 times or more. Cheap ones are stainless steel that rusts. First, in the places of welding, then – further, because there are few alloying metals, and during welding they also burned out. Well, the expensive ones are made of metal with normal properties, and even welded in a protective environment.
In the middle of the price range are chrome shelves. All is well for the first six months. And then, if the quality is not too high, the coating will peel off, rust will come out. This is if the steel is chrome plated. If brass, then over time a greenish tint appears, which is not removed by anything. This affects the shelves of domestic production. European manufacturers do not have such a problem, but the price is almost the same as a good stainless steel, so there is no point in buying them. Unless you liked the model.
Enameled and powder-coated metal shelves are an economical option. They cost quite a bit, but they also do not last long. In theory, powder coating should hold up well, but somehow there haven’t been any normal ones so far. She’ll be gone in about six months.
If we talk about manufacturers of metal shelves in the bathroom, expensive ones can be taken without much doubt. In the sense that they are usually of good quality. If you need already tried ones, here they are:
- SMEDBO (Smedbo) medium price range (as for quality), good quality and a wide range (so wide in the catalog).
- Groe is more expensive, but beautiful and long-lasting.
- Hansgrohe – very beautiful and high quality, but very expensive.
Of course, there are other manufacturers of metal shelves for the bath, but there is no reliable operating experience, so we will not name them. If you have any proven brands, please unsubscribe in the comments. Or, on the contrary, there is a negative operating experience. In any case, it will be useful for everyone.
Wooden
We practically do not consider wooden shelves. We are used to the fact that the tree in the bathroom is impractical. But it is used on the street, they make flooring around the pool from it. There, the operating conditions are much worse. Just now there are tools that allow you to make wood insensitive to water. And it’s not polish. Or rather, not only them.
Wood treated with special oil is not covered with a film, remains “rough” to the touch, but ceases to absorb moisture. She is not afraid of water or steam. The texture of the wood remains, the color is optional. You can leave it “native”, you can make it darker / lighter, add some shade. In general, there are options.
Made of artificial stone
Another unusual material for shelves in the bathroom is artificial stone. There are no questions here – he is definitely not afraid of water. That’s just heavy, so such shelves require walls with good bearing capacity. Can be mounted on brackets or embedded studs.
They are not on sale, but you can order according to your size and desire in those companies that make sinks. Just ask them for technology. Normally, an artificial stone will be used, in which the mineral component (crushed stone, quartz sand, etc.) will be at least 80%. The remaining 20% is a synthetic binder. And it’s good if it’s acrylic resin (copolymers).