Many people prefer to add walk-in showers in their homes because of their easy cleaning, less cost, and more space. In addition, these are better for people with mobility issues who cannot get in the bathtubs.
Walk-in shower problems include steam in the bathroom, not suitable for toddlers, decreased home value, water damage to wooden or metal fixtures, frequent maintenance, and damaged walls or subfloors.
You can face minor issues with walk-in showers in your bathrooms, but people still prefer them because of their small size compared to tubs. Moreover, you can also find various options for glass doors, and you do not need to match them with the fixture’s color.
| Problems | Solutions |
| Steam in bathroom | Keep bathroom windows open |
| Not suitable for toddlers | Add a rectangular sink for toddlers |
| Decrease home value | Install tub along with walk-in showers |
| Water damage to wooden and metal fixtures | Install exhaust fans |
| High maintenance | Splash guards on door panels |
| Damage to subfloors and walls | Small dehumidifier and ceiling fans |
| Cold during winters | Add warm lights and heated floors |
| Less privacy | Use fabric curtains |
| Slippery floors | Add bamboo mats, stone flooring, and grab rails |
Steam in bathroom
Walk-in showers do not contain curtains and glass door panels to cover the bathing area and prevent water splashes and humidity in the rest of the bathroom.
Many people add glass doors on one side to give them aesthetic appeal and separate them from the other interiors.
The steam is produced when warm water comes in contact with cold surfaces of the interior room.
Steam can affect the different fixtures located in the interior, including mirror and ceiling lights. Therefore, I prefer to add glass doors to limit the steam.
Keep the windows open if these are located in the showering area to remove warm water steam.
Not suitable for toddlers
Walk-in showers are not suitable for toddlers because they do not stand in one place. In addition, it becomes challenging for parents to hold them at the specific shower area and restrict their movement.
Bathtubs are more suitable for toddlers and kids because they remain in their place.
They sit in the tub and enjoy playing with water and their toys. Mothers can also easily clean their kids with little effort and less time.
You can add a rectangular sink in your bathroom for your kids because these have more water-holding capacity and acts as the tubs for your children.
Decreases home value
Fixtures installed in your homes play an important role in increasing or decreasing the sale value of your home. Value decreases when the buyers do not find their required things in your house.
The issue comes when you do not add things according to people’s current trends and needs. For example, many people prefer the tubs more instead of these walk-in showers.
Elderlies and children are present in every home, and tubs are more suitable for washing and cleaning. Therefore, you can increase the home value by installing the tubs along with these showers in your bathroom to meet the requirement of the buyers.
Water damage to wooden and metal fixtures
Walk-in showers do not contain glass panels and curtains to separate this area from the bathrooms. It increases the overall humidity of the interior when you take a shower.
High humidity leads to water-related damage in your bathrooms, which can ruin the fixtures completely. Wooden and metal-based materials are more susceptible to water-based damage.
High humidity because of these shower designs ruined my wooden cabinets. I saw the warping of their wooden material and felt a musty smell from the cloth.
In addition, it also affects the metal fixtures, and you can see corrosion on towel racks and grab rails. The corrosion stains from these hanging materials also come on your cloth and towel, which are hard to treat.
High humidity damage the silver coating of the mirror and leads to tarnishing and blackening. Keep your exhaust fans turned on to prevent wooden cabinets and metal fixtures.
Frequent maintenance
Walk-in showers need more maintenance and cleaning because of their water splashes. These do not contain the cover spaces, and water splashes come into the surrounding area.
You need to clean the mineral residues from the large surface area compared to the limited spaces in which these are mounted.
Moreover, it also increases the effort of people because they have to mop the complete floor after taking a bath instead of the specific area. I added splash guards under the glass doors to prevent the water from dripping on other sides of the interiors.
Damage to subfloors and walls
Walk-in showers have more pitfalls than benefits, and it is not a better option for bathrooms. These increase the moisture content in bathrooms, indirectly increasing the risk of damage to subfloors and walls.
Many people add drywalls to the other bathroom areas to reduce installation costs. However, the moisture from these area seeps into the drywalls and disintegrate gypsum material.
Tiles and their grout materials can also get damaged when exposed to water for longer. Water can produce cracks in caulking material and can easily seep inside.
It damages the subfloors and ruins the overall appearance of the interiors. You can prevent the subfloor and walls damage by placing the small humidifier near them to absorb the excess moisture.
In addition, you can also add a ceiling fan because it dries up the floors quickly compared to exhaust fans.
Cold during winters
Walk-in showers do not contain doors and walls, so cold air directly enters the interior space and makes you feel cold. Therefore, these are not a good option during cold weather because you cannot feel comfortable while taking a bath with blowing cold air.
I do not prefer this in my home because children and cold air during bathing are not good for them. People want a cozy and covered interior in cold weather, which can act as a barrier and block the airstreams.
Add warm light to the interior space to keep it warm. Moreover, you can install heated floors to warm the area, but it is costly.
Less privacy
The shower area without curtains and separate walls does not look secure and disturbs people’s privacy. Transparent glass door panels decrease the moisture and water splash risk, but it does not provide privacy to the people.
It can also limit bathroom use because no one can use the sink or vanity area when you are taking a shower. These do not contain separate places like tubs and compromise people’s privacy.
Many people add glass panels around them, but you can easily see through them because of their transparent material.
I added the thick fabric curtains in my bathrooms to increase privacy, but these need more frequent cleaning and maintenance.
Slippery floors
The walk-in showers make the surrounding floor slippery because of water splashes and increase the risk of fall accidents. Fall accidents also increase when water remains in the surrounding areas because of poor draining and ventilation.
I prefer to make the shower floors slightly sloppy, so water can quickly move into the drain and dry the floors. These do not contain sloppy floors, and water remains on their surface, creating a pool in the surrounding areas.
Check the drains and ensure these are not clogged and allowing quick water removal. Moreover, you can install textured floors in this area to decrease fall accidents and slipping chances.
You can install stone flooring and place bamboo mats to decrease slippery floor issues. Install the grab rails to grasp them and decrease the falling risk.
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