In the UK you can buy bathroom fixtures and accessories from Plumbworld, Cotswold Co and Roper Rhodes.
In plumbing, a sink is a bowl-shaped fixture, usually made of porcelain (or, especially in the kitchen, stainless steel), that is used for washing hands or small objects such as dishes, nylons, socks or underwear. Old sinks were often made of enameled steel or cast iron.
Modern bathtubs encompass an overflow and waste and may or may not have taps mounted on them. They may be built-in or free standing or sometimes sunken.
Electrical appliances, such as lights, heaters and heated towel rails generally need to be installed as fixtures, with permanent connections rather than plugs and sockets. This minimizes the risk of electric shock.
In addition to acting as a normal shower, a steam shower produces water vapor using a humidifying steam generator. These types of showers provide a pleasant bathing experience that is becoming more and more popular in many countries.
A bathtub (or simply bath) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in the form of porcelain-coated steel or wood. Older western bathtubs are usually made of galvanized steel or iron. Traditional Japanese bathtubs were usually of a wooden construction.
Walk in Bathtubs with outward swing doors can be more compact (holding about the same volume of water as a regular bathtub) and allow for emergency access or exit. There is no fear of the door seal allowing water to leak in either inward or outward swing doors.
Bathrooms can also be a source of decorative inspiration. One can easily decorate the bathroom by choosing shower curtains or cubicles to match a theme.
In its literal sense it means "a room with a bath", but as bathtubs have partly made way for showers and steam showers, the more general sense of "a room where one bathes" makes more sense. There can be just a shower or just a bathtub or both, sometimes combined and sometimes separate (in which case the bathtub may have a second shower). Usually, it also contains a handbasin or sink and often also a toilet.
Steam showers are generally found in self-contained enclosures that don't allow the water vapor into the main part of the bathroom, thus avoiding damage to drywall, paint, or wallpaper. Most steam shower rooms are sold as stand alone shower units with between 12 and 30 jets, while many have additional features such as foot massagers, ceiling rain showers, radios, telephones, and CD players.
A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context it is used in.
A sauna is a small room often part of a bathroom or adjacent to a bathroom designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions.
From a decorating point of view the bathroom presents a challenge. Ceiling, wall and floor materials and coverings should be impervious to water and readily and easily cleaned. The use of ceramic or glass, as well as smooth plastic materials, is common in bathrooms for their ease of cleaning. However, such surfaces are often cold to the touch and so water-resistant bath mats or even bathroom carpets may be used on the floor to make the room more comfortable.
A Belfast sink is a large ceramic sink with a traditional appearance, often set under work surfaces. An automatic sink is a sink fitted in a public restroom that is motion-sensored and detects motion beneath its surface.
The design of a bathroom must account for the use of both hot and cold water, in significant quantities, for cleaning the human body. The water is also used for solid and liquid human waste to a sewer or septic tank. Water may be splashed on the walls and floor, and hot humid air may cause condensation on cold surfaces.