Choosing the right towel rail: seems like a very petty task, doesn’t it? We can tell you that choosing the WRONG towel rail can be extremely annoying! Make sure to specify and plan your towel rails during the design stage to avoid annoying mishaps later on. Read on to find out what you should consider when planning your bathroom:
1. Allocate a space for your towel rails:
During the planning stage of any bathroom design, you should always consider where the most effective spot for your towel rail or ladder should be.
The best location is obviously near your shower and bathtub with a smaller hand towel rail located beside the vanity to dry your hands off.
Towel rails are unfortunately, very often overlooked in the planning stage and as a result, end up being squashed into the space in a bad spot; installing rails in an awkward place too far from the bathing areas results in wet spots all over your floors, lots more cleaning up to do and a chilly exit from the shower!
2. Ensure your consider all dimensions of your chosen rail:
Ensuring your rail will actually fit the space and suit the user is of course, another thing to consider. Check the following:
- Ensure your rail’s depth (how far it sticks out from the wall) isn’t to intrusive. The last thing you need is to install a deep rail in a small space that will stick too far out into the walkway.
- Ensure your rail is installed at a comfortable height. If you’ve chosen a towel ladder, ensure the top rung is within reach and that the lowest rung can comfortably keep a hung towel from grazing the floor.
- And finally, the overall width of the rail itself should not interfere with openings such as cabinet doors, shower doors, and of course, the bathroom door.
380 Laundry Heated Towel Rack – Image Source
3. Consider the type of rail you will need:
We are truly spoiled for choice these days: There is an enormous amount of rails for just about every single situation imaginable, from straight to round, to floor to ceiling mounted, heated and non-heated, the choices are endless.
Are you short on wall space? Consider a freestanding rail that can be moved around the bathroom (Note: Heated freestanding rails are also available!)
1000 Freestanding Heated Rail – Image Source
Considering a heated towel rail or ladder? Ensure this is chosen earlier on during the design stage as it can be troublesome to install after your plaster and tiles have gone up! Also remember to specify left or right hand wiring (if you have opted for a hardwired rail) and if you will need dress rings – some rails are available both with or without dress rings.
730 x 500 Heated Wall Rail – Image Source
Do you already have ducted heating? A cost effective alternative to installing a heated towel ladder is to purchase a non heated model and install it directly above your heating outlet, giving you the same result as using a heated towel rail.
4. Select a style that will suit the other fittings in the space:
If all your tapware has a squared or rounded look, make sure to continue the same look with your towel rail. Keep the look and style continuous throughout the space to ensure it is easy on the eye and creates the desired effect.
420 x 750 Heated Wall Rail – Image Source
5. Colour
Chrome is the go-to choice for bathroom fittings; however, we’re also seeing many more choices being introduced in the world of bathroom design, from black to copper to white bathroom fittings. Once again, ensure you carry the look through all of your bathroom fittings.
432 Heated Towel Rail Black – Image Source
This was a nice light hearted article, it was an easy read and made alot of logical sense. I concur with your opening paragraph. Commonly people are too keen to rush into a purchase and buy a towel rail without the adequette planning. As a bathroom suite specialist operating within the UK we find alot of people are dissatisfied with their purchases due to vaious reasons such as it doesn’t fit or it’s the wrong shade of colour / shape, all of which can be avoided with 5 minutes of measuring and planning. That’s all it takes even though it may seem trivial it is worth taking the time to do so because in the long run it costs both company and you the customer more time and money to rectify the issue.
“”If all your tapware has a squared or rounded look, make sure to continue the same look with your towel rail.”” Absolutely agreed we actually wrote on article on ” HOW TO GROW YOUR BATHROOM” > http://www.raygrahams.com/blog/132-simple-ways-to-grow-your-bathroom.aspx <
The article references the need to maintain a bathroom flow through various colour and geometric methods. Especially if you have a small bathroom them concisely planning your individual colours and items such as towel rails will help you to achieve your perfect bathroom design.