Level access shower solutions
At Impey, we design level access showers that give every user the same simple, dignified experience. From a first-floor adaptation to a full care home refit, our floor formers, drainage and waterproofing systems create a step-free showering area that fits the floor, the user and the project. With over 25 years of engineering experience and more than 600,000 installations across the UK, Impey remains the trusted choice of Occupational Therapists, specifiers, housing associations and installers building accessible, high-performance wetrooms.
What is a level access shower?
A level access shower is a showering area with no lip, step, or tray edge to climb over. The floor of the shower sits flush with the surrounding bathroom floor, water drains away through a built-in gradient, and the whole area is fully waterproofed underneath. That flush finish is what makes it work for a wheelchair user, a carer supporting a family member, a child stepping in on their own, and an older adult who wants to keep bathing independently in their own home.
Bathrooms are one of the most common places in the home for slips and falls. Removing the step in and out of the shower is the single biggest change you can make to reduce that risk, whether the user has a diagnosed mobility condition today or you are future-proofing a home for later life.
Where these showers are used
How a level access shower is built
Every level access shower is made up of four things working as a system.
The floor former replaces a section of the floor with a pre-formed gradient that channels water towards the drain. It is the single component that gives the shower its flush finish.
The drainage carries water away, either by gravity where the waste pipe sits below the shower, or via a pumped waste kit where it does not.
The waterproofing (also called tanking) seals the former and the surrounding wall base so no water reaches the substrate underneath.
The finish is what the user sees. A tile finish gives the room a designer feel, while safety vinyl flooring is standard for healthcare and social housing work because of its slip resistance and hygienic seal.
Impey manufactures every part of that system in the UK, and engineers each part to work with the others. That means gradients, flow rates, waste positions and joint details all line up the way they should, whether you are working on a solid concrete floor in a bungalow or a timber joist floor on a first-floor adaptation.
The right system for the floor you are working with
The floor build-up decides which system fits.
Timber and joisted floors: the Aqua-Dec EasyFit is the most widely specified former in the range. It drops in between joists as a direct floorboard replacement, so a single installer can lift and set it in place.
Solid concrete floors: the Aqua-Grade is a low-build option that bonds directly to the substrate. Where the drain has to sit above the slab (because you cannot break into it), Impey shower trays with an above-floor waste gully provide the same step-free finish without any structural work.
First-floor installations: in older homes, drainage headroom often decides the specification. Our Slim+ range and pumped waste kits are built for exactly this situation, letting installers create a level access shower upstairs without lowering ceilings below or rerouting the soil stack.
If you are not sure which system fits, our technical team can talk it through based on the floor type, build-up depth and drainage route.
Why work with Impey?
Impey pioneered the built-in gradient wetroom former in the UK and has been engineering level access showers ever since. Every product is designed by our in-house R&D team, manufactured in Somerset, and tested to survive the daily wear of healthcare and residential use. Our floor formers carry a lifetime guarantee, our systems are British Board of Agrément (BBA) approved, and our processes are ISO 14001 certified.
Behind the products sits a support infrastructure that installers, specifiers and Occupational Therapists rely on: on-site surveys, CAD and BIM downloads, CPD training, a dedicated technical handbook and a UK-based technical team that answers the phone.
Row of trust markers, styled as small icon/text blocks:
- 25+ years of wetroom engineering
- 600,000+ installations across the UK
- UK-manufactured in Somerset
- Lifetime guarantee on floor formers
- Trusted by Occupational Therapists
Everything you need
Get in touch
Whether you are specifying a single adaptation, a full care home, or a housing development that has to meet future accessibility standards, our team can help you get the specification right the first time. Contact us today to speak to our experts and discover how we can help you.
FAQs
No. A full wet room is one way to build one, and it gives the most design flexibility, but a level access shower can also be created using a recessed shower tray. The tray sits flush with the floor and is defined by a screen or half-height door rather than a fully tanked room.
Not when it is installed correctly. Every Impey former is manufactured with the exact gradient needed to channel water to the drain, and every waterproofing system in the range is designed to seal the shower area completely. Paired with a competent installer and a screen or door of the right height, water stays where it should.
Yes. Upstairs installations are more common than most people realise, particularly in older UK housing stock. The key considerations are drainage headroom and joist depth, and both are solvable with the right combination of low-profile former, slim-line waste and, where needed, a pumped waste kit.
Many level access showers are funded through the Disabled Facilities Grant, administered by local councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (and the Housing Adaptations Grant in Scotland). Grants can also be topped up through charitable trusts, and installations for a disabled user may qualify for VAT relief. Your local council’s Occupational Therapy team is the first port of call.
Yes. A level access shower is a design choice as much as an accessibility one. Tile, vinyl, glass screens, designer drain covers in polished chrome or brushed gold, integrated underfloor heating: the specification is entirely open. Some of the highest-end wetrooms Impey supplies are built on the same floor formers used in DFG-funded adaptations.
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