Shower Trays
Not every project has room for a full wetroom build. Where the floor cannot be broken into, or where the design calls for a defined shower footprint, a shower tray gives you the same low threshold access without the depth of a floor former.
Every Impey shower tray is UK-made and built for accessible, level entry showering. The Mantis at 24mm and the Slimline at 35mm are near flush for wheelchair or walking aid access. For solid concrete floors, the Mendip and Radiate keep the waste within the tray body, with an optional ramp for step-free entry.
Choosing the right shower tray
Two things decide it. The floor you are installing over and how much access the finished shower needs to give.
For accessible bathrooms where wheelchair or walker access matters, the Mantis at 24mm and the Slimline shower tray at 35mm are the low-profile options. Both give near-flush entry, and both work as direct replacements during a bathroom adaptation.
The Bath Replacement Shower Tray sits inside the footprint of an old bath. That lets installers swap a bathtub for a step-free shower without moving or extending the plumbing, which is usually what makes or breaks the budget on a small adaptation.
Where the floor beneath the shower cannot be opened up, whether that is a concrete slab, a listed building or a rented property, the Mendip and Radiate are the practical choice. Both keep the waste gully within the tray body rather than below it, so drainage runs across the floor surface instead of through it. A separate ramp or step can be added to keep entry as low as possible.
Shower tray drainage and waste
Drainage is where most tray installs go wrong, so it is worth deciding early.
Every Impey tray comes with a waste gully included. Nothing to source separately, and nothing that arrives mismatched on site.
The difference between the ranges comes down to where that waste sits. On the Mantis and Slimline, the shower tray waste runs below the tray, which needs a void beneath the floor. That suits a suspended timber floor, where a joist bay gives you room to run the pipework.
On the Mendip and Radiate, the shower tray drain is contained within the tray build-up itself. Waste runs across the floor surface, not through it. This is what makes them usable on a concrete slab, on a ground floor with no accessible void, or in a property where cutting the structure is not an option.
Get this wrong, and you find out during the first fix, which is the most expensive time to find out. If you are unsure which arrangement your floor allows, our technical team can talk it through before you order.
Trays or a wetroom floor former?
Both give level access showering. The difference is depth and flexibility.
A floor former sits within the floor structure and gives a fully level wetroom floor with no defined tray edge. It is the better option when the floor can be opened up and the whole room is being tanked.
A tray is the answer when it cannot. It keeps the build shallow, defines the shower footprint and, in the case of the Mendip and Radiate, needs no work to the floor structure at all. For rented and listed properties, that is often the only route to a step-free shower.