Baths

Our Bath Range

Here at SNH Tradecentre we are constantly striving to bring you the best quality bath products at competitive prices. We offer a wide variety of styles from the traditional to contemporary, from 1200 & 1400 rectangular baths, shower baths, sunken baths, corner baths, freestanding baths and complete bathroom suites plus a wide range of taps and accessories to match.

Qualitex Bathroom Products

Qualitex Bathroom Products is an exclusive brand of luxury bathroom products created and distributed by Qualitex Supplies. Recognised for quality, innovation and value for money, their bathroom ranges offer some spectacular options to satisfy your individual taste and pocket as well. The QX range of baths feature modern and traditional styles and come with a 20 & 25 year guarantee dependent on bath chosen.

Matrix Bathrooms

Matrix Bathrooms provide a stylish range of baths and bath screens from the contemporary to the traditional. Each item is individually designed and developed using only the finest components, bringing a luxury feel to all the products throughout the range. Every Matrix model carries a full lifetime guarantee providing our customers with an assured trust in their purchase.

Impulse Bathrooms

Simply beautiful are two words which sum up all the designs within the Impulse Bathrooms range. From classical period styling to the very latest contemporary looks, the stunning collection of baths and suites from Impulse includes something for every home and what’s more you can rest assured it is a look that will last as all products in the range carry a 10 year guarantee.

If you are looking for inspiring, unique and contemporary designs, then SNH Tradecentre is the right place for you. We have a dedicated sales team committed to help you through your purchase, so should you need any help you can contact us on 01843 842727 Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm or use our online service. The bathroom and plumbing section of our web site is full of great deals and bathroom products from bathroom taps, showers, and shower cubicles, the list is endless. Treat yourself to the bathroom of your dreams today from SNH.

The Bath as we know it

A bath, bathtub, or tub (informal) is a large container for holding water in which a person may bathe (take a bath). Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally waterproof finished wood. A bathtub is usually placed in a bathroom either as a stand-alone fixture or in conjunction with a shower.

Modern bathtubs have overflow and waste drains and may have taps mounted on them. They may be built-in or free standing or sometimes sunken. Until recently, most bathtubs were roughly rectangular in shape but with the advent of acrylic thermoformed baths, more shapes are becoming available. Bathtubs are commonly white in colour although many other colours can be found. The process for enamelling cast iron bathtubs was invented by the Scottish-born American David Dunbar Buick.

History of the Bath

Documented early plumbing systems for bathing go back as far as around 3300 BC with the discovery of copper water pipes beneath a palace in the Indus Valley Civilization of ancient India see sanitation of the Indus Valley Civilization. Evidence of the earliest surviving personal sized bath tub was found on the Isle of Crete where a 5-foot (1.5 m) long pedestal tub was found built from hardened pottery, not quite your usual size bath of today. This tub is the most likely forefather of the classic 19th century claw foot tub or freestanding style bath we now know of today.

In 1883, Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company and Kohler Company began producing cast-iron baths . Far from the ornate feet and luxury most associated with claw foot tubs, an early Kohler example was advertised as a "horse trough/hog scalder, when furnished with four legs will serve as a bathtub. The item's use as hog scalder was considered a more important marketing point than its ability to function as a bath.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the once popular claw foot tub morphed into a built-in tub with a small apron front. This enclosed style afforded easier maintenance and, with the emergence of colored sanitary ware, more design options for the homeowner. The Crane Company introduced colored bathroom fixtures to the US market in 1928, and slowly this influx of design options and easier cleaning and care led to the near demise of claw foot-style tubs.

Walk in Baths

Accessible bathtubs are bathtubs that can be used by people with limited mobility or the disabled. A bathtub can be made accessible for some people by the addition of grab bars or hand grips, or through the use of lifts that lower and raise the bather in the water.Other bathtubs have been specially designed for accessibility. These may include walk-in bathtubs, tubs with built-in transfer benches, or, more recently, tubs with raised beds and sliding doors to allow for a seated transfer.

Many accessible bathtubs are available with hydrotherapy or whirlpool features, internal grab bars, anti-slip floors and seats, and handheld showerheads that, in some cases, can also be wall mounted to enable a person to take a standing shower.

Walk-in bathtubs have either an inward-opening or "cap" like fitted door that is self-sealing.Most walk-in bathtubs also have a chair-height seat, but some, which are the same basic configuration as a standard bathtub, do not have any seat. In some instances an inward-opening door may be considered a disadvantage because emergency access is impossible, since the pressure of the water on the door is holding it closed.

However, the advantage is that an inward opening door is self-sealing due to the pressure of the water inside the bath assisting in maintaining a water-tight seal. Outward-swinging doors are equipped with a special seal so that they will not leak. These types of doors also facilitate access for users who need to perform a lateral transfer from a wheelchair in order to gain access to the bathing area. Other tubs have side walls that raise and lower, while others have doors that slide into the wall of the tub.

Some bathtubs categorized as walk-in actually require a low step-in, as they have higher seats and outward-opening doors that enable a person to simply sit on the seat and pivot and swing his or her legs into the tub. This type of walk-in bathtub can be helpful to those confined to wheelchairs and to others with mobility challenges.

Walk-in tubs take up a similar amount of space in a bathroom as a traditional bathtub. This allows for a quicker installation and simpler alignment of the water drains.There are also smaller walk-in tubs that offer front and side entry for a less than standard space.