If you're feeling slightly bewildered by the wide range of different materials available for your bathroom, don't worry. You're not alone.

To help you make an informed decision when buying your bathroom, we've taken a closer look at just some of the materials you can choose when it comes to heating, bathroom furniture and bathroom suites. We'll take you through the benefits of each material and show you exactly why we use them in our products. All you'll need to do is decide which is most suitable for you.

In this article, you'll find information on the following bathroom materials (click on a link to jump to that section):

Heating

Mild steel

Few heating materials can deliver as much in terms of performance and cost as mild steel. If you can cast your mind back to your school science lessons, steel isn't an element like aluminium, but an alloy of iron, with carbon and few other elements added to the mix. Mild steel is simply steel with a lower carbon content than stainless steel and is used in all sorts of objects, including motor vehicles, pots and pans, and, of course, heated towel rails.

But why do we use mild steel for heating?

Thanks to its low carbon content, which is suitable for home heating, mild steel will cost you less than other materials and the fact it can be shaped easily means a wide range of decorative shapes can be achieved. It is a strong material that can withstand a considerable amount of pressure and large forces, plus it can also be picked out of waste thanks to its magnetic properties and used again and again without losing any of its strength.

To prevent rusting, the exterior is sealed with paint or chrome, producing some interesting colours and finishes to suit any type of decor. As long as you use an anti-rust inhibitor to prevent corrosion, your mild steel radiator or heated towel rail should work perfectly for years to come.

Aluminium

One of the most abundant elements on earth, aluminium has some specific properties that make it ideal for use in heating.

As an excellent heat conductor, aluminium warms up much quicker than other materials and maintains a more consistent temperature. Less water is needed to attain warmth, meaning smaller radiators or heated towel rails can achieve the same heat output than other materials. Thanks to this low water usage and rapid heat distribution, it is highly efficient helping to reduce your water and energy bills.

Aluminium doesn't rust so there's no chance of corrosion inside your radiator or towel heater, with great performance throughout its natural lifetime. And, unlike mild steel, the exterior doesn't need sealing or painting, meaning no peeling or flaking.

Made from recycled components, aluminium radiators can be easily recycled at the end of their life, making them perfect for eco bathrooms.

Furniture

Engineered wood

You will undoubtedly be able to find engineered wood, or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) as it is also known, throughout your home already. It is an extremely common material used in the construction of household furniture, and with good reason.

Solid wood can cost you megabucks, so engineered wood is a much more cost effective alternative. Known for its strength and durability, it can be treated with anti-moisture properties making it suitable for bathrooms, and unlike hardwood, it has no grain, meaning less chance of splitting.

It can be easily cut to size, shaped and painted with colours that suit your decor, like white or grey, and given a gloss finish. Wood effect finishes can also be applied, such as oak or chestnut, for a more natural feel. Stains and splashes can be easily removed using a cloth and warm, soapy water, so it's perfect for areas of high volume usage.

Glazed ceramic

Most bathroom toilets and basins you'll ever come across are made from glazed ceramic, so what makes this material so special?

Fired at 1,200°C, glazed ceramic is designed to be both tough and watertight, with a reflective surface that looks great and is easy to wipe clean (with household cleaning materials for tougher stains). As ceramics begin their life as clay, a whole array of different shapes can be moulded to suit a wide range of decor styles.

Watch this short video and see how our ceramic basins are manufactured:

Resin

Many of our vanity units come with a resin basin, but what advantages does resin have as a basin material versus the more traditional ceramic basin?

Where resin really beats ceramic hands down is in its definition. Acrylic can be used to produce crisper lines and more highly defined shapes, which is great when it comes to creating a design-led bathroom with a rectangular or square basin.

It is a tough material, making it ideal for something you and your family use every single day, and, as it can be produced at a relatively low cost, the savings get passed onto you. Resin is also a slightly more lightweight material than ceramic, meaning it adds less load to wall hung units.