Made-to-Measure Shower Tray: When It's Worth It (and When It Isn't)

Before you spend more than you need to, it’s worth pausing for a second. Not everyone needs a made-to-measure shower tray, and as the people who make them we’d rather tell you straight: in plenty of bathrooms an off-the-shelf tray does the job perfectly. Bespoke shines in other situations, and there it’s no contest. Let’s tell the two apart.

When a standard tray is plenty

If your alcove matches (or nearly matches) a standard size, don’t overthink it. Catalogue sizes cover most bathrooms without any fuss.

Your space measures 70×90, 80×100, 70×140 or thereabouts and slots in cleanly.
There are no pipes, columns or recesses eating into the centimetres.
You want the quickest, most direct option for a straightforward swap.

In cases like these, a 70×90 tray fits like a glove. You pay exactly what that size costs and you’re done. Forcing a bespoke cut when a standard tray already fills the gap is spending effort (and sometimes money) for no reason.

When made-to-measure makes the difference

Here the story changes. There are bathrooms where an off-the-shelf tray never quite adds up, and it shows.

Irregular alcoves. Walls that aren’t square, a pillar that juts out, a low window. The standard tray leaves ugly gaps that then get covered with trims or great gobs of silicone.
Small bathrooms where every centimetre counts. When the gap is 78 cm and the standard tray comes in 70 or 80, you either lose space or it won’t fit. An exact cut makes the most of every last centimetre.
Renovations and bath swaps. The footprint of an old bath almost never matches a catalogue size. There, bespoke saves you extra building work to “fill in” the leftover space.
L-shapes or cut-outs. Corners, columns, fittings that intrude on the rectangle. A tray cut to the bathroom’s real shape closes off the floor without any bodging.

A well-cut tray sits flush to the wall, with no gaps and nothing trimmed after the fact. That’s the difference between a bathroom that looks newly built and one that looks patched together.

The real advantages of a bespoke cut

This isn’t marketing, it’s workshop practice. When the tray comes out at your exact dimensions:

You use the whole space. No losing 5 or 6 cm because the catalogue didn’t reach.
You skip the shoddy fixes. No filler strips of tile, no wide joints to hide the gap.
Same lead time. In our case, going bespoke doesn’t keep you waiting weeks: the process is the same as for a standard size.

Our trays are mineral-filled resin, a material that cuts clean and stands up to daily life. Choose between the Smooth finish for a more pared-back line, the texture of the Elite, or the natural relief of the Slate. They all come out of the same workshop, with the waste trap and grille included, and ship across Europe.

How much more does a bespoke tray cost?

This is the big question, and the answer is a surprise: little, or nothing. At Aquatit the price is worked out by size, not by being “special”. You give us your centimetres, see the figure straight away, and pay in proportion to the size, just as you would with a catalogue tray.

In other words, there’s no hidden surcharge for cutting to measure. A 78×112 tray costs what that surface area comes to, with no penalty for not being a round number. So when the alcove calls for it, bespoke almost always pays off: you gain on fit and finish without paying an absurd premium.

So, which do I choose?

To sum it up without sugar-coating:

Alcove that matches a standard size → off-the-shelf is plenty. Keep it simple.
Irregular alcove, small bathroom, renovation or L-shape → bespoke, no question.

The key is measuring well before you decide. Grab the tape, note the real width and length of the alcove (not the old tray) and compare. If the numbers line up with the catalogue, perfect. If they’re off by a few centimetres, you know which way to lean.

Got the measurements and want to see the price right away? Work out your exact tray on made-to-measure manufacture, and if you’d rather we took a look at your case, write to us via contact. We’ll tell you honestly whether standard or bespoke suits you better.