Height Adjustable Shower Stools

Shower stools for showers that aren't big

If a shower chair won't fit through the screen door, a stool usually will. The narrowest stool on this page is 510mm across, and most are under 550mm. That's the main reason people buy a stool instead of a chair.

The other reason is that you're steady on your feet and only want a rest while you wash. If you tire mid-shower or grab the taps to stay upright, skip this page and go to a shower chair with arms and a backrest.

Measure the recess first

Measure the shower floor wall to wall, then the opening in the screen. A stool needs all four feet flat on the floor, not perched on the hob or the lip at the drain.

The Max Mobility Delta S24 ($173.95) is 510mm wide and 410mm deep overall. The Aspire Homecare ($129.99) is 525mm across. The Care Quip stool ($149.95) has a 550mm by 380mm base. The other makers publish seat size but not the footprint, so if your recess is under 600mm, call us and we'll measure one.

Stool or chair

A stool has no backrest, so you hold yourself upright. That's fine for a ten minute wash if your trunk is strong. It's wrong for anyone who slumps, leans on the wall, or needs a carer to do most of the washing.

The gap closes a bit at the top of the range. The Aspire padded seat and back ($289) has a backrest and arms on a stool-sized frame. We won't pretend there's a clean line between that and a small shower chair. Buy on the footprint and the weight rating, not the name.

Plastic, timber or padded

They differ in how they feel and how you take care of them. A moulded plastic seat with drainage holes is cold for a second and then forgotten. It wipes clean and dries fast. The Aspire stools and the Delta S24 have this seat.

Padded seats are kinder on thin skin and bony hips. The Aspire padded seat ($199.95) and the Delta S46-P HD ($248.95) are padded foam. Padding holds water longer, so stand it where air gets to it after the shower.

The faux timber Max Mobility stools look like furniture, which matters when guests use the same bathroom. The Delta S44-T ($161.95) and the S45-T heavy duty ($248.95) have a 470mm by 290mm seat and no arms, so you sit sideways on either.

A wide rectangular seat lets you put one leg out to wash a foot. The 375mm Aspire seats keep the stool compact but give you less room to shift about. Makers don't always publish seat shape, so read the photo and the numbers together.

The swivel stool

The Delta S34 swivel ($173.95) has a padded seat that turns a full circle. You face the taps, then the door, then the towel without lifting your feet off wet tiles. It carries 125kg and has a shelf underneath for soap.

Turning on wet tiles is where a lot of bathroom falls start. It has no arms to push up on, so it suits people who can sit and stand on their own.

Height, weight and arms

Stool	Seat height	Seat width by depth	Max user weight	Arms	Price
Aspire Homecare	440 to 570mm	410 by 340mm	100kg	Yes	$129.99
Max Mobility Delta B44-T bath stool	220 to 270mm	470 by 290mm	120kg	No	$136.95
Care Quip	510 to 660mm	460mm between arms	125kg	Yes	$149.95
Aspire Shower Stool	470 to 655mm	375 by 310mm	175kg	Yes	$154
Max Mobility Delta S44-T timber	400 to 500mm	470 by 290mm	120kg	No	$161.95
Max Mobility Delta S24	410 to 540mm	510 by 410mm overall	120kg	Yes, foam grip	$173.95
Max Mobility Delta S34 swivel	Adjustable, not published	Not published	125kg	No	$173.95
Aspire Shower Stool Wide	425 to 615mm	420 by 365mm	175kg	Yes, 525mm apart	$192
Aspire padded seat	470 to 665mm	375 by 310mm	175kg	Yes	$199.95
Max Mobility Delta S45-T heavy duty	470 to 570mm	470 by 290mm	150kg	No	$248.95
Max Mobility Delta S46-P HD padded	Adjustable, not published	Not published	150kg	No	$248.95
Aspire padded seat and back	470 to 665mm	375 by 310mm	175kg	Yes	$289
Aspire MAXI	455 to 575mm	575 to 775mm wide, adjustable	310kg	Yes, padded	$899

Set the seat so your feet are flat and your knees sit level with your hips. Measure from the back of your knee to the floor in bare feet and pick a range that covers it. The Care Quip and Aspire stools go to 655mm or more, the Delta S44-T stops at 500mm.

Aspire legs adjust with push buttons, and one leg has extra stops for a floor that slopes to the drain. If you're near the weight rating, go up a model, because a stool at its limit flexes.

Feet, rust and cleaning

Every stool here has rubber non-slip feet. Rubber goes hard and shiny over a couple of years, and a shiny foot creeps on wet tiles. Run a thumb over them when you clean the shower. We can get replacement feet for anything we sell.

Aluminium frames don't rust. The Care Quip and the steel Aspire stools are treated and powder coated against it, and Aspire backs that for 5 years. Rinse the soap off after each shower, because scum is what holds water against the scratches. The Aspire seats clip off for a proper wash.

Getting on and off

Back up until the seat touches your legs, then reach for the arms or the seat edge and sit. Standing up, shuffle to the front edge and push on the arms, not the soap holder. On a stool without arms, put your hands flat on the seat beside your hips and push.

If someone helps, they stand on the open side with the hand-held hose in reach of the seat. A fixed shower head decides where the stool goes, so check that before anything else.

NDIS and shower stools

Every stool on this page is under $1,500, so it's low cost assistive technology. NDIS participants can buy one from the core budget without a quote or an OT report. It only has to relate to the disability in the plan. The NDIA explains the bands on its assistive technology page.

We're NDIS registered (4050144759). Plan managed and agency managed participants order through us and we invoice direct. Self managed participants pay and claim. Our bathroom safety guide covers rails, mats and the toilet as well.

Common questions

Can I use a stool in the bath?

The Delta B44-T bath stool ($136.95) sits 220 to 270mm high for use inside a tub. You still step over the edge. If that's the hard part, a bath transfer bench is the answer.

Shower chair or bath transfer bench?

A chair or stool suits a walk-in shower. A bench straddles the bath edge so you sit and slide in. We go through it in shower chair or bath transfer bench.

Do I need arms?

If you push on your knees to get out of a dining chair, yes. Arms add width though. A no-arm stool like the Delta S44-T is easier to sit on sideways in a tight recess.

Which one for a heavier person?

The Aspire stools are rated to 175kg, the Delta heavy duty pair to 150kg. Past that, the Aspire MAXI takes 310kg and the seat widens to 775mm. It's $899 and it's the only stool here at that price.

Will it mark the tiles?

Rubber feet don't scratch tile. Grit under a foot does, so rinse the floor before you set the stool down.

Can I return it if it doesn't fit?

Yes, within 14 days. The conditions are in our refund policy. Measuring the recess first saves the freight both ways.