Is A Glass Shower Door Correct For You?

Glorious in looks, great styling and a much wanted inclusion in the bathroom. But is this type door correct for you? Important particulars must be taken before making this purchase.

Ask any shower door or glass company and they will promptly respond that the glass shower door or more hot, frameless shower door is their greatest selling item. When talking of these doors, we are naming the free standing style, that consists of a hinged door and normally supplemental fixed glass panels. Most frequently, as provided by the better establishments, you will encounter these enclosures installed with what are called clamps. Versus the older styled channel method. The glass in all applications is neatly sealed at the locations where the panel meets the wall with a clear silicone to forbid water from leaking out.

But this is where the trouble can arise. The framless is modeled after the original European styled enclosure. To picture this better, we will need to understand the European bath. Plainly put...its a room fashioned to be exposed to water from showering. You have your drain in the shower area and often you have a drain in the center of the bath itself. Everything is tiled (or covered with some other "waterproof" material). The American bathroom is quite different. We want to bring our luxuries with us everywhere- including the bathroom. There are baths with wood floors, bathrooms with TV's and stereo systems. And above all, we wish to see water "kept in it's place"- and it's this definition that has made fitting the European style into the American bathroom a bit like putting a square peg in a round hole. We've all seen the commercials- a European mentioned hardware company presenting what appears to be hundreds of body sprays cascading over the user. What they aren't viewing is that in the European bath, probably 50% of that water is passing out of the shower area and into the bathroom floor. A feature that is highly unsatisfactory to Americans. Chances are the European bath has a flush sill at the shower area and here in the USA we have at least a 4" sill. So when we eager Americans wanted to get the gracious look of the European shower door (that is actually referred to as a "screen" overseas) what a nightmare the company was in for! The install seemed great, the homeowner was elated...and then they turned on the water. The water from their body sprays ended up just where they did in Europe- on the floor, their hand-held controls produced mayhem and in small showers- the water cascaded down off of the user producing something of a lake on the bathroom floor. The companies who had put in these doors were quickly receiving calls from uneasy clients asking why the door leaked and what was going to be done about it?

Years afterwards, the industry had moved ahead and acted around the obstacle as best as achievable. Having to integrate polycarbonate strips along each operating part of the enclosure, which yet to this day has yet to be perfected in adhesion; as glass and plastic do not adhere well . Yet, from time to time companies will encounter a client who will present a photo of a German bath- elegant in designing, but poor in American function showing raised fixed glass panels, flush sill and body sprays targeting at the door and say, "this is the enclosure I want....just like this". What has to be prompted is that these enclosure are not a fishtank and will not hold water like a fishtank would.

In General, frameless enclosures in America are indicated for larger shower. If a person's body takes up more than 2/3 of the total shower area, a frameless door should not be utilized as water can project from the users body and get it's way through the door hinges. In addition, if any flowing water sources are pointed directly at the door; particularly the hinges where gaps cannot be sealed; the homeowner has to either use a variant type of shower head, such as a rain-style, that directs water downward, versus outwards or select different style door.

Best guide for all glass shower doors: all about frameless glass shower doors