If you are pondering over getting a new shower door installed, there are plenty of styles and designs to choose from. Some of them are free-standing cubicle, shower area with shower enclosure, and so on. Read on to learn more regarding the various set-ups and distinct features here.
When you are designing a new restroom, you will most likely be thinking about incorporating a shower as well. The shower will need some shower door to protect the rest of the toilet from water splashes. There are plenty of variants and designs to choose from. Due to the abundance of options, locating the correct shower enclosure to match with your set-up, can be an unnerving task.
No need to panic, though – we are here to help and provide you with all the answers that you require to get it right.
Right Shower Door for Your Bathroom
To start, think of what style matches your requirements. The kind of shower door you pick will have a massive impact on the design of your bathroom at large. It will also clout the overall look of the toilet.
Shower door- Infographic
How frequently are you going to use it? Does it have to be approachable for children and elderly relatives? Are there any spatial constraints? All of these questions will assist you in thinking about the various things associated with shower enclosures. These things include its approach, the way the shower door opens, whether it's user-friendly and space-amplifying.
What Sort of Shower Door Do You Want?
The first thing you need to consider is whether the shower is within the bathroom or is entirely segregated. If your shower is supposed to be separated, then you shall be exploring cubicles, enclosures, and shower doors.
For isolated showers, you are then required to consider where exactly the shower will be located. Is it going to be in the middle of the restroom, a corner, or in a completely separate place altogether? This is going to determine which shower tray and shower glass door you will choose. For example, if the shower is in the corner, it will require a quadrant-shaped shower tray and a door that swathes around.
Selecting Enclosures for Shower Trays
There is an abundance of options available for shower enclosures such as rectangular, square, pentagon-shaped, quadrant-shaped, etc. Then there is a wide variety in shower trays - a conventional stone, a solid or a more modern-contemporary lightweight shower tray.
So finding the perfect shower tray following your requirements would not be a problem. You got to steer clear of ramshackle options that bend under pressure. Movements tend to make them difficult to seal and susceptible to leaks.
Obviously, you will need an enclosure that fits in well with that. Frequently, cubicles and trays come as components of a set and you can be confident that they will fit superbly together. On the other hand, you might put a tray in a corner. Then you can include a shower enclosure glass for a completely encompassed space.
How Much Space Do You Have for a Shower?
Think about exactly how much height and area is available. As restricted space probably means that you will require a bendable shower enclosure. A shower room at least has to be 80cm x 80cm to be pragmatic and comfortable to use.
Determining the Right Variant of Glass for Your Shower Glass Door
The selection of glass is very crucial. The thicker the glass, the well-fortified the enclosure. Whatever you choose (6mm, 8mm, or 10mm glass), there shall be options to match your requirements.
Hardened safety glass is always a suitable choice for a frameless shower or a wet room, particularly if you have young kids. But prepare yourself to pay significantly more for this elite glass.
Are you into mirrored glass? This glass reflects light and creates the illusion of a much bigger space.
Frameless Shower doors
One of the most famous selections in modern-day restrooms is a frameless shower glass enclosure. Their chic, simple, and transparent look give the bathroom an uncluttered and spacious appearance. Without the conventional shower frame, they immediately construct an airy-looking, breathtaking space.
A frameless shower door makes use of a robust tempered glass (typically 3/8" to ½" thick). It does not need the sustenance of metal around its external edges. The outcome is a clean-line, contemporary appearance that is free of any visual impediments.
It is perfect for someone who has a smaller toilet or a space that lacks natural sunlight. That being said, a frameless shower enclosure also works implausibly well in big, grand bathrooms. That's where its downplayed allure produces a minimalist visual effect.
Framed Shower doors
The cheaper counterparts of the frameless doors are shower doors with frames. However, a decrease in price does not automatically result to a decline in beauty, quality or elegance. In fact, one could argue that the frames make the shower doors even stronger. This is because the frames usually are made from heavy-duty aluminum.
Additionally, the frames sport a bronzed finish which gives it an exquisite look. Therefore, framed shower doors will not hamper the aesthetics of your bathroom.
Variants of Shower Enclosures and Doors
Nowadays, there are numerous varieties of shower cubicles and screens available. Here are the most popular and regularly-used shower doors on the market today.
Pivoted Shower doors
If space is not an issue and you don't necessarily require a sliding door. Then a pivoted shower enclosure is empirical and voguish. There are massive assortments of contemporary shower doors with pivoted doors to choose from. They open outwards into the restroom and are available in a variety of chromium-plate, metal or brass fittings.
You can save yourself some time and effort of going to the market, and check them out here.
Sliding Shower doors
If you desire to possess an elegant, contemporary-style shower glass enclosure, then a sliding door will be the best fit for you. It is a practical and stylish choice.
Additionally, it's an ideal choice if saving space is one of your top priorities. There are various distinct glass types. However, they work best with a transparent, strong, and toughened glass.
Bi-fold Shower enclosures
It is essential to mention that particular shower doors swing open towards the outside. Therefore, you will have to ensure that nothing is impeding the door so that it opens easily.
If you find the design of such shower doors problematic, you should consider purchasing Bi-fold shower enclosures. Their name is quite self-explanatory. As the name suggests, the door folds into its own structure. As a result, you do not need to leave the area in front of them empty.
D-Shaped Showers
D-shaped shower doors will make you feel like royalty. This is because it gives ample showering space. It will also make your bathroom appear more open and overall, larger.
The three-sided shower door is perhaps a unique design, but it has been created specifically for those who prefer large spaces.
Quadrant Enclosures
As the word suggests, this enclosure is shaped in the form of a circular quadrant. That is to say, and it is essentially a quarter of a complete circular. This means that the structure is curved in nature. This is perhaps the most elegant and aesthetically pleasing enclosure on this list.
The door just slides into the foray of the structure, allowing you an ample entrance space to your shower. Furthermore, the enclosure takes minimal floor space as it is curved.
However, this is also arguably the priciest enclosure on the list, simply because curved glass surfaces are expensive. Additionally, installation is also costly because of the foray. The glass door slides into the foray which is mostly located in the wall. In short, the process of inserting the foray into the wall is slightly costly.
Pentagon Enclosure
Again, the description of the shape is in the name itself. It is a pentagon enclosure. Due to its shape, it requires a bathroom corner to be installed in. The corner itself should ideally be at a right angle.
Similar to the other enclosures, this also adds a different dimension to your shower. Additionally, the door can be added on any glass panel due to the shape of the enclosure.
Tub and Glass Door Combo
You can empathize with people who do not want to get rid of their tubs in exchange for a shower. You can always get a shower head installed above your bathtub, allowing you to switch between showers and baths at will.
Sliding tub doors are widely available for those who would prefer to encase their tub rather than part with it. These doors are easy to install and slide over stainless steel drums effortlessly, allowing the same to operate smoothly.
Limited Tub Cover
Alternatively, you can opt for the limited tub enclosure. Here, instead of encasing the whole tub with glass doors, the only partial cover is installed.
Admittedly, this provides decreased splash coverage for your bathroom floor. However, it looks very minimalistic, modern and pleasing to the eye. Additionally, you can install the partial covering for only a fraction of the cost of the complete encapsulation.
Frosted Glass Doors
Bathrooms are private spaces. One can be forgiven for wanting additional privacy in one's shower enclosure. At times, transparent glass doors do not provide the privacy one may wish to.
At the same time, they may not want to compromise on using another material instead of having glass for their shower doors. After all, glass doors bring unparalleled splash protection and aesthetic beauty to your bathroom.
There exists a solution to this puzzle. Frosted or textured glass possesses the best features of glass doors and adds another which is privacy.
Furthermore, they are easy to clean and are easier to maintain. Moreover, marks do not appear prominently on them so you will not have to replace them for several years.
Such glass doors are especially useful in shared residences and spaces.
Evaluation and Recommendations
At this point, you might be intimidated by the overload of information. It is easy to get confused with so many options to choose from and contend with. That is why we shall highlight our recommendations.
If cost is not an issue, then you should definitely consider installing a quadrant enclosure.
If you want something less extravagant and robust, you may find a framed shower door more to your liking. This will also save you a sizeable amount of money. However, be sure to check whether the drain cover in the enclosure matches the color of the frames. This is just for that extra smidgen of uniformity and elegance.
If you value privacy over everything else, then the frosted glass enclosure is the perfect fit for you.
Regardless, shower doors are an adornment that you should give serious consideration to. For starters, it saves unruly splashes and puddles on the floor of your bathroom. Secondly, it looks lovely and adds an air of elegance to your bathroom.
In short, it is an investment worth making.
My sister has been thinking about getting a glass shower door for her bathroom because she likes the style. She would really like to get one installed by a professional in order to be safer. It was interesting to learn about how they can be more private when the glass is frosted.
It’s great to learn that sliding glass doors can save a lot of space in your shower. My wife and I are wanting to renovate our bathroom and we were wondering how we can save space in the room. I’ll be sure to talk to her about possibly getting a sliding glass door for our shower.
Thanks for this extensive guide regarding bathroom shower doors! My uncle gave my mom one of his old properties and now she’s considering making changes in the house to make it look better. The idea of having a sliding shower door for a shower is brilliant! I should share this with her so she’s aware of her shower door choices.
I loved how you mentioned that framed shower doors are cheaper! My husband and I are wanting to remodel our bathroom, and we want to get a tub-to-shower conversion and we were wondering what type of shower door would be best. I really appreciate you helping me learn more about the benefits of framed shower doors!
As you mentioned, taking the bathroom space into consideration is important when putting in shower doors. I would like to renovate my master bathroom, but it is quite small. I will have to look into the bendable enclosure that you mentioned.
It’s awesome how frameless shower doors can give a more spacious look to the bathroom. My wife and I are thinking about remodeling our bathroom, and we are looking for advice. I will let her know about your recommendations to help him choose the best shower doors for our bathroom.
I want to make sure that my bathroom looks nice. It makes sense that I would want to start by getting the right shower doors! I think a sliding door would be nice. They seem like they look good while also being easy to open and close.
I agree that adding a frameless shower door will help you make the room look spacious. My bathroom feels a bit cramped, so it would be good to make it feel a bit bigger. I am considering remodeling my bathroom, and I’ll make sure to get a frameless door if I do.
I recently noticed just how out of date my old bathroom curtains look, so I’ve decided to replace them. It makes sense that I would want to consider getting a glass enclosure instead! Sliding doors seem like a great modern way to go about this. I want to make my bathroom look more modern, so that’s perfect.
Thanks
My cousin is thinking about getting a new shower door for his bathroom so that he can get rid of the old one that is getting really damaged. It could be really nice for him to get a glass one from a professional that will be durable and last for a long time. I liked what you said about how a sliding door is practical and stylish and will allow him to save space in his bathroom.
Glad that you like the post. Best wishes for your cousin.