Frameless shower doors bring an elegant and updated look to your bathroom. The metal frames and tracks of old quickly lose their shine and are hard to keep clean. Today’s modern bathroom, with its crisp and clean design, lends itself well to this style of frameless shower enclosure. There are many options from which to choose; knowing a little about each element will help you create a unique door for your bath.
A sliding frameless shower screen is suspended from an overhead track with the bottom edge of the tempered glass slanted inward to deflect water back into the shower basin. One door is slightly taller than the other is so they easily by-pass to open from either direction. A bi-fold shower door is similar to those typically utilized on kitchen pantries and linen closets. Neo-angle doors are designed to fit corner shower units, and pivot style doors work well on fiberglass pre-fabricated stalls, or built-in custom stalls with only one exposed opening.
Frameless shower doors are subtle, allowing the rest of your bathroom decor to be noticed!
Two hardware options are used for frameless glass shower doors: premium-grade metal clips or U-channels, which are long rails the glass panels fit in. For a true frameless door, metal clips secure the glass to the wall or another glasspanel. These thick, solid clips provide the strength necessary to hold up under the weight of the heavy glass. While this style costs more due to individual notches custom cut into each piece of glass, it has a classy, clean look. The metal clips come in a variety of finishes and styles to compliment modern or traditional bath fixtures.
The U-channel is the money-saving choice for those on a budget. A panel of glass fits in a trough-like piece of metal and is secured to the wall or another piece of glass and may either pivot or is hinged. Utilizing the U-channel option will give your frameless shower doors a “framed” look, but with the newer updated U-channel finishes, it still has a better appearance than the older style doors. This type of hardware can be further strengthened with deeper channels, which hold onto more of the edge of the glass panel. Special Offer: Save up to 70% on bathroom vanities with factory-direct prices at ModernBathroom.com
Most pivot-hinged doors mount top to bottom at ceiling and floor for a 180-degree swing. Frameless shower doors can also be center pivot-mounted to create a revolving door. If the door will be shorter than ceiling height, a top rail must be installed to attach the upper pivot. The problem with pivot-hinged shower doors is the inability to seal the seam to deflect the water.
Simpler frameless doors lend themselves to a simple, modern bathroom design.
The smallest thickness glass used in frameless showers is 3/8-inch. Premium 1/2-inch glass panels offer greater structural integrity and a richer look and feel, but it costs more. Sandblasted and acid-etched glasses both achieve the same affect–a frosted look. Acid-etched is more economical and produces a truly frosted appearance, but sandblasting allows custom designs and degrees of frost. Portions of the glass can be taped off to give clear sections as desired.
Tempered glass is the only type suitable for bathroom showers. Its safety and durability is achieved through applying extreme heat and then rapidly cooling. When broken, it will shatter into oval pebbles without jagged, sharp edges. Do-it-yourself installers should never cut or drill tempered glass, as it will shatter. Extreme heat will cause it to shatter as well, and tempering will not prevent hard-water stains or protect the clarity.
Many fabulous styles and designs can be custom created to make your bathroom a fashion-forward sanctuary worth spending extra time within. Whether you choose a tinted glass, clear, or frosted frameless shower door is purely a matter of taste. The beauty and timeless elegance will surely make your new enclosure a focal point that will not only impress your family and friends, but make cleaning the shower a less onerous task.
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