Types Of Shower Doors
The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in your house. You use the shower every day for an average of 15 minutes per shower. It’s one of the most relaxing places in your house, so why do you spend this time in an old shower with leaky and dirty shower curtains, when you can invest in high-quality shower enclosures and doors that have high-quality water barrier system? There is a lot to consider in choosing the best shower door for your bathroom.
Shower Door Movement
When it comes to choosing the best shower door for your bathroom space, consider how you would like to open and shut your shower door. This may depend on the available space and your personal preference.
1. Bypass Doors
Bypass shower doors, or simply called sliding shower doors are perfect for shower areas and bathrooms with limited space, as you don’t have to worry about door swing area. Bypass doors work by using aluminum tracks at the bottom and at the top of the opening glass panel. The glass panel slides in front of another glass panel when opening or closing the door.
Although this type of door is sturdy and easier to install, it can be difficult to keep clean as water and grime often collect by the tracks, which can make sliding more difficult, if not maintained properly.
2. Pivot Doors
Pivot or swing doors, often involve a side-mounted hinged glass door that pivots. This type of door is often more complicated to install, but since there are no overlaps between door and panel, cleaning is a lot easier. However, hinged doors need to be exact in terms of swing area, thus, not all bathrooms can have room for this type of shower door.
3. Doorless Walk-in Showers
If you’re not a fan of sliding or swinging doors for your shower and clean up is just too much for you, modern doorless showers might be something to consider. This often uses a half wall, usually made of glass to keep the water from splashing to the rest of the bathroom.
Consider doorless showers if you have enough space in the shower to keep the water from spilling out from the opening. This takes strategic design to ensure that space, floor, showerhead, and drain, all work together to contain the water within the shower area.
Shower Door Attachment
How do you like your shower doors attached to the rest of the enclosure walls of the shower? Consider the pros and cons of going frameless, framed, or semi-frameless on your shower doors.
1. Framed Shower Doors
A framed shower door has metal around it, usually made of aluminum or composite material. Framed doors are common for sliding doors as metal is often where the tracks are. There are also some designs that feature pivot doors with frames. Framed doors are practical because of their sturdiness and it’s relatively easier to install. However, they can be difficult to clean because of the corners and nooks that are harder to reach.
2. Semi-frameless Shower Doors
Semi-frameless shower doors have the metal attachment that is characteristic of framed doors, however, the metal is not found entirely around the door. Metal attachments are either found on top and bottom of an otherwise frameless door, for bypass shower doors, or just on the side where the hinges are, for pivot doors.
3. Frameless Shower Doors
Touted for their elegance and practicality, frameless shower doors may be the best shower glass for you if you like the sophisticated style with easy cleaning. However, frameless shower doors are the most complicated to install as the thick frameless glass is only attached through hinges or headers. For professional installation, check out Glass Project Solutions
Shower Glass Finish
To choose the best shower glass finish for you, consider your personal style, your interior design, and your privacy preferences. Here are some of the most popular and elegant glass finish you can choose from:
1. Clear
Clear glass is a classic choice for shower doors. It can make your bathroom look larger as there is no visual obstruction between the shower and the rest of the space. It is sophisticated and elegant, but it does not offer much in terms of privacy.
2. Tinted
Tinted glass may be the best shower glass for you if you want a little privacy and boundary but not fully hide the interior of your shower. Bronze or gray tints are the classic choices for tinted shower doors.
3. Patterned
Patterned or textured glass has various embossed patterns that offer visual and tactile decoration to your bathroom. It allows for higher privacy without compromising light transmission. Try Rain, Barock, or Bubbles pattern or opt for the sophisticated Berman glass patterns like Aqui and Esto.
4. Frosted
Frosted glass lets some light pass through but still gives you the privacy that you need as the light is scattered resulting in a blurred image. You have a variety of options on how opaque you want your frosted glass to be. Opt for satin glass for minimal blurring or acid etched glass for higher light scattering.
Whatever style, attachment, or finish you choose for your shower door, the most important aspect to consider is the installation. Hire expert professionals who can handle delicate glass and install them with preciseness. Visit Glass Project Solutions to learn more.
