Glass Shower Door Styles
Most home owners are familiar with framed glass shower doors. Framed doors offer functionality, but frameless doors have more of a contemporary feel and accent the title design in a shower.
Frameless Glass Shower Door
Frameless glass shower enclosures offer the greatest opportunity to achieve a luxurious look and style. Heavy glass panels are assembled and secured without the aid of metal structure and rail components providing emphasis on the beauty of the glass panel. Standard and custom installations include: Sliding Doors, Swinging Doors
For a stylish, updated look, frameless shower doors will give your bathroom an open feel. Cleaning will also be minimal due to the absence of tracks for a frame. Mildew, mold, and soap scum will have little chance to grow, and the result is a cleaner, contemporary bathroom.
As mentioned earlier, a frameless option may cause leaking onto your bathroom floor. Whereas framed doors have rubber along the frame to seal in water, frameless doors have a small gap around the door. One suggestion to ease splashing is to position your showerhead away from the door. Because they require thicker, heavier glass to stay in place without a frame, frameless shower doors tend to be pricier then some of the alternatives. Usually built for a custom fit, frameless doors cost more time, effort, and labor for installation.
Framed Glass Shower Door
Framed glass shower enclosures are the traditional approach to shower enclosures offering strength, durability, and beauty. Framed enclosures offer a wider variety of glass materials to choose from and many variations in molding style. Our rail moldings are also available in a wide variety of finishes and colors. We will custom cut and install your framed shower enclosure for a perfect fit and lasting beauty.
Made of aluminum or composite materials, frames are available in a variety of finish colors, including silver/chrome, dark bronze, or brushed nickel. The advantage to framed doors is that they are better at sealing in water and steam. They’re also a more affordable option and available with a variety of decorative glasses.
From a modern standpoint, framed shower doors are less popular. Depending on the extent of the metal frame, one drawback is that it can detract from intricately-designed, decorative tile work.
In short, glass thickness determines the structural strength of your shower enclosure. Here’s a quick look at both options:
- 3/8-Inch Heavy Shower Glass Three-eighth-inch thick glass is the smallest thickness size that can be used in frameless showers to assure sound, quality construction. It’s also more budget-friendly than half-inch glass.
- 1/2-Inch Heavy Shower Glass Premium half-inch thick glass offers the greatest structural integrity and durability. It’s the same kind of glass used for storefronts. It not only looks more impressive but also has a more substantial feel.
Glass shower doors can be fabricated from different glass types, colors and patterns. Glass shower doors are no longer just glass. Thanks to designer trends, homeowners now have a variety of glass types, colors, and patterns to choose