# Can I Use Silicone Instead of a Shower Door Seal? | IDEAL Shower Doors

URL: https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/guide/can-i-use-silicone-instead-of-a-shower-door-seal
Description: Silicone can't replace the seal on the moving edge of a shower door, because the door has to open. Where silicone belongs on a shower enclosure and where you need a seal.
Seller: IDEAL Shower Doors, Danvers, MA (https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/)

---

Guide

# Can I Use Silicone Instead of a Shower Door Seal?

By the [IDEAL install crew](https://idealshowerdoors.com/) · Frameless glass showers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire since 2014 · Updated 10-04-2026

Not on the door itself. Silicone seals things that never move; the door has to swing, so its edges need a seal.

## Where silicone belongs

- Where a fixed glass panel meets the wall, floor or curb
- Around clamps and channels that hold fixed panels
- Along the base of fixed panels

Use mildew-resistant [CRL 33SMRC](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/33smrc), or [CRL RTV408C](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/rtv408c) if the hardware is brass.

## Where you need a seal instead

- **Bottom of the door:** a sweep or drip rail like [CRL P990WS](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/p990ws).
- **Door edge against a wall or panel:** an 'H' wipe like [CRL P375HW](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/p375hw), an [H-jamb](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/c/inline-180), or a [bulb seal](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/c/bulb-fin).

Silicone on a moving edge either glues the door shut or tears the first time it opens. Not sure what goes where? See [which seal do I need](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/guide/which-seal).

- [Not sure which seal you need? Use our Seal Finder Pick your door, point to where it leaks and we'll show only the seals that fit your glass. Takes about 30 seconds. Start the Seal Finder →](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/finder)

## Products in this guide

- [CRL P990WS Bottom Wipe with Drip Rail for 3/8" Glass 3/8" glass · 95" · 3 colors from $18.90 View](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/p990ws)
- [CRL P375HW Multi-Purpose 'H' Wipe for 3/8" Glass 3/8" glass · 95" $15.23 View](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/p375hw)
- [CRL 33SMRC Mildew-Resistant Clear Silicone Sealant (10.3 oz Tube) CRL 33S: clear, mildew-resistant 100% silicone for showers. $20.48 View](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/33smrc)
- [CRL RTV408C Neutral-Cure Clear Silicone for Brass Hardware (10.3 oz Tube) The silicone to use with brass hardware: won't turn brass green. $25.18 View](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/p/rtv408c)

## Common questions

**Can I use silicone to seal the gap on my shower door?**

Not on the edge of the door that opens: it would glue the door shut or tear. Use a seal on the door, and silicone only on fixed panels.

**Where should silicone go on a glass shower?**

Where fixed glass panels meet the wall, floor or curb, and around the clamps or channels that hold them.

## More guides

[**How to replace a shower door sweep** A new bottom sweep takes about ten minutes.](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/guide/replace-frameless-shower-door-sweep)[**Neo-angle shower seal replacement** A neo-angle shower has two angled panels that meet the door at 135°.](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/guide/neo-angle-shower-door-seal-replacement)[**How to re-caulk a shower door** Old silicone turns yellow, grows mildew and starts to leak.](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/guide/how-to-recaulk-glass-shower-door)[**Shower door leaking at the bottom** Water on the bathroom floor almost always comes from one of four places.](https://idealshowerdoors.com/store/guide/shower-door-leaking-at-bottom)