If you’re considering redesigning your shower, finding the perfect frameless glass shower door is essential in achieving the overall look you want. A high-quality glass shower door can add value and beauty to your home while helping to prevent mold and mildew buildup and water damage. As to shower door options, there are a variety of styles to choose from, allowing you to select a model that will work for your budget, your personal preferences, and your unique bathroom space.
Are you considering upgrading to a frameless glass shower in the Boston area? While a total bathroom remodel can cost thousands of dollars, installing a frameless shower enclosure can have a major impact on your bathroom’s aesthetic, and can be a better option if you’re on a tight budget. Learning how to choose the right type of shower door for your specific bathroom is key to finding a model that will add functionality and value to your home.
Match the Style of Your Bathroom
Frameless doors and enclosures can instantly modernize your outdated bathroom, providing a contemporary feel and elegant design that can easily blend in with the existing decor. Additionally, if you decide to purchase a custom glass shower door, a skilled glass contractor can help you choose the style of door, glass type, and hardware type, to ensure your new addition will elevate your unique bathroom space, tying the room together. By incorporating hardware that matches the existing hardware in the bathroom, choosing the glass that will allow more light to flow throughout the space or provide the privacy you need, you can give your bathroom a much-needed upgrade, for a price you can afford.
Types of Shower Doors
One of the most important parts of a bathroom remodel is choosing the right type of shower door, especially considering the shower takes up the majority of space in the bathroom. Because of this, it’s crucial to select a style that allows you to streamline the space, making the room more efficient and functional for the entire family.
Most frameless glass shower doors feature a contemporary style that can instantly modernize any bathroom. However, to determine which frameless style will work the best, you need to consider your space needs and personal preferences.
Some of the most popular types of frameless styles include:
- Hinged shower doors
- Pivot
- Barn door
- Bi-fold door
- Bypass
- Sliding
- Neo-angle shower
There are many other frameless shower door styles available, allowing you to carefully select a shower door that will work with your style and budget, so you can create the type of shower enclosure that will result in the contemporary bathroom you’ve always wanted, at the price you can afford.
Frameless Sliding Doors vs. Doors and Panels
Choosing between doors and panels or frameless sliding doors for your shower door enclosure will depend mainly on your bathroom’s setup, the shower layout, and the amount of space available.
A hinged door is attached to panels of glass or an adjacent surface, with hinges. These frameless shower glass doors are designed to open outward, which can make this style a poor choice if you have a smaller bathroom, especially if there is a wall located in front of the shower. If there is not enough clearance to safely open the shower door without hitting the wall, this can result in serious damage to both the wall and the shower door. Hinged frameless shower doors are usually a better option for spacious bathrooms.
Sliding doors are often a better choice if you have a smaller, cramped bathroom. Also referred to as bypass doors, these doors work by sliding along tracking and consist of a couple of pieces of glass panels that slide past one another on parallel tracks.
Shower Door Materials
Frameless enclosures are typically made of sturdy, thick-tempered glass. Traditional shower doors are supported by bulky metal frames, while a frameless shower door comes equipped with only handles and hinges. The lack of a frame is what gives these doors a clean, modern look.
The tempered glass used on most glass shower doors ranges from ⅜ inch to ½ inch in thickness, creating a strong, durable shower door that’s designed to last year after year. Framed shower doors tend to utilize thinner glass that’s not nearly as durable as what you’ll find on a frameless glass shower enclosure.
Glass Materials
Because frameless shower doors are highly customizable, you’ll also be able to choose from a variety of glass types available.
The shower door glass you choose should be based on your privacy needs, style, existing bathroom decor, and your budget.
Privacy/frosted. If you’re installing a frameless shower door in a high-traffic bathroom, choosing frosted glass with an opaque finish can provide the type of privacy you and your family need.
Clear. Clear glass is stylish, elegant, and modern, and works well for most bathrooms. Because of its high visibility, clear glass is perfect for smaller bathrooms that feel enclosed or cramped. The transparency of the glass allows more light to flow throughout the space and can also showcase beautiful elements in your shower, such as colorful tile work or an elegant rainfall shower head.
Patterned. You can also choose from a variety of glass patterns including raindrops. Patterned glass provides privacy, is more translucent than glass with a frosted finish, and gives you another way to showcase your unique style.
Glass Shower Door Hardware
Glass shower door hardware is available in a variety of shapes and finishes. Choosing the right type of hardware finish and design will allow your new shower door to seamlessly blend in with your existing bathroom decor and can make your new shower pop, making it the elegant focal point of the room.
Shower door hardware is available in steel, gold, brushed nickel, and many other types of metals, making it easy to match your shower’s new hardware to the existing hardware in your bathroom. High-quality hardware should be made out of rust-resistant materials, with finishes that are designed to easily withstand daily use.
Budgetary Concerns
Many homeowners have concerns regarding the higher cost of custom frameless glass doors. Because these doors are designed specifically for your shower, you can anticipate paying more. However, with a custom model, you’ll get a shower door that fits your shower enclosure perfectly, eliminating issues with poor sealing and potential water damage. Additionally, these doors feature beautiful quality workmanship and are made out of thicker tempered glass, so you can expect your shower door to last year after year. Prefabricated shower doors tend to be more affordable, but do not offer many size options. This can result in you wasting hundreds of dollars on a shower door that doesn’t seal correctly or a cheaply designed door that cannot handle regular wear and tear and heavy-duty use.
Additionally, custom frameless shower doors are available for only a fraction of the price of a total bathroom remodel and can have a significant impact on the look and feel of your bathroom.
Contact an IDEAL Shower Glass Door Provider Today!
With years of experience in the shower door industry, the glass contractors at IDEAL Shower Glass Doors take pride in offering exceptional attention to detail, high-quality workmanship, and excellent customer service. Our goal is to help you choose a new shower door that will elevate your bathroom and add functionality and value to your home. If you’re ready to make this type of important upgrade to your home, contact an IDEAL shower glass door provider today.