Glass shower doors: features, sizes and designs

Glass today is considered an ultra-fashionable material in the manufacture of bathroom fixtures - it looks beautiful, rich and can visually increase the size of the room. In this article, you will get acquainted with the main features of glass shower doors, the dimensions of these structures, as well as the options for their design and design.

The task of any shower door is to protect furniture and sanitary ware in the bathroom from splashing water, as well as to maintain a comfortable temperature level inside the shower stall.

Pros.

• Glass is universal from the point of view of appearance and can look harmoniously in any style solution with any material: tiles, natural stone, metal or wood.
• Glass is able to withstand sudden changes in temperature and does not lose its integrity after prolonged use. As a rule, frames and fittings, which are equipped with glass shower cabins, have a special anti-corrosion coating, which additionally protects structures in high humidity conditions.
• Thanks to the smooth structure of the glass, shower doors made of this material very easy to clean from dirt and water stains.
• A special technology for the manufacture of glass products allows complement them with numerous design inserts and decorative elements. Depending on the type of glass, such shower doors can be tinted, matte, transparent, patterned and even colored.
• Glass is environmentally friendly material, it does not emit substances harmful to health.
• Even with mechanical chips, breakages and cracks glass shower cabins don't stop being safe. All fragments remain under a special protective film, which protects against injury and injury. In addition, glass doors are usually made of durable tempered or laminated glass with a thickness of 8 to 12 mm, which is 100% resistant to moisture and sudden temperature changes.
• The transparency of the glass visually increases the size of the room and makes the bathroom more spacious. This applies more specifically to transparent options for shower doors that do not interfere with the penetration of sunlight into the room.

Minuses.

• Price is the main disadvantage of glass shower doors - both their purchase and installation are expensive. Such models cannot be installed independently at home without the help of qualified workers.
• Glass shower doors require extremely neat installation using high-quality and rigid guides and hinges, which are necessary for reliable fixing of the doors.
• Glass doors necessarily equipped with fittings, which over time can become rusty and lose mobility and reliability.
• On ordinary glass water streaks are clearly visible, condensation and splashes from water, which must be removed regularly to maintain a pleasant appearance of the shower stall. The same applies to contamination of the shower door fittings. Moreover, glass products must be carefully maintained using mild cleaning agents (washing gels, special wipes).

There are several types of glass shower doors, depending on the method of operation. Among the most common types are sliding, pendulum, swing and folding doors.

Sliding glass doors are a versatile choice for bathrooms with limited space. These structures are 2 or 3 glass panels that move freely along the rails built into the fittings on casters or castors. Some people call this type of door "wardrobe".

Among the advantages of this variety are the following.

• Compactness - no additional free space is required to open the doors.
• Versatility - can be successfully installed in niches, showers or full bathtubs.
• Style variety - sliding doors can be made in any design. Matte, transparent or doors with pictures and patterns look great here.

This variety has only one drawback - the roller mechanism can fail over time and lose mobility, which greatly affects the usability of the model.

Pendulum shower doors, unlike other types, can be opened both inside the shower cubicle and outside. The key feature of such structures is fastening to a single vertical axis without the use of frame elements. For reliable fastening of such structures, special profile hinges are used.

Main advantages:

• saving free space by opening the doors inside the shower stall;
• no additional frame mounts and roller elements that may deteriorate over time;
• possibility of installation in any premises, where there is not even a shower cubicle - such doors are fastened from floor to ceiling, their dimensions can be chosen by the customer.

There are two disadvantages of this type of shower door:

• high cost of cloth and installation in the bathroom;
• risk of leaks - moisture can enter the openings between doors and damage bathroom floors and furniture.

Hinged shower doors are a traditional option that is installed in almost every shower stall. These doors are installed in a special frame or metal box and usually open to the outside of the shower stall.

Key benefits include the following.

• Versatility... They can be installed either directly into the shower cubicle or into a small niche.
• Price... Swing doors are characterized by a relatively low cost in comparison with other models.
• Tightness. Due to the high-quality fastening of the doors to the metal frame, as well as the tight fit of the shutters to each other, one hundred percent tightness of the shower stall is ensured. This prevents damage to the flooring and bathroom furniture.
• Easy to attach. For the installation of swing glass doors, no special tools are needed - only hinges and handles are needed.

Of all the glass shower doors, the folding models are perhaps the most unpopular. As a rule, this is a complex structure of a metal profile and several glass plates, which are fastened to each other using a pivot axis and work according to the accordion principle. Such models can be found on the market infrequently, and therefore their cost is several times higher than for swing options.

Advantages.

• Relative compactness due to the folding design of such doors - an excellent option for small bathrooms.
• Perfect combination with an unusual style solution in the bathroom... Such doors will look especially harmonious in a bathroom with a Japanese interior.
• Aesthetics - folding doors look not only unusual, but also beautiful.
• Can be performed in various style solutions from a wide variety of glass.

Disadvantages.

• The profile or frame of folding structures is metal, therefore, over time corrode.
• As already mentioned, folding glass shower door models stand much more expensive than swing and sliding counterparts.
• In such doors, the areas where the pivot axle is located can partially allow moisture to pass through. The tightness of the entire structure suffers from this.

Usually the dimensions of shower doors (not only glass ones) are selected individually for a separate niche, booth or bath. Much depends on the area of ​​the bathroom itself.

If we talk about the standard sizes of glass models, then the height limits here are limited by the ceiling or roof of the shower stall - in bathrooms, this figure rarely exceeds 200-220 cm, provided that a shower tray is placed.

If we talk about the width of glass shower doors, then everything here depends on the width of the niche and on the physique of the users of the shower stall. Here, width indicators can vary from 60-70 cm to 120 cm. If the width of the shower doors turns out to be too large, it can always be narrowed by mounting a fixed glass plate on the frame.

For those consumers for whom an ordinary transparent glass door seems too simple solution, the designers have developed a lot of decor options for such designs. Today, the buyer of shower doors can freely select the texture, thickness of glass, as well as its color design. With the help of additional design inserts and compositions, a glass shower door can become the real compositional center of the bathroom.

Among the most popular technologies for decorating glass shower doors are the following.

• Photo printing. In this case, a certain image is applied directly to the glass, regardless of the color design of the latter. This method of decorating the doors allows you to choose resistant paint options that will retain a presentable and bright appearance for a long time.

• Engraving. This method involves processing glass doors using one of 3 technologies: laser or diamond machines; acid that causes erosion of the glass surface; spray paints that only imitate the effect of engraving.

• Stained glass surfaces. Glass shower cubicles with real stained glass are extremely rare today - this can be explained by the high cost and fragility of such structures. To imitate a stained-glass window, special paints or films are applied to the glass.

• Polymer film. With the help of this material, absolutely any pattern or texture can be applied to glass shower doors, which will never lose saturation and will not harm the integrity of the doors.

• Sandblasting... This method of decorating involves processing glass sheets with an air-sand jet under pressure. Image quality depends on 2 factors: sand grain size and pressure readings.

• Triplex. If you focus on more expensive glass door decoration techniques, then we cannot but mention the triplex. This is laminated glass, between the plates of which you can put anything you want: from drawings to painting and tinted film. This method of decorating shower doors allows you to reliably maintain the brightness of the patterns.

• Backlight - Another method of focusing attention on shower doors. Additional lighting will help to visually expand the room and add a touch of charm and romance to the overall look of the bathroom. Provided that the backlight is installed, you must conscientiously treat the isolation of communications that supply current.

As for the variety of shapes, here any shower doors, including glass ones, are presented in an extremely meager assortment. One of the conditions for installing a shower stall is absolute tightness - this is the only way to exclude the negative influence of moisture and high humidity levels on furniture and floor coverings in the bathroom.

In the case of using glass doors of unusual shapes, the tightness will not be observed. Another thing is when it comes to round, semicircular and corner versions of shower cabins with sliding and hinged glass doors. In this case, to make the shape of the structure look streamlined and harmonious, it is precisely semicircular and curved glass doors that are installed in the plane.

The choice of glass shower doors should be taken very carefully - this is a rather expensive and delicate element that will set the tone for the entire bathroom.

Consider the following guidelines when choosing a specific glass door model.

• First of all, you need to decide are you going to buy a ready-made model or purchase glass doors to order. The first option will be much cheaper, but in the second case you will be able to adjust the structure strictly to a specific niche or to the specific dimensions of the room. In addition, in the models to order, additional coating and decoration elements can be made at the request of the customer.
• When choosing the type of shower doors you need to focus on the size of the room. For small bathrooms, it is better to consider sliding or folding models, but swing and pendulum options will ideally fit into spacious rooms.
• Estimate your purchase budget - swing glass doors are considered the cheapest, but for folding and pendulum doors you will have to pay a rather big sum.

Additional selection factors (already in place).

• Hardware and frame Is one of the first factors you need to pay attention to.These elements must be made of stainless materials that are resistant to moisture. Best of all, in this case, options from aluminum and stainless steel show themselves.
• note on the surface of glass doors - it should be uniform: no chips, scratches, distortions and cracks. In addition, you need to check whether the doors fit snugly to the frame, whether there are gaps and gaps between the doors. The frame of the structure must be rigid and strong so as not to loosen and support the weight of the glass doors.
• The dimensions of the glass doors must match the dimensions of your bathroom, therefore, be sure to measure the width and height of the model at the time of purchase.

Since glass doors become dirty very quickly with water streaks and limescale, they must be cleaned regularly and carefully. For this are used special products and napkins, which as carefully as possible clean the glass from streaks and dirt, while not harming its surface.

For cleaning glass doors, it is recommended to use only soft cloths (preferably microfiber) and do not allow the glass to be brushed with hard brushes. Sometimes, simply wiping the glass with a cloth immediately after showering helps to eliminate the formation of plaque.

Experts recommend cleaning glass shower doors immediately after taking a shower - this will allow you to maintain an attractive and aesthetic appearance of the structure.

To prevent the metal parts of the hardware or frame (hinges, moving parts, rollers and guides), in which glass doors are usually installed, from deteriorating in high humidity conditions, they should be regularly lubricated. Avoid getting glass detergents on the fittings.

Despite the fact that glass surfaces are not affected by fungus or mold, such doors must be treated with special disinfectants once a month. Also on sale you can find preventive measures for the processing of glass doors - they do not allow the formation of streaks and condensation on the surface of the glass.

How to install a glass shower door with your own hands, see below.