Glass Shower Doors: Everything You Should Know Before Buying A Shower Door
We all know how glass shower doors are in these days. However, it takes a lot to bag the perfect glass shower door. Here’s everything you should know and think about before getting a shower door.
Shower Glass Doors and Why They’re Better
Shower glass doors are a relatively new addition to American bathrooms. Most homeowners have always resorted to shower curtains made with plastic or fabric to develop shower spaces within their bathrooms. However, they’ve now become significantly outdated, especially after the incorporation of shower glass doors, because of all the benefits they offer. Some of them include:
Increased Value
The real estate market is incredibly competitive these days, increasing the need for homeowners, designers, and remodelers to do everything they can to add value to a property. Shower glass doors are the easiest bathroom feature to achieve this goal. They add a significant amount of value to a home, helping you get offers that you never anticipated before.
Long-Term Savings
Despite drastically increasing a house’s value, shower glass doors aren’t a hefty investment if you look at them with an open mind. With shower curtains, you always have to keep spending money on the replacements of curtains and liners. However, shower glass doors last for years, saving you extensive amounts of maintenance and replacement expenditures, ultimately becoming a more affordable choice.
A Modern and Highly Desirable Feature
Another reason why glass shower doors are better is that they’re a statement-making feature of modern homes. It’s highly sought after because of how minimalist yet modern it makes a house looks. Therefore, most homebuyers are likely to invest in houses with a feature like glass doors.
A Brighter Bathroom Interior
Since these shower doors are primarily made of glass and designed accordingly, they also add to the bathroom’s beauty. These doors don’t block the bathroom’s lighting, making the space look brighter and more spacious. Furthermore, if your bathroom has unique stones, marbles, and tiles, these doors can help you highlight those too.
Controlled Water Leaks
Shower curtains don’t just have to provide your shower area with the enclosure; they need to prevent the shower’s water from reaching or leaking into the bathroom floor. Fortunately, this isn’t something you have to worry about with compact glass shower doors.
Ease of Customization
Lastly, the most incredible reason these doors are better is that you can have them customized into any shape, size, or design at your discretion.
Types of Glass for Shower Doors
Once you’ve decided to add a glass shower door to your bathroom, the first thing to consider is the type of glass you’d like your shower door to be made of. Here are some of the best options to keep in mind.
Clear Glass
One of the most popular glass choices for shower doors is clear glass. It’s plain, simple, and incredibly easy to clean. Furthermore, this glass type blends well into various bathroom interiors, allowing you to make the most out of a glass shower door’s benefits.
Low-Iron Glass
Low-iron glass for shower doors is a high-end choice for homeowners looking to have glass with no tint at all. Many experts refer to it as HD glass due to its ability to show colors in real-time through its glass material.
Frosted and Opaque Glass
If you’re looking for a glass shower door that offers some privacy and shade, this glass is for you. It comes with a white finish and just the right amount of sheerness you need for your shower glass.
Tinted Glass
As the name suggests, shower doors with tinted glass consist of a tint of various colors. These tints don’t disrupt the glass’s sheerness. It’s crucial to choose the tint color for this glass according to the bathroom’s interior design.
Textured Glass
If you’re looking for a shower glass with a traditional look, try going for textured glass. It’s fabricated with various patterns and shapes while maintaining the glass’s sheerness.
Different Kinds of Glass Shower Doors
Shower doors are incredibly versatile when made with glass. Therefore, when trying to get your hands on the best shower glass door, another thing to think about is the kind of glass shower door that’ll meet your needs. Three of the most popular options are as follows:
Sliding Shower Door
One of the best choices when it comes to glass shower doors is that of a sliding shower door. It’s a go-to door for homes with a limited amount of shower space in the bathroom, especially if adding a swinging door isn’t suitable. This door can slide or glide effortlessly, making the space look more modern. The only requirement is to keep it as clean as possible.
Fixed Shower Screen
Another modern kind of glass shower door is a shower screen. This is a more well-designed glass door for bathrooms when compared with a traditional glass door. Fixed shower screens can be fabricated into smaller sizes, making them the perfect fit for smaller bathrooms. You can choose them in bi-fold designs that allow you to open and shut the door for a comfortable entry.
Swinging Shower Doors
The third most popular kind of glass shower door is of a swinging door. If you have a bigger bathroom, you can always go for this choice. It’s a traditional door that swings open and closes like a traditional door.
Framed vs. Frameless Shower Glass Doors
Glass shower doors come with framed and frameless designs. Therefore, it’s essential to look closely at what they both offer before determining the right kind of glass shower door for your bathroom. Here’s everything you should know about framed and frameless shower glass doors.
Framed Glass:
Affordable and Easy to Install
The first reason why many homeowners gravitate towards glass shower doors with metal frames is that they’re on the more affordable side. Furthermore, their frames make it a lot simpler and quicker to install.
Limited Design Options
Despite the affordability, you may be restricted to a designated number of designs with framed shower glass. This can prevent you from bringing your vision to life, making it difficult to achieve the desired look for your shower room.
Increased Maintenance Requirements
Since framed shower glass comes with metal frames, it becomes challenging to maintain and clean it at all times, especially when trying to prevent moisture from deteriorating the glass quality.
Frameless Glass:
Extensive Design Options
Frameless glass for shower doors isn’t just subtle and minimal, but it also comes in a wide range of designs. In fact, you always have the freedom to customize the glass design with frameless doors.
Easy Accessibility
Since frameless glass shower doors don’t come with metal frames, they’re significantly easier to open and shut to get the entry width that you feel the most comfortable in. Whether you’re sliding the door or swinging it open, you’ll experience no difficulty in doing so.
Better Cleaning and Upkeep
Frameless glass shower doors are all glass with no external materials. Therefore, they require minimal upkeep with occasional deep cleanse and maintenance for durability.
Despite increased benefits, many homeowners hesitate to buy framed glass shower doors due to their high prices. However, the look and quality they offer make this investment significantly worthwhile.
Choosing the Right Shower Glass Door
Once you’ve kept all the considerations discussed above in mind, it’s time to finally choose the right shower glass door. Now that you’re ready to purchase the right door, here are some factors that should go into planning this purchase.
Determine Your Budget
The first thing to see is whether you can afford to purchase a glass door that you have your eyes on. Your price range, budget, and flexibility will determine whether it’s a good idea to go for a framed glass or a frameless glass door. Similarly, it’ll allow you to pick the most feasible glass type for your shower door.
A more flexible budget allows you to go for shower glass doors with increased design options, features, and customization. However, a restrictive budget might have you settling for comparably less.
Highlight What You Expect
Apart from your budget, this should be the time to clarify what you need. In other words, you should take some time to learn what makes you conscious and what outcome you expect from the installation of your glass shower door.
This can include easy installation, lesser maintenance requirements, a statement-making look for your bathroom, or your shower’s ability to stand out. Even if all you’re looking for is an updated shower in your shower cabin, you should jot it down. This will simplify the door-buying process.
Analyze Your Space
The last thing you want your new shower door to do is to make your shower space more uncomfortable or cramped up. In fact, this new addition should improve the space’s overall accessibility and atmosphere. Therefore, stop and take a look at what your space needs when choosing a glass shower door for it. Take measurements of the shower area and the overall bathroom and see if the one you’re choosing is in the right shape, size, and design to fit your space.
Choose the Right Type for Your Space
Once you’ve made all the necessary observations about your space, choose a glass shower door that matches your budget, preferred glass type, and the bathroom’s overall interior.
Cleaning and Maintenance Requirements
While most frameless glass shower doors come with minimal maintenance requirements, it’s always good to have a guide to basic maintenance. If you’re new to glass shower door upkeep, here are some basic cleaning and maintenance requirements to keep in mind.
Regular Cleaning
It’s always good to clean the shower glass every day. You can do so by choosing commercial glass cleaning products that are easy to spray and wipe off the glass at any time.
Deep Cleaning
A monthly deep cleaning session can keep your shower glass looking as good as new all the time. Some of the cleaning agents you can rely on for this include white vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia.
Preventing Moisture
Bathrooms and shower cabins need sufficient ventilation to prevent moisture from escalating within the space. Increased moisture can influence the glass quality, affecting its durability and design.
Finding the Right Shower Glass Door Professionals
Here are four essential factors to look for when trying to find the right shower glass door experts in your area.
Professionalism
The shower glass door company should be strictly professional, paying significant attention to your bathroom and shower cabin details and fabricating a glass shower door according to your preferences.
Services
They should offer a wide range of services for an exceptional experience for you. This should primarily include shower glass door replacement and installation.
Customer Service
They should always prioritize your needs and be willing to respond to your concerns promptly.
Experience
They should have substantial experience working with various homeowners to provide you with the most flexible service possible.
Now that you know what it takes to decide and purchase the right shower glass for your bathroom’s shower cabin, you’ll be better equipped to make a wise decision when choosing the right shower glass you invest in. Fortunately, the availability and accessibility of custom shower glass have made it a lot easier to find the best-quality shower doors today. The key is to work with shower door professionals who can keep your ideas and preferences in mind while fabricating your shower glass doors with dependable shower door installation services. If you’re looking for shower doors in Austin, feel free to connect with the shower door professionals at Shower Doors of Austin.
Using their extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise, the shower door company is a leading service provider specializing in shower glass services in Austin. Our offerings include shower door installation, shower door replacement, the fabrication of frameless shower glass doors, and more. Click here to check out our services or contact us to get a free estimate on our custom shower doors today!