Frameless shower doors first appeared in the 1970s in the market. These doors are smart and give a unique look at your shower. The door built is pretty simple. The metal line runs along the border area to provide firm support to the glass door. There are three major categories a frameless door can be used.
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Shower Door Thickness Chart:
| Thickness (inches): | Thickness (mm): | Strength: | Price: |
| 3/16″ | 5 mm | Minimum | Cheapest |
| 1/4″ | 6.4 mm | Acceptable | Budget |
| 5/16″ | 8 mm | Acceptable | Budget |
| 3/8” | 9.5 mm | Stable | Affordable |
| 1/2″ | 12.7 mm | Robust | Costly |
| 9/16″ | 14.3 mm | Solid | Costly |
| 5/8″ | 16 mm | Solid | Costly |
| 11/16″ | 17.46 mm | Heavy | Costly |
| 3/4″ | 19 mm | Heavy | Costly |
| 27/32″ | 21.4 mm | Heavy | Costly |
First, alongside the bathtub like a separator. The second and third types are pretty similar, as either one or two-door shower doors are used. The doors open up towards the tiles and allow you to exit.
Explore the pros and cons of frameless shower doors to help you make a quick decision.
Pros of Frameless Shower Doors:
Frameless shower doors are stylish
If you love modern architecture and have a chic mindset, then frameless showers are simply the perfect selection.
There’s no metal or rubber, and the shower door looks like the spitting image of the rest of the setting, comment the Bathroom Fitting Experts. If you have time to visit a five-star hotel, then the suits are usually equipped with this kind of shower door.
The glass itself symbolizes glamour and when installed as your shower door it would give a fabulous look. Frameless shower doors are so amazing that you would always want to return for more.
Flexible & Accessible
The shower door movement is a very distinctive feature of modern showers, and it completely dominates the conventional bathtub style.
Typically, the shower doors are designed to just open and shut, but frameless shower doors are specifically designed for luxury.
The door provides a variety of movements to facilitate the user to enter or exit the shower as they please. The frameless shower door is connected to the metallic hinges that allow two-way movement. In addition, there are also sliding versions of the frameless glass door available in the market, so pick wisely.
Forget Dampness, Mould & Corrosion
Seals support conventional shower doors to block water soaking in or spiling throughout the bathroom.
Still, there isn’t a perfect way that can keep away the water. It will get inside the support mechanism of seals and start the growth of mould.
So, whether it is the conventional door or the sliding door, the mould will take over the whole shower.
On the other hand, the frameless shower door doesn’t have such problems. The reason for that is the minimum use of hardware. The metallic hinges are used, and those too are water-resistant and offer a relatively low risk of corrosion. You could suffer from a damp smell, though. That’s why ventilation is cru-cial.
So, if you want your shower to be cleaned all the time, frameless is the way to go.
Easy to Upkeep
The regular shower doors have a lot of hardware involved that makes them harder to clean. The soap and other materials enter deep in the grooves, and it becomes really difficult to get rid of them. The frameless shower door has a tiny list of hardware that can be cleaned with minimal effort. In case you break something, the required parts are easily available in the market or can be ordered from the manufacturer as well.
Since less hardware is involved, the overall purchase cost of hardware would be lower as well. If you are worried about maintenance, then the facts listed above should clear all the doubts.
Cons of Frameless Shower Doors
Great Price Tag
If you have seen a frameless shower door up close, then you’d know that the glass is much thicker than the usual glass, and it is way heavier. The glass of a frameless shower door has to hang with hinges alone. That means the hardware has to be significantly stronger than the commonly available hardware.
That’s the reason why the cost of a frameless shower door is quite high as compared to the conventional shower door.
According to a survey, it ranges from $300-3300 and the installation cost ranges from $500-1000. That makes it extremely expensive and way beyond the affordability of most people.
Fewer Leaks
One of the biggest disadvantages of having frameless shower doors is that they are prone to leak.
The shower door’s amazing and luxurious build can’t stop the leaks because there are no seals and rubbers. The door of a conventional shower is protected by seals and rubbers that prevent water from entering your bathroom.
However, that’s not the case with frameless shower doors. Improper cutting and poor installation are the biggest causes of such issues. If you hire a reliable contractor that provides the perfect glass and optimal installation, that also will only reduce the leaking, but you can’t get rid of it completely.
Imbalance & Delicacy
A door without a proper border and a supporting mechanism is always considered unstable. Another reason why the customer believes that is the weight of the glass. Heavy glass is relatively riskier than compared to other plastic shower doors.
Besides, we consider glass fragile and one can never get used to it easily. If the hinges are loose and give the frameless door an opportunity to overlap, then it can cause a collision. This is probably the core reason why plastic shower doors are still preferred in some cases. The frameless door can be a good investment if its use is limited. Otherwise, it is just another liability.
Challenging Installation
The installation of frameless glass isn’t that easy, comment bathroom renovations experts My Handyman. The biggest hindrance to the installation is its weight and fragility. Even if it is frameless, one person can’t install it efficiently and always a two-man team is needed. Safety procedures and special equipment is required to install it. It’s one of many, like pipe clogs, hiding a combi boiler, pipework, and etc.
So, make sure you understand the risks because a wrong move can damage the door for good.
Conclusion
Choosing a shower door can be a tricky task. The frameless door can be an amazing addition to your house, only if you understand the downsides of having one. A frameless shower door is truly a luxurious way to enjoy your bath, but if you look at the drawbacks, then rethink it.
No doubt your shower experience improves, and it’s more fun to have a frameless shower, but only if you are willing to accept the trade-offs.