When navigating the world of bathroom design and renovation, one of the most important things a consumer can do is educate themselves in advance before attempting to make any purchases or design options. While it may seem simple to walk into a home improvement store or design studio and pick and choose fixtures based on looks alone, there are numerous other factors that must be taken into account when designing or redesigning your new bathroom. Square footage, accessibility options, and total cost can sometimes be factors that get overlooked, creating serious issues in the long run. Shower doors, for example, represent one of the bathroom choices that come in perhaps the widest range of styles and design choices. It is crucial, however, to take all of the above factors into account in order to ensure the shower door you purchase is the one that will best suit your needs with regards to both form and function.
What Are Shower Doors Used For?
There are two basic bathroom configurations that require the use of shower doors, walk in shower enclosures and bathtub showers. Bathtub showers do not require the use of a door, often relying on a simple shower curtain to create a partition. The use of bathtub shower doors, however, remains somewhat common.
Walk In Shower Doors
A walk in shower is essentially an area of the bathroom that has been sectioned off for use as a shower fixture. Walk in showers are ideal for small bathrooms where traditional bathtubs would take up too much space. They are also common in master bathrooms as a secondary installation to a larger bathtub. Because of the way they are constructed, a shower door is needed to create a water barrier and protect the bathroom area.
Bathtub Shower Doors
In some cases, a consumer will have a traditional bathtub that they use as a shower on a frequent basis. While many people prefer the affordability of shower curtains, as well as their ability to be changed frequently to match or create a décor, others would rather have a more permanent and durable solution. A bathtub shower door is designed to mount into a frame that is mounted at the bottom to the bathtub and at the top to the bathroom ceiling, sometimes slightly lower to allow for greater air circulation.
What Types Of Shower Doors Are There?
The first thing to determine when shopping for a shower door is which style of shower you wish to have. Choosing between bath shower doors and stand alone shower doors essentially cuts your design options in half, significantly reducing the number of designs you will have to consider. The next big step is to determine the type of movement you wish the door to have, sliding, folding or hinged.
Sliding Shower Doors
Sliding shower doors are also commonly known as bypass shower doors and can be used on both walk in shower and bathtub shower fixtures. They are created using two basic components, a fixed frame and a moveable door. A bypass shower door is ideal for small areas since the process of opening and closing the door does not effect the space the door occupies. Instead, the door slides along a track that is built into the frame. While most bypass systems feature a single sliding panel, some larger enclosures may have dual panels installed. Consumers with traditional shower enclosures tend to prefer these sliding tub shower doors over other models because of their ability to allow the bather to easily switch between showers and baths.
Folding Shower Doors
The next most common design for bathtub and shower combination installations are folding shower doors. Often found in two basic designs, bi-fold and accordion, folding bath shower doors take up slightly more space than sliding models, but still less than hinged designs. Bi-fold doors are, as their name implies, bath shower doors that are created in two pieces designed to fold in on itself. The accordion style door is often made from slightly more flexible materials and can incorporate several folds into its design. While this type of doors can be designed to work with shower enclosures, they are most often found in use as a tub shower door.
Hinged Shower Doors
For walk in shower enclosures in particular, hinged shower doors are the most common choice. A hinged shower door is simply a swinging door, just like those found throughout your house. Often made of glass or plexiglass, the door swings outward to allow entry to the shower enclosure. Hinged doors tend to work best in larger bathrooms, as the outward swing requires what can be a significant amount of clearance. Many consumers fail to take the out-swing space required into account when selecting a hinged door and end up trying to install a door that is unable to open all the way.
What Are Shower Doors Made From?
The two most common materials fr shower door construction are glass and plexiglass. Both materials have their benefits, allowing each to appeal to specific groups of consumers.
Glass Shower Doors
Of the two styles, glass shower doors are the most elegant. They offer an incredible level of durability and excellent safety features. Since the glass used is tempered, the chances of breakage are significantly reduced and, if a breakage were to occur, the fragments of glass would be smooth instead of sharp. While tinted colors of glass are available, most people choose either a basic transparent door, a frosted glass door, or a textured glass door. The downside to glass shower doors, however, are their tendency to be somewhat higher on the price scale than other options.
Plexiglass Shower Doors
While glass shower doors may be the more elegant of the two styles, plexiglass doors are the more affordable. The standards behind plexiglass creation have improved over the years, allowing it the basic look of glass from a distance. Some consumers even prefer plexiglass over standard glass because of the warmer temperature it will maintain when compared to glass. The downside to plexiglass shower doors is the fact that they tend to be offered in a smaller range of design options than glass doors.
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