Glass doors in the design of the shower

The decor in a modern bathroom should be attractive and associated with cleanliness and lightness.

Extraordinary approaches to the design of the room will help to achieve the desired effect, among which is the replacement of a bulky bathtub with a shower area. A glass shower door will allow you to decorate the corner with taste. This is a truly magnificent design find, as it adds beauty and practicality to a usually small-sized interior.

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Benefits of a glass shower

“If you are not ready to sacrifice a bathtub, even despite such an abundance of advantages of a shower cabin, then complement the font itself with shower doors”

Even though the glass shower cabin seems fragile, this does not prevent it from being the most practical interior solution for the bathroom. Its installation is a complete benefit, and in everything. Let's see?

Space saving

This fact can be considered the main advantage of a glass shower. Removing the traditional font will free up a lot of space that can be used with much greater benefits, for example, take it under the washing machine.

textured variety

Glass shower doors can be highly decorative. The technologies of their production have stepped quite far, so today not only simple transparent glass can be used in the design of a shower cabin. It was replaced by matte, painted, processed by special techniques shower doors. It is possible to order a corrugated, embossed glass door with a different degree of shading and color saturation. A shower enclosure in this design will be the highlight of the bathroom interior.

Ergonomics

Having settled on the arrangement of the shower area, you will get the opportunity to install a glass shower door of this type, which will save space as much as possible and organically fit into the style of the overall decor. Hinged shower doors can be replaced with more practical sliding doors. They will help out a lot if the room is very small and crowded with objects.

The appearance of a glass shower in such an overloaded space will add lightness and visual spaciousness to the atmosphere of the room. This effect will be provided by the reflective surface of glass shower doors.

Functionality

Taking a shower is a procedure accompanied by spraying water. Droplets on the floor can cause injury. It's easy to slip on wet surfaces. Sealed doors will be an excellent barrier to spray dispersion, and you can forget about such troubles.Not a single drop will overcome their reliable barrier.

If you are still not ready to sacrifice a bath, even despite such an abundance of advantages of a shower cabin, then complement the font itself with shower doors. They are mounted directly on the sides. Such a solution will be incomparably more practical than using a protective curtain in the bathroom.

Uniqueness

Glass is a magical material. Its capabilities are sometimes amazing. Designers are aware of these nuances and do not forget to use them effectively. Today, in the interior of the bathroom, more and more often you can see not just a flat glass shower door, but designs of a convex or multifaceted shape.

If we talk about the shortcomings of such solutions, then the following should be noted. Equipping the shower area with transparent glass shower doors (especially in a bathroom combined with a bathroom) is a short-sighted act. This will create inconvenience if it becomes necessary to operate the room by several households at the same time. It should also be borne in mind that the glass door in the design of the shower cabin is an object of increased pollution and will require careful maintenance.

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Glass shower door: general characteristics

It is worth starting your acquaintance with glass shower doors with their advantages.

Advantages

What is put at the forefront when talking about such structures?

1. Inertness of the material. Glass does not react with moisture and detergents. This property makes it almost eternal. The doors of the shower cabin will not be damaged, even if they are not properly maintained and constantly remain wet.

2. Glass hygiene. The smooth surface of shower doors prevents dirt from accumulating on their surface. In the event of stains, they are easily dealt with.

3.Easy operation. A well-designed and well-assembled structure functions without problems. The doors open effortlessly. The fittings for them are designed taking into account the compensation of the weight load, which ensures the ease of movement of the glass door with a minimum application of force.

4. Aesthetics. Even the simplest shower door options will look amazing. The ability to tint the glass surface, decorate it with stained glass inserts or other types of drawings raises its design potential to an unattainable height.

Flaws

Sadly, the glass shower door still has them.

1. Glass breaks. Of course, not in smithereens, as it happens with dishes, because it undergoes special processing, but a fact is a fact. The design of the shower cabin uses glass panels that have been laminated with nitrocellulose film, or high-strength triplex. However, no matter how high the protection of a glass shower door is, with a strong impact, if it does not crumble, then at least it will be covered with cracks. It should be noted that triplex is considered stronger and better resists mechanical damage.

2. Condensation regularly forms on the glass. The specifics of the microclimate of the bathroom provokes the loss of moisture on the surface of objects present in its environment. The glass door will have to be constantly dried. You can avoid such problems by organizing high-quality ventilation in the room and maintaining the optimum temperature in it.

3. Construction cost. If you put a shower cabin in finished form, then this fact will not be so conspicuous than with an independent arrangement of a shower corner.Here you will be able to fully experience how much money you need to pay for high-quality glass. Add here the cost of seals, guides, fittings. In general, there will be something to pay for. The only consolation in this situation will be that you will acquire materials of the quality that satisfies you.

And yet, the existing shortcomings will never succeed in making a glass shower door outcast. It will always be the best interior solution.

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Structural types of shower doors

materials

The leading materials for the production of glass shower panels are:

1. Tempered glass.

2. Triplex.

The first is characterized by increased strength obtained during the hardening process. Tempering glass is called heating the material to almost the melting point, followed by a sharp, but uniform, cooling. The final product acquires high impact resistance and the ability to crumble into small, non-sharp crumbs when broken. In the design of the shower cabin, the glass door leaf has an additional layer of protective coating in the form of a transparent or matte film. Its task is not to allow the broken glass to crumble on the floor into small fragments.

It is almost impossible to break a heavier triplex. The material consists of two glass sheets glued together with nitrocellulose. These shower doors will be a godsend for families with kids. The disadvantages of triplex include not ideal transparency of the surface.

Sometimes in the design of a shower cabin, the glass door is replaced with an analogue made of cellular polycarbonate. This reduces the cost of the product, makes it easier to install, as it reduces its mass, but the decorative and operational characteristics suffer noticeably.

Construction types

In addition to texture differences, shower doors can have a different mechanism of operation. According to the type of opening, they can be:

• swing;
• sliding;
• folding;
• rotating;
• pendulum.

Hinged doors

Standard opening doors are often installed in shower enclosures where there is no tray. Glass panels are framed with a special box. This option will be the ideal solution for a shower area located in a niche.

A swing-type glass shower door cannot be called ergonomic, as it will take up quite a lot of space when opened. This disadvantage is somewhat offset by the low cost of the structure. Swing doors for a glass shower cabin are rational to use in the design of spacious bathrooms.

Sliding doors

Sliding type of doors is the easiest to install and make with your own hands. In the design of a movable glass shower, they often plan to make only one sash. It will need to be moved along the guides behind the permanently installed part of the panel.

The durability of a sliding glass shower door will depend on the quality of the roller system. Do not forget that the wheels and rails will have to withstand a serious weight load, so it is better not to choose the plastic option, but to equip the shower cabin with a metal chassis, ideally from stainless steel.

Folding doors

The most complex designs, both in terms of manufacturing technology and installation. Independently developed and implemented extremely rarely. In appearance, such a glass shower door resembles a screen in which glass strips alternate with metal profile inserts.

The design is extraordinary, perfectly meets the requirements of interiors in a minimalist finish. Folding doors are relevant for small-sized bathrooms, where the layout features make it impossible to use a different design of the shower cabin.

The main advantage of a folding glass door is its high ergonomics. She needs a minimum of space to function. The negative point is the high cost of complex fittings used in the production of doors. This goes to show that really good quality folding shower doors will never come cheap.

Rotating models

Structures of this kind are also produced exclusively in the factory. Curved glass is required to implement the idea. Their way of functioning is similar to sliding doors for a glass shower room, only the working panel does not move along a permanently fixed sash, but describes a circle. In order to save money, a rotating door model can be made of cellular polycarbonate and placed on a plastic frame.

pendulum option

This kind of glass shower door does not have any box. The method of its fastening is a vertical axis fixed to the floor and ceiling. Thanks to the specific fittings, the glass door can freely "walk" both inward and outward.

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Shower Door Fittings

“If the glass shower door weighs more than specified in the specifications, then this is fraught with sagging of the hinges and distortion of the panels, which will noticeably spoil the design of the shower cabin and can lead to its complete destruction”

If you decide to equip the shower area yourself, you will have to deal with the selection of the right quality fittings. What will need to be purchased?

First, loops. This is the main element for swing and pendulum models. When choosing them, you need to look at such a parameter as the permissible load. If the glass shower door has a weight greater than specified in the specifications, this is fraught with sagging of the hinges and distortion of the panels, which will noticeably spoil the design of the shower cabin and can lead to its complete destruction.

Second, the doorknob. This element must be present on both sides of the canvas, since it will be very problematic to open wet glass shower doors without a handle. The choice of the shape of the accessory is a matter of taste or style of the interior. It is most convenient to use spherical, disk-shaped or parallelepiped-shaped handles with rounded edges.

Third, connectors. These parts are needed to attach the glass shower door to the wall and connect the glass panels together. You will need connectors of all varieties:

1. Linear.

2. High-rise.

3. Corner.

When buying, the main selection criterion will be the connection angle. Basically, structural elements open at 90 degrees, but in some cases the opening angle can be obtuse.

Fourth – stabilization hoses. Their task is to strengthen the rigidity of the structure and protect the shower doors from deformation. Stabilizers are placed between the door panel and the wall. Two mounting options:

1. Invoice.

2. Mortise.

The latter is more reliable.

Fifth, guides. These skids will be required for arranging sliding shower doors. The main load will lie on the upper part, as the rollers will walk along it. The floor area mainly plays a supporting role.

Sixth - carriages. They must be equipped with rollers.

The fittings used in the design of shower cabins are made of stainless steel and brass alloys. The decorativeness of the first is noticeably higher. It gives spectacular combinations with glass. In addition, stainless steel is not affected by the microclimate of the bathroom, so it will last a long time and without excesses.

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Glass shower door design options

Transparent, no frills glass shower looks elegant, but rustic. Today there are many opportunities to decorate its panels and doors. You can choose the texture of the material and color design. A bright glass shower door can become an accent point of the interior composition, a touch of cheerfulness, which is sometimes so lacking in the atmosphere of the bathroom.

In addition to the variety of shades, manufacturers often resort to decorating shower doors with drawings. This simplifies the task of choosing designs in stylish interiors. For example, in a high-tech bathroom, you can use a glass door with a geometrically proportional pattern. In a Japanese-themed interior, a glass shower room with an image of sakura will look great. To give charm to glass elements, and to the interior of individuality, you can skillfully organized lighting. When working on this finishing option, special attention should be paid to the quality of the wire insulation.

The most popular design options for a glass shower door are the following technologies:

- Photo printing. The technique involves direct application of the image on the glass shower doors in any color spectrum: from monochrome to polygamous. The use of specific paints makes the decor resistant to the negative microclimate of the bathroom, which guarantees its durability.

– Engraving. Today it is applied in several ways using laser and diamond machines, as well as using acidic pastes that provoke erosion of the glass surface of shower panels. You can make an imitation of engraving with spray paints.

- Stained glass. Natural stained glass in the design of a shower cabin is extremely rare. The reason for this is the high cost of decor. But the imitation of stained glass can be seen quite often. In this case, the technique for decorating a glass door comes down to applying paints and gluing a film. Beautiful, practical and most importantly, affordable.

- Decor with polymer film. Such processing of a glass shower door gives the most incredible effects. You can, without further ado, imitate a matte surface or tinker and get original ornamental patterns by combining multi-colored films. The originality of the film application will add individuality to the atmosphere.

- Sandblasting. According to this technology, glass shower doors are exposed to an air-sand jet supplied under high pressure. The quality of the image will be affected by the depth of processing and the grain size of the sand it was made.

The triplex opens up endless possibilities for designers. Between the layers of glass in these shower doors, you can put whatever your heart desires:

1. Tinted film.

2. Photos.

3. Drawings.

4. Painting.

5. Fabric.

Triplex shower doors with a decorative layer of broken glass look very attractive.

Any decor technique deserves attention and deserves to appear in modern bathrooms.

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How to choose a quality glass shower door

Glass shower doors are not just a part of a stylish interior, they are a functional piece of furniture that is regularly used, which gives rise to quality requirements for fittings. Accessories should not have flaws and play. The film finish must fit snugly into the surface of the glass shower door. Blisters, cracks, bubbles should not be observed.If matting or paint was used in the design of the glass shower room, then the coating must also have a uniform structure.

Let's look at the design. The glass sheet should fit snugly against the frame of the shower door, and its doors should also close tightly. There can be no gaps or crevices there, otherwise you can forget about the tightness of the panels. The dimensions of the door structure must exactly match the space where it is planned to be inserted. If you decide to mount the shower doors yourself, then carefully measure the size of the zone. Any mismatch in parameters would be catastrophic. Ideally, a glass shower door should be trusted to be assembled by professionals in this field. The demands for its functionality are too high. In addition, you will receive guarantees for the maintenance of the shower cabin for the next period.

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Glass shower care

In order for the design of a glass shower cabin to remain relevant for many years, it must be carefully looked after. After water procedures, its glass door and panels must be wiped dry, then their surface will not be covered with unpleasant streaks, dried droplets and lime deposits. It is important to choose the right cleaning agent. It should not contain hard particles. To keep glass shower doors clean, it is not necessary to run around with a rag and rub its surface all day long.

Panels can be treated with modern compounds such as Permanon or ClearShield. The first is used once a quarter, the protection of the second will last for the next decade. After such treatment, the glass will cease not only to get dirty, but also to age. No fingerprints, no dullness or cracks.

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Conclusion

A glass shower door is a great idea. As you already understood, the level of its implementation is only a matter of financial capabilities, but since the modern range of designs is rich in proposals, you will always find the best option.

Photo gallery - glass shower door

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