Here we share the pros and cons of frameless shower doors, including their features, cost, and whether they are worth your bathroom design.
What is a shower?
Bathrooms are an essential part of the house. They can usually make it or break it, in terms of increasing or decreasing the overall real estate value of your property based on the quality of the bathroom you have installed.
One of the most important focal points in a bathroom is the shower. These days more and more homeowners are choosing to install shower doors instead of using the old school shower curtain we were used to before.
The market wakes up with so many options that you can go overboard when shopping for the perfect shower door, but categorically speaking, there are 2 main types of shower doors: framed glass doors and frameless glass doors.
Both types of shower doors have their own advantages. We will discuss more about frameless showers in this article.
Pros framed shower doors
Easier to Keep Clean – Frameless shower doors are superior in terms of their material composition because they are made from specifically cast tempered glass for easy maintenance or cleaning. Bathroom showers are mostly wet and certainly have treated glass that can be easily cleaned or disinfected.
More durable construction – One of the main advantages of frameless shower doors compared to their framed counterparts is that the glass they are made from is often thinner due to the lack of frames.
If you’re wondering how moving parts like hinges, door handles, and clips come together, they’re actually glass-mounted and silicone-sealed.
The bottom of the glass also has a rubber coating to prevent water from running out of the shower.
Variety of Design Styles to Choose from – Design and style options are wide enough if you opt for frameless shower doors. You can choose from different types of glass, from stamped types to etched, insulated, tanned, or even frosted types. This type of insulating glass is very interesting as it is quite effective in resisting hard water stains.
Shower screen door styles can be quite interesting too. They can be stationary, snap into pivoting and hinged movable panels, and even adopt a French door design if desired.
See Custom – This makes it the perfect type of shower door for any custom design and look you may have and the best minimalist look can be achieved if it is the type of look you have for your shower or shower doors in which integrity .
Modern and elegant – Louvre doors look airy and contemporary and tend to appeal to the more modern and sophisticated tastes, but framed people can sometimes feel a bit traditional due to the heavy metal trim.
Disadvantages of shower doors
Difficult to install – A major drawback to be aware of before using frameless shower doors is that installation can be a bit trivial. First, they must be installed by professionals.
The glass in these doors is usually measured for the height of your bathroom ceiling, the type of glass, and even the shape of your shower head, so it’s definitely not the kind of thing you can do on your own. Read more about shower sizes on this page.
Typically, the installation of a template made of thin strips of wood would be required as a model or some form of guidance on how to install shower doors.
It can be labor intensive because the main requirement is that the clips are perfectly level or else the doors will sag in the long run.
Specialized Equipment Required – Special equipment, such as specialized drill bits and heavy-duty putty, is also required to properly secure and hold the clips.
Cost framed vs framed without frame
Frameless shower doors cost 2 to 3 times more than framed ones. It costs $ 600- $ 800 for a 60-inch door-only shower.
You should also be aware of the high installation costs that can easily range from $ 300 to $ 400.
That amounts to $ 1,200 plus framed shower doors that only cost $ 400, including high-end installation.
Even frameless shower doors
This is a complex concept to accept, but if the standard is the overall value of the bathroom and the extent of the house, then the answer is yes.
Frameless shower doors are easy to clean and don’t have the heavy metal frames that frame shower doors have. This makes the shower area appear larger than it actually is and cleaning can be windy as there is little to clean other than the glass surface.
They do not accumulate a lot of mold and creams because the glass does not have claws and frames around it so they are much healthier and more durable.
Problems with frameless glass shower doors
The real issues you have to worry about when having frameless glass shower doors rather than the obvious cost of getting a delicate installation is maintenance.
You would have to constantly replace the rubber gain and silicone slip if you want it to be in great shape because its sealing mechanism is not as strong as framed glass doors due to the lack of framed support.
Are the shower doors leaking?
They don’t leak when new, but when wear does show up, shower doors can be sturdier compared to their framed counterparts because they don’t rest where the frames might be. And although they can retain water in the shower, over time, they can leak.
A major problem for glass shower doors is that the seal can fail sooner compared to their framed counterparts. They only have heavily caulked rubber gaskets to keep water in, but rubber tends to crack over time.
This can cause a leak to come out of the shower and may require some replacement, so there is an additional cost in terms of maintenance.
Which is the best? Framed or frameless shower door?
In terms of design flexibility and style, there really is nothing to compare to the aesthetics of shower doors. However, this comes at a very good price, both literally and figuratively.
They cost two to three times more than frameless types of shower doors, and may be more demanding in terms of maintenance, as you would have to replace the rubber gaskets when they are brittle or have tears.
From installation to actual cost of shower doors, to ongoing maintenance, they will surely cost more money, but if this is a price you are willing to pay for something that is more aesthetically pleasing, then the shower door may. be for you.
However, if your choice is more towards practicality and durability, then shower doors would have to take the cake. They can withstand use and abuse and do not require a lot of maintenance.
They are also easy to install as they can be DIYed and do not require attractive shower door installation measurements.
