use glass to make small homes appear bigger

Frameless, Framed, And Semi-Frameless Shower Doors | Pros And Cons Of Each

25 November 2019

James Riley

Choosing shower doors can make or break a bathroom design. Take a look at the three primary types and the pros and cons of each to help you make the best decision about your shower doors.

Framed Glass Shower Doors

Framed shower doors are the original form of glass shower doors, and you can still have these shower doors installed today if that's what you prefer. These doors have metal framing on all sides: the top, the bottom, and around the glass panels of each door on the shower.

Pros

The frame can create a strong support system, and the frame materials can be matched to the other metals in the bathroom, such as the faucets and light fixtures. In addition, framed shower door systems are the easiest to install.

Cons

However, the setup has a more old-fashioned look, these frames can collect mold and mildew, and the doors tend to weigh more because of the metal frames.

Frameless Glass Shower Doors

Frameless shower doors are the most seamless types. The glass panels are suspended using things like U-locks at the angles, adhesives, and hinges on the door that will open. Frameless shower doors are the most popular type of shower door in the modern home.

Pros

These shower doors keep the view of the shower as open as possible with interrupting visuals. They are also the quickest to install because little hardware is needed and there are fewer parts and components. They offer the most modern shower appearance, there is no metal framing to capture water and lead to mold or mildew development, and they are easy to keep clean.

Cons

However, frameless shower doors can be a little more costly.

Semi-Frameless Glass Shower Doors

Semi-frameless shower doors have no metal framing around some parts of the glass doors, but there may be some metal framing around the top. The basic criteria for a shower door to be deemed as semi-frameless is that it cannot have metal framing on all edges of the glass.

Pros

You get the frameless look without the metal frames around the glass, and they can be less expensive than full frameless designs.

Cons

On the other hand, lower and upper frames can be prone to mildew, and they can be harder to clean and maintain.

Obviously, frameless shower doors tend to have the most advantages, which shows exactly why they are the most popular choice in the modern era of bathroom design. If you are in the middle of picking the best shower doors for your home, reach out to a shower door service for professional advice.

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About Me

I have very small rooms in my house and I have spent many hours looking into ways to create a larger feel in the small spaces. My bathroom is especially small and I had to find a way to make it appear a lot larger than it really is. I decided that the best way for me to create the open feel that I wanted in the bathroom was to install a glass shower surround. I had my contractor remove the bathtub and install a walk-in shower that was completely enclosed with glass. This is just one way that I have used glass in my small home. Go to my site to find out other ways that you can use glass to make smaller homes appear bigger.