All Shower Glass is Not Created Equal - What You Need to Know About Glass Thickness and Safety

With a frameless shower door, you want to avoid thinner glass and choose glass that's thick, durable, and safe. Unlike traditional shower doors, frameless models lack the heavy-duty frame and hardware, which is why you must choose glass that's a minimum of 3/8-inches thick. This minimum thickness will ensure the door is strong, durable, and able to easily withstand daily use. 

For a frameless shower door enclosure, you’ll often find a couple of thickness options available:

• ½ inch 
• ⅜ inch 

½ inch shower glass can provide much-needed structural durability, making it an excellent choice for homeowners who are willing to pay a higher price for glass that’s tougher and has a more substantial feel. 

⅜ inch shower glass is slightly thinner, but it still offers better than average stability. This thickness is a popular choice with many buyers since it’s affordable and durable. 

Shower Glass Safety 

The thickness of shower glass matters, especially if you’ve decided to go with a frameless shower door. Fortunately, most frameless models are made using tempered glass, which does not break like traditional glass. Tempered glass is heated until it becomes soft and is then chilled with cold air. Using this method induces stress to create glass that is impact-resistant. 

Unlike other types of glass, tempered will not break into sharp jagged pieces that can cause serious injuries. Instead, the glass will break into oval-shaped small pebbles that are much safer and will not cause the serious damage regular glass would, in the event of an accident. 

Additionally, you can choose tempered glass that offers different design elements, so you can choose a new shower door that allows you to add a touch of your personal style. 

Working with a Professional Glass Company 

If you’ve decided to update your shower or renovate the entire bathroom, you must choose a professional glass company that has experience with making thicker glass doors and can design a custom door that will fit your shower space perfectly. 

Glass companies that fabricate custom frameless shower doors not only create doors that will fit your shower space perfectly, but these doors typically offer superior quality and more design options.

Appearance 

In terms of texture and looks, there’s a wide variety of tempered glass to choose from, including:

• Clear
• Ultra-clear
• Textured 
• Rain 
• Frosted 
• Opaque 

Frosted and Opaque 

Frosted or opaque glass is a great choice for homeowners in need of more privacy since these types of glass can obscure visibility, making them well-suited in high-traffic bathrooms. Additionally, frosted glass can be a better choice for some homes, since it’s low maintenance and keeps fingerprints and smudges from being too obvious. 

Clear and Ultra-Clear

Clear glass is one of the most popular choices because it can really open up smaller bathrooms, allowing more light to shine throughout. Clear glass has a somewhat greenish tint to it, due to the iron content. Ultra-clear glass goes through an additional process to remove more iron, resulting in crystal clear, or ultra-clear, glass. 

Because these types of glass are textureless, they work well with any type of existing bathroom decor and design. The simple, clean look makes clear and ultra-clear popular among homeowners. 

Rain Glass

Rain glass is similar to frosted and opaque, offering more privacy while doing a great job of hiding smudges. It differs from the other privacy glass options due to its decorative, eye-catching raindrop pattern. However, because the texture of the glass obscures visibility within a shower, it’s a better choice for larger bathroom spaces. 

Quality Glass

Choosing quality glass matters. At GCS Glass, we use only the finest quality glass for our frameless shower doors and shower enclosures. We offer many customization options, so you can choose a new frameless shower door and enclosure that will meet your needs, and add more functionality to your bathroom while creating the calming, spa-like environment you’ve always dreamed of. 

Contact GCS Glass & Mirror Today 

A custom shower door can completely transform your bathroom space, whether you’re designing a new shower or upgrading your old one. Aside from adding more value to your home, a new shower door can breathe life back into an outdated bathroom. If you’re ready to make this important upgrade to your home, contact the pros at GCS Glass today to get a free quote and schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable and experienced glass experts.

To learn more or to schedule a consultation, contact GCS Glass today.