Make Your Bathroom Pop With a Custom Glass Shower Door

Many homeowners make the common mistake of shopping for a new frameless shower door at their local home improvement store or online, not giving much thought to how the door will look and fit and whether leaks can be a potential problem. Because a frameless glass shower door must fit your shower perfectly, you must research which shower door style will work for your bathroom by considering how the door will open, whether a particular door works for your bathroom’s layout, and if off-the-shelf doors offer the same quality, craftsmanship, and durability that a custom glass shower door will.

In most cases, having a custom shower door made for your bathroom can be the best way to ensure the installation process goes smoothly and you're left with a beautiful shower that will add value to your home. 

Style Considerations 

For a tighter bathroom space,  you must consider bathroom size, shower layout, and frameless options.

Before you buy a new glass shower door, ask yourself:

• How do you need the shower door to function?
• What type of style do you want?
• Do you want to match the hardware on your new shower with your existing bathroom decor? 
• How quickly do you want this project completed? 
• What are the shower space measurements?
• What is your budget like? 

The first thing you should research is the different styles of shower doors available.

Frameless Door Options 

While framed and semi-framed shower doors were popular years ago, today, frameless shower doors remain the style of choice. These doors feature an elegant, frameless design that's low maintenance, functional, and highly customizable. 

Depending on the glass finish and design you choose, a frameless shower door can also allow you to show off high-end features, such as rain showerheads and tilework. 

There are many popular frameless shower door options available, including:

• Neo-angle shower doors
• Bi-fold shower doors
• Bypass
• Sliding 

And more. 

Below, you’ll find the types of shower door designs that are popular with homeowners:

Inline 

Inline doors work for showers that feature a single straight opening. This type of glass shower door consists of two to three glass panels that are installed in a straight line. 

Return 

Return doors feature panels that don’t line up to a shower door, resting at a ninety-degree angle instead. Options for this style include a bypass door and return panel or a swing door. 

Corner 

Corner doors are installed in the center of two panels, each of which is angled at 135 degrees. 

Entry Type

Choosing the entry style is another important decision and one that should be based on the available space in your bathroom and your style preferences. 

Swing 

Swinging shower doors will swing out into the bathroom for easy entry, however, if there’s not much space in your bathroom, a door that swings outward can prove problematic. 

Sliding 

A sliding shower door is often a much better choice for smaller bathrooms. Sliding doors feature a space-saving, stylish design. Some types of sliding enclosures include bypass doors, with both sides that slide. Other types of sliding enclosure designs consist of a panel that slides and is coupled with a panel that’s fixed. 

Rolling 

Rolling doors are similar to sliding doors, however, this design features ball bearings that can improve how the doors glide along a fixed panel track. 

Panel Enclosures

Panel enclosures offer a modern, simple design. With no moving parts, a panel enclosure can keep the water in and allows users total freedom when they enter the shower enclosure. 

Glass Finishes 

With off-the-shelf shower doors, glass finishes are usually limited to clear or frosted. If you decide to have a custom product installed, you’ll have a variety of finishes to choose from. Glass finishes can achieve many different looks for your bathroom, offering different levels of privacy.

The perfect finish for your frameless shower door can help you achieve the right look for your smaller bathroom. 

You can choose from:

• Clear
• Ultra-clear 
• Frosted/satin 
• Opaque finish 
• Rain 

Hardware 

The hardware you choose for a frameless shower door should match the existing hardware in your bathroom. Doing so can tie the room together, providing a clean, seamless look. 

Popular hardware choices include:

• Chrome 
• Brushed nickel 
• Oil rubbed bronze 
• Matte black 
• Satin brass 

And more. 

Why Custom Doors Are a Better, Safer Option 

If you have a smaller bathroom, when you buy a door off the shelf, you’re rolling the dice. Even if you take careful measurements, there’s no guarantee that the door will fit the way it should, which can mean you’re opening yourself up to dealing with a leaky shower that may end up ruining your bathroom floor. Additionally, since you have a smaller than average bathroom and shower space, your choices of doors will be very limited.

When you decide to go with a glass company that can create a glass shower door that will work specifically with your bathroom, you’ll find that there are many customization options to choose from, allowing you to select the perfect shower door shape, style, glass type, and hardware for your unique bathroom.

Contact GCS Glass & Mirror Today 

Now that you know how to choose a new shower door that will work for your bathroom, you’ve probably also realized that custom glass shower doors are the way to go. At GCS Glass, our team of glass experts can create a custom shower door that will work with your bathroom and shower layout, to ensure you get a shower door style and design that adds functionality and beauty to your home.