Choosing the Perfect Shower Door

Replacing the shower door in your bath; as part of a total bathroom renovation or to simply spruce up your existing décor; can make a plain shower into a luxurious spa experience. Modern homeowners are discarding shower curtains of old for the safety, convenience and beauty of the shower door designs offered today like frosted glass shower doors. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to make certain the shower door you choose delivers the design appeal and performance you are seeking.

Determine your budget

When deciding to upgrade your bath, figure what your total budget for the entire project is. If you have a very limited budget, replacing the shower door may be the only major expense you can afford right now. That is okay. The shower door with a fresh contemporary design can take an ordinary bath to extraordinary. Add a few other low cost items such as paint or cabinet hardware, and you have a completely new look!

Determine the type of shower door

Unless you have a large renovation budget to replace your existing shower, the type of shower enclosure your bathroom has will dictate the shower door you choose. Bath tubs need bypass doors or a bath screen.

Shower stalls will require bypass, pivot or hinge models to replace the shower door. Steam showers have bypass, pivot or hinge doors with transoms.

Corner shower units utilize neo-angle, rectangle, walk-in or round shower doors.

Select a desired glass style.

The shower doors can be made of glass or a hard plastic such as plexi-glass. Either of these options is available in glass, clear or with designs etched in.

Framed or Frame less shower doors?

A framed shower door has a metal frame mounted around the shower door glass. This gives added structure stability and sturdiness. Recommended for children.

A frame less shower door utilizes a very heavy glass with minimal framework surrounding the glass. This provides a contemporary sleek look for the shower door.

Measure the shower door opening.

You will need to measure:

1. The top width (distance from wall to wall at top of the shower door)

2. Bottom width (distance from wall to wall at the bottom of the shower door)

3. Height (distance from the top of bathtub ledge or shower base to the top of the wall where you want the shower door to be located)

Once you have gathered the above information, you are now ready to head out and begin your search for the shower door that completes your bath.

Begin by looking at the shower doors above your price range. You can locate the features you would like to find in the shower door that does fit within your budget. The shower doors in boutique and custom bath stores are considerably more expensive than chain stores, but sometimes can be purchased affordable as overstocks, close-outs, liquidations or imperfects.

Don’t let the hunt frustrate you. Take your time and make informed decisions. Your time and monetary investment will have great rewards when you admire the stunning new look of your bath made complete by the shower doors you have chosen whether it's a glass door shower or any other.