One of the hottest growing trends in the home renovation and new home design markets today is the emphasis on form in a bathroom instead of just function. For the first time, bathrooms are being designed and remodeled to be beautiful instead of just practical. Standard sinks are being replaced with artistic vessel sinks, vanities resemble high-end furniture rather than bathroom storage, and tattered plastic shower curtains are being replaced with elegant frameless shower doors. In fact, frameless shower door systems are quickly becoming one of the must-have additions to any modern bathroom.
What Is A Frameless Shower Door?
Gone are the days of plastic shower curtains whose selection was restricted to patterns that best matched the existing color of your bathroom walls and countertops. Consumers have said farewell to the frosted sliding or swinging plastic doors framed in cheap aluminum that had become faded and even corroded over the years. The new choice for anyone looking to update the look of the bathroom, or design a new one from scratch, are frameless shower doors. A frameless sliding shower door system is one that relies on fixed glass panels to support the main track on which the sliding doors move. The doors themselves are glass as well and bordered with a thick silicone gel which prevents rough edges, eases movement along the tracks, and creates a watertight seal where the door meets the fixed panel. The same gel is used to seal joints where fixed panels meet, acting as both an adhesive and a water sealant. Decorative metal connectors or brackets may also be used in conjunction with the gel to add extra stability where fixed panels are joined. Any frameless shower door hardware used is then mounted directly onto the glass.
Are Frameless Shower Door Systems Safe?
Frameless glass shower doors are made from heavy-duty, tempered safety glass. The glass is thick enough to support the weight of the upper track or header bar, while also being strong enough to withstand most potential impact forces. Because the glass is tempered, even if breakage were to occur, the frameless glass shower door would break into rather smooth and small pieces resembling pebbles or gravel, as opposed to jagged chunks and glass splinters. Because the system eliminates the need for the older aluminum supports and frames, the chances of cuts and scrapes resulting from worn or corroded metal is eliminated as well.