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Thick glass shower door - special hinges, etc.?

16 years ago

We're going to put a thick glass door in our new shower. It's the type we've seen in hotels - I think the glass will be close to an inch thick, and the door doesn't lock into place. I think it may even be able to swing both into the shower and outward, so there's no real seal at the door (I guess we'll have a step up threshold to prevent water all over the floor)!

I think someone once mentioned special hinges for their glass shower door, but I've searched and searched and can't find a posting.

If anyone has helpful hints about this type of shower door, I'd be very appreciative! Thank you.

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Comments (5)

teedup1
16 years ago
I believe they are called "heavy-glass shower doors" and are either 3/8" or 1/2" thick. Special hinges are required. Most of these heavy-glass doors do have a sweep on the bottom (to keep water in shower) it's made of a see-thorough plastic or vinyl.

Might check out www.eshowerdoors.com for some information, or one of a number of sites that will come up on a search of "heavy glass shower doors".
tom_p_pa
16 years ago
You may or may not need a door sweep depending on your threshold width and slope. The one I installed in my home does not need any sweeps or seals. For showers, would recommend utilizing french doors hinged from each wall. Nice open look and the double swinging doors provide super easy access for cleaning and maintenance.
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DIY is a great idea. That is pricey. From my experience, local retailers can get double or more than what you can pay for the glass on your own. You can buy over the internet and have the glass shipped. They will crate it up. I just bought a 3/8" - 46" french door set up for $800 on ebay and it included 4 hinges and 2 handles. Just make sure you take super accurate measurements (ie. you cannot take a tape measure across the opening and bend it at the far edge). If your walls are not plumb, the glass can be cut out of square (unnoticeable to the naked eye) to keep gaps along the walls even. Just take a long level and make this determination. The seller should provide you with a measurement sheet so you can record your measurements in the opening. The manufacturer will size the glass accordingly. Regarding installation, not very difficult. The single most important advice is NOT to bang the corners of the glass, this is their weakest point. Just a slight direct bang to the corner can shatter the glass. Once installed, they are fine..they just need to handled carefully. I would recommend renting or purchase suction cups to assist with moving. The frameless doors are worth the investment. All those track and caulk issues go away. If you keep up with basic glass cleaning/maintenance, they always look great. 1/4" glass is also fine. Like anything, there is always better and more expensive options. The 1/4" in noticeably lighter. 1/2" is overkill and would never use it. 3/8" is the best choice, but your budget should be your primary concern in making the choice. Try ebay...If you cannot find one your size, call them.
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I have a shower with no curb -- it's designed to be a roll-in. There is a vinyl sweep on the bottom of the door, and there is absolutely no problem with water. On one side of the door we have 3" tiles (the inside the shower part) and on the other 12" tiles (the rest of the bathroom floor). You don't need a chrome strip. All it will do is get grungy. As for French doors, that's fine, if you want to spend the extra money. We have one door.
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You could go frameless with a glass that isn't totally clear (some texture) so you don't have to be a slave to the sqeege. Honestly....how much money do you have to spend? I prefer a 3/4" thick frameless glass shower. It's rich and heavy and feels like the quality it is. But it's expensive. A glass block wall...well you get more areas for mold with that, but they're nice (and I'm not ashamed to say if necessary I use some x14) and I'll probably do that in our rental because it's far less than the frameless glass. So both are nice...but it's all about budget.
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Our guest bathroom shower is 3' X 4'. Because it is a guest bathroom (shower doesn't see much use), we opted to save some $ and got 3/8" (ours is frameless, and we upgraded to the slightly taller enclosure because the hinge location worked best with our border, and we also got Starphire glass to avoid the greenish tint of regular glass--so wanted to save some money, somewhere). The 3/8" glass is nice and feels very solid. I suppose the thicker glass might be more "luxe," but we have no regrets going with the 3/8". FWIW, we used that guest bathroom shower exclusively (daily) during our MB and Hall Bath renos (at the same time!) for a big chunk of this year, and the door/enclosure felt very solid, not flimsy in the least. HTH!
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thull
16 years ago
If you're going to do a frameless glass door, I'd either find a local dealer or talk to Wilson Glass. Depends on whether you want to DIY or not. With Wilson, you measure the opening, and they will ship you all of the hardware and put in the tempered glass order at a tempering plant local to you. Then you pick up the glass and install.

The hardware will likely be from CR Laurence, so you can look at their catalog to get an idea (or just look at Wilson Glass' online selection). Assuming a relatively-normal door width (30 to 36"), the weight for 1/2" glass will be 75 to 100 lb.s.

The install time will probably be 4 hours or so, and you'll need 2-3 folks who are able to lift to make it happen.

As for the seals and sweeps, I think it depends on how big your shower is and whether it'll get spray right up against the door. And whether you care if a little water gets out. Our shower is pretty wide, but we still put the seals on the glass. Guess I could take them back off if I wanted to.
oldhometara
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks so much for your responses to my question about the glass shower door/hinges. I obviously need to do some more research, and all the postings on the forum are amazingly helpful!
mahatmacat1
16 years ago
One thing to consider: is construction at the pre-wall stage? Because you need some serious blocking in to support the door--we put some in just in case we decide we need a door, even though we're hoping not to.

But it can't just be put in in a regular wall without solid wood to screw into for every screw...

Just something to think about in your planning.

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