Pros & Cons of Frameless Glass Shower Enclosures

Cari_Schaefer

11 years ago

Curious to hear from anyone who has installed a frameless glass shower enclosure. Pros & cons:)

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Comments (5)

phiwwy
11 years ago
We just put one in in my daughter's bath. Love it. There is a glass panel above the knee wall and a shower door. We used clips to attach it, vs a channel. We really love the look and function.

We did NOT upgrade to starfire glass nor did we go with the applied finish that makes it spot-resistant. We have and will use Rain-X on it periodically. It looks great so far!
kmcg
11 years ago
That looks beautiful, phyll! I'm about to select a shower installer, and he has offered the clips instead of u-channel as an upgrade. Were you concerned at all about the water-tightness of the clip type install?

Cari - the only con I can think of is the cost. Otherwise, what's not to love!
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Cari_Schaefer
Original Author
11 years ago
Phylhl, your shower is beautiful!
Kmcg, very true cost is a factor:)
Our contractor hired a sub to install a frameless enclosure & one of the only things we requested in the design was that they cut around our marble chair rail that runs through bath & shower - well, apparently they didnt listen and upon install they not only cut our tile on the wall but they cut a notch in our marble tub surround that also juts into the shower. The notch was not something that was discussed when we discussed the design. Needless to say we are very unhappy with the installation. There are multiple other problems as well - door appears warped, leaking at clip, door leaks(no space for sweep left under door), mitered corner leaks, chip in top of door, VERY sloppy silicone....the list goes on. These are the things we have found & the installer admits there are more problems we havent noticed. Also admits to lack of communication before & during install. We are going to ask that they take down glass, have tile replaced as well as the marble notch be filled in & reinstall new enclosure with cuts around tile & marble. My faith in the company is not that great now but I think the right thing to do is allow them to try & fix it. UGH! To make matters worse our contractor isnt being very supportive - glass people long time family friends. Cant believe our complaints! Good thing we are almost finished & he will not get final payment until we are satisified. Curious to see if we are expecting too much from the installer/owner.
Cari_Schaefer
Original Author
11 years ago
Phylhl, your shower is beautiful!
Kmcg, very true cost is a factor:)
Our contractor hired a sub to install a frameless enclosure & one of the only things we requested in the design was that they cut around our marble chair rail that runs through bath & shower - well, apparently they didnt listen and upon install they not only cut our tile on the wall but they cut a notch in our marble tub surround that also juts into the shower. The notch was not something that was discussed when we discussed the design. Needless to say we are very unhappy with the installation. There are multiple other problems as well - door appears warped, leaking at clip, door leaks(no space for sweep left under door), mitered corner leaks, chip in top of door, VERY sloppy silicone....the list goes on. These are the things we have found & the installer admits there are more problems we havent noticed. Also admits to lack of communication before & during install. We are going to ask that they take down glass, have tile replaced as well as the marble notch be filled in & reinstall new enclosure with cuts around tile & marble. My faith in the company is not that great now but I think the right thing to do is allow them to try & fix it. UGH! To make matters worse our contractor isnt being very supportive - glass people long time family friends. Cant believe our complaints! Good thing we are almost finished & he will not get final payment until we are satisified. Curious to see if we are expecting too much from the installer/owner.
Cari_Schaefer
Original Author
11 years ago
Sorry about the message posting 3 times - my computer is acting up! Hit refresh & this is what happened!