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Shower glass panel installation ?

14 years ago

Hi, in final stages of finishing master bath remodel. We are getting shower glass installed next week. It will consist of one fixed panel and a door hinged off a fixed wall. The glass is 3/8", Starfire with showerguard. I have question re the fixed panel glass installation..

2 glass installers recommended using brackets/clamps on the vertical side to secure to the wall and using a U channel on the bottom. The glass will rest on a Silestone top and measures around 42 x 42 inches.

The guy I'm going with suggest just using the clamps on the side and securing the glass straight to the Silestone with silicone.

Does U channel offer any structural advantage, like protecting the glass longterm? Thanks in advance.

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Comments (4)

mike_home
14 years ago
The U channel will hold the glass more securely than the silicone. But it does take away from the look of a frameless shower installation.

How wide is the fixed panel? It is narrow it may be OK. I don't know if I would feel comfortable with just silicone holding it. Why not put on bracket in the corner opposite the wall? This is what the installers did for my shower. The bracket will give extra strength to the silicone. It will also look better than a U channel.
mahnrut
14 years ago
We have the same set up I think (see my pics in the gallery - small bathroom finished). We have an 18" fixed panel and a door fixed to the other wall. We have clamps on the upright edges of the glass and one clamp on the bottom of the fixed with silicone but no channel. A high end place in the DC area did it and when I said that I did not want a channel there was no discussion of it being a problem.
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Yikes! I can see why that would freak you out. We installed our own frameless shower glass and after watching the videos on line and handling the stuff I'm now super freaked-out about it breaking. I really can't say whether the deflection you're seeing is normal or not. Hopefully someone will chime in. But here are a few thoughts: ~I think it if were me I would ask the opinions of a couple other glass experts. I know there is one company on line that has lots of how-to information and I called them with a question at one point, because they were the only ones open and I needed an answer right away. Even though I didn't buy my glass from them they were super helpful... I can't recall the name but a google search would turn them up. ~If there's even a shred of doubt, I'd go with one of your two options. HOW different are the non-drilled side clips? My guess is that even though you think they'll look mis-matched now, you probably won't notice it after a while. I've had to add a piece of clear plastic "stop" at the top edge of my door/sidewall joint, because for whatever reason (settling?) the two pieces have shifted slightly and the gap between them is now too close for my comfort. I was super upset about this at first, because it "wrecked the visual effect", but, honestly, I don't even notice it anymore.... Also, we do have silicone attaching our side wall to the tiled shower wall, and it's amazingly strong. It also looks great. And we haven't had any mold at all growing in it. We do have a good bath van. But, you know, even if mold did grow in there eventually, you could slice the old silicone out and install fresh stuff without too much trouble, I think. Good luck! Stacey
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Kohler’s cast iron is nice. Like all cast iron, impacts can crack off the enamel down to the iron. Quartz or Corian is also nice, but can crack and not really be repaired. There really isn’t a klutz proof option other than properly set porcelain tile. New high quality grouts are not an issue for cleaning. The same soap scum and skin cells gets on every surface you would use, and they all take the same cleaning.
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marisany
14 years ago
This is timely for me. My frameless shower glass was just installed today. I have two concerns.

First, I'd been told (and the proposal specifies) that there would be u-channels along the bottom of the two fixed panels, and on the vertical part of the "notched" panel that goes around the tub deck. (The shower glass has one 36" wide x 60" high fixed panel along the marble tub deck, and another narrow fixed panel at 90 degrees to it; the narrow one meets the door, which is attached to the opposite wall with clips.) The large panel is held into the wall with two clips. I thought there would be u-channels along the bottom of both fixed panels, but the installer used only silicone. I am worried about safety.

My other concern is that they cut into the marble tub deck! I'd been under the impression that the glass panel would be "notched" to go around the tub deck. I have emails in which this was discussed. The shower guy now says that this would not have been safe, and that cutting into the tub deck is the standard way of doing things.

Any thoughts on this?
cansari
14 years ago
mdsun:

What do you mean by the glass will rest on a silestone top? Do you have any pictures of the finished shower?

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