Can I put shower glass doors on top of a tub?

10 years ago

Have a tiny ( super small) New York City one bathroom apartment. Because of mobility concerns, just installed a low Kohler Bellweather bathtub--top is 12" from floor. Thinking of clear sliding glass doors on top of tub--possibly Kohler Flaunce or Levity. But if use tub sized doors--then too low for anyone tall and metal top is eye level, which looks bad. What if I use the shower sized doors instead? Would the 10-12" clearance between the top of the doors and the ceiling be enough? Or would there be a resulting mold/spot issue?
Appreciate any comments or suggestions.
Shield would not work-- because of size and layout( tub, small vanity, toilet-- all with little space between), I would have to enter tub in order to turn on/off water.
Tub has walls on 3 sides and currently have shower curtain but would prefer the upscale look of glass.

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Comments (5)

kudzu9
10 years ago
I think that's a great solution and I don't think the higher doors will cause any increased moisture problems (although it's always important to have an exhaust fan regardless of the shower enclosure design).

The only issue I can think of for you to check out before buying the doors is to determine how the bottom track is fastened. Some of them only require attaching at the ends to the walls, with some silicone on the underside. Others involve putting screws down into the surface beneath them, which in this case would be the rim of your tub!
azmom
10 years ago
We are shower people, but keep a Kohler Bellwether bathtub in the hall bath in case there is a need to bath a baby or young child in the future. The tub is surrounded by 3 ceiling height tiled walls. The bathroom is 13.5 x 5 feet.

I hate the look of by-pass glass doors. In addition, I think it is super uncomfortable for a person to bend over a door track when cleaning the bathroom with doors right next to the person.

We then were set to use frame-less custom made glass enclosure. But the more I read, (there are a few postings on this forum regarding this subject) the more I 'simulated' cleaning the bathtub and its surrounding through a frame-less glass enclosure, the more concerns I had for safety and the ease of cleaning. Finally I decided to use an extra long shower curtain from Restoration Hardware instead.

We wipe dry bath tub and walls after each shower. I am so glad we have a shower curtain there. I don't think using shower curtain is of a less upscale look, even if it is, I would choose 'practicality' over 'look' any day.
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My almost finished main/guest bathroom remodel used to have a standard bath tub with a sliding frosted glass shower door. I hated that thing. Whenever I wanted to take a bath, I felt claustrophobic (even though I'm not). And getting in and out was oddly uncomfortable, even though the opening was plenty large. The only thing I liked about the shower door was being able to lock the dog in when I needed to give her a bath. I could also see the doors as being good splash-prevention if you had children showering. One other thing to consider is your selection of a swing-open door vs. slider. Using a swing-open type door will mean that the door will be closed while taking a bath. For me, that would be uncomfortable. I like to be able to rest my arms on the sides of the tub (to relax) and the door would be in the way. Personally, I would not want to have a glass door on a bath tub ever again. I would suggest you do a test-drive of some sort. Perhaps try bathing with the shower curtain closed or even putting up "doors" of cardboard or some other material to simulate the feeling of having actual doors. Maybe it will work better for you than it did for me.
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Hmmm....sorry to be so dense about this but is this "lip" pretty much invisible to see and touch? I've looked at my tub to see something that prevents the water from draining back in but I don't see anything. It's definitely not a curtain thing - the curtain is up as far as it will go toward the wall. My curtain doesn't adhere to the wall no matter what you do in terms of wetting it since it's fabric not plastic. It's not an issue of forced air HVAC either. I've stood there and watched it when DH is in the shower - nothing is blowing. I've pulled the curtain forward as far as it will go. Water splashes against the wall when he's doing something like rinsing his hair. Anyway, today I looked at the glass shower screens - which DH believes will lead to even more water outside the tub - based on his experience using them outside the US. So if I could tell the problem is that my current tub is flange-less that would be good - I guess.
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I can’t answer your original question (sorry!), but I can clear up the other stuff. ;) My architect agrees. He says if u do put Kerdi over wall board there will be a lip and a problem for tile Since Kerdi Waterproofing Membrane, not Kerdi-Board, goes over the green board, there is no lip: “Waterproofing for tiled showers with a bathtub can be done in a couple of ways, both equally effective. KERDI-BOARD is ideal for use instead of gypsum or cement board in cases where the wall studs are accessible, while the KERDI waterproofing membrane is perfect for application over wall boards already in place.” Schluter®-KERDI-TUBKIT The Schluter®-KERDI-TUBKIT contains all the components necessary to create a fully waterproof and vapor tight bathtub surround assembly. Designed to create a fully waterproof and vapor-tight enclosure for tiled bathtub surrounds Contains waterproofing membrane, and waterproofing strip, pipe seal, mixing valve seal, and sealing and bonding compound
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Bunny
10 years ago
Updating my bathroom is my next project. I currently have framed bypass glass doors attached to the walls and top of my tub. azmom is right about the discomfort when cleaning the tub and the potential perils of bumping into them. I plan to go back to a shower curtain when I remodel and move it off to the side when the shower isn't in use.

BTW, ever seen what happens when a glass shower door fails? My BIL was carrying a new one in from the garage and it just spontaneously burst into a billion pieces. Fortunately the tempered glass meant no sharp edges or injury, but OMG, it was 9 years ago and I'm still finding pieces of that door.
Babka NorCal 9b
10 years ago
We put glass doors over the tub in our second bathroom in the 80's. They hang on rollers and don't touch the siliconed metal track that runs across the edge of the tub, so they are not difficult to clean. You just have to do it while you are inside the tub. But then we had to use that shower when we remodeled our master bath. YUCK! Awkward to climb in and out, so we had to install a suction grab bar for balance. The doors restrict your space to the tub dimensions. I don't consider glass doors over a bathtub as "updated". We stayed at several motels that have curved shower curtains. MUCH more elbow room in the same amount of space, and the curtain doesn't "suck in" like the straight ones. There are some really beautiful shower curtains that you hang on a curved double rod with a mold resistant l liner. A nice quiet lighted exhaust fan centered over the tub and wired to a timer will solve the moisture problem.

-Babka
Joe Macker
4 years ago
Did you end up installing shower doors on tub? How did it turn out?

Can I put shower glass doors on top of a tub?

Comments (5)

kudzu9

azmom

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