I do the same thing, but with a wash cloth. It's a lot less wear and tear on the curtain rod or whatever else is enclosing the shower.

Semi-frameless? Can you describe the layout? Probably...if your shower curtain rod can handle the "tug" of the towel, very likely the glass will too. How thick is the glass? 1/4, 3/8. 1/2"?

-Babka

Babka, I haven't picked which place to use so I don't have the actual glass yet. One of the places said semi-frameless glass is 1/4" thick.

Yes, do tell or post up a picture of what they are proposing as I would be very leery of "semi-frameless" and 1/4" glass.

standard chstom shower glass typically is 3/8" tempered around here. sometimes even 1/2"

I have quotes from 3 businesses that are subject to change when they come out to measure. Quote 1 is for a "Basco Custom Infinity Semi-Frameless 90 Degree Enclosure" and the rep said the glass is 1/4". Quote 2 didn't specify the brand of glass but said the glass is 1/4" thick because "it would not be possible to do a semi-frameless swing in 3/8" (not sure if this means they think I want a door that swings both ways because I just need it to open outward). Quote 1 & 2 have a metal header but there is no metal frame on the glass of the door itself (making it semi-frameless). Quote 3 is for "heavy glass" (which she said was 3/8" or 1/2") with or without a header.

That "metal header" will allow you to throw a towel over the top and tug lightly. Probably no problem there, but talk to the glass people when they come out to estimate. Please reconsider and get quotes for thicker glass if it fits into your budget. Having a door that swings both ways, allows the shower to dry faster with the door in the inward position (out of the way of the rest of the bathroom. I suppose it depends on your humidity levels and propensity for mold/mildew where you live, even with a great fan. If your swinging door can mount into studs you have no problem. Trade-offs. Mine is 90 degrees too, 36"x48". Door swings both ways.

-Babka

Babka, do you mean if we have the door hinged on glass it can only be 1/4" thick but if it is hinged on a wall it can be thicker? How thick is your glass? Is the actual standing floor space 36" by 48"?

No. (Sorry if I wasn't clear) Door with 1/4" glass would only work for all framed. Semi-framed with 1/4" depends on the configuration. What is your configuration???? Please?

Hinged on glass has to be much thicker with good support. My glass is 3/8" and the door is hinged on a solid wall, not hinged on glass. The outside dimensions are 36 x 48. Standing room is very slightly less, as it is the top of your bod that needs the room not your feet. Husband is over 6' and can turn around, hands behind his head and not touch a wall, (which was our way to measure).

-Babka

Ours is semi-framed. Track along bottom and a corner bracket at top where the two sides meet. Installer recommended 1/2" glass for ours - $100 more as I recall. 78" tall and door swings both ways but mounts to the tiled wall. a towel hook mounts though-the-glass. It could be inside or out which is how ours is mounted.

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y496/treeshouse/Master%20Bathroom/MasterBathroom11122006017.jpg

fnmroberts, those photos really helped-now I understand how quote 3 without a header is still a semi-frameless because I thought no header meant it was frameless. Your bathroom is fantastic, BTW. May I ask what shade of blue you used? (when our hall bath is remodeled I am doing blue walls).

Babka, here are some measurements and photos will follow. The bathroom is 13' 5 1/2" L X 4' 10 1/2" W. The ceiling is 90 3/4" high (about 7 1/2 feet). The space between the door edge and the window (which will get smaller once a window treatment is added) is 38". The space from the left corner of the bathroom to the edge of the shower tile is 28". The shower curb has a wall on the left side and a pony wall on the right. The shower curb will be about 5 1/2" H once the granite is on and it is 45 7/8" W. The knee wall is 31" L.

The actual shower floor space for your feet is 45 3/4" L and for the first 35 1/4" of that length it is 30 1/4" W (but you actually get more width for your upper body because of a bench which is 16" deep and runs the 35 1/4" width) and then for the last 10 1/2" of length it narrows to only 25 1/16" W.

I wanted a fixed left panel of 9", then a 28" door, then another fixed 9" panel going to the knee wall. The reason I didn't want to hinge the door on the left wall was that I wanted to put a double towel bar in the 28" space from the left corner of the bathroom to the edge of the tile. If the door is hinged on the wall it would touch that when opened. The only other place for a double towel bar would be in the space between the bathroom door and the window, but since you would see this from the side as you entered the room I thought it would look too crowded. Also, since the last 10 1/2 " of length of the shower is probably only going to be used when I am trying to escape the spray to shave my legs or lather my hair, I was trying to get the door knob to end up in this narrow part so that the 35 1/4" width is as wide feeling as possible. That means it might even be better to do a fixed left panel of 10" or 11" instead of 9" so the door shifts to the right. I have long enough arms so I could still stand outside the shower and reach to turn it on even if the left glass was 12".

Whew-sorry that was so long!! I bet you regret asking for the particulars! ;)

The space from the knee wall to center of the toilet is 17 3/4" and from the toilet center to the wooden side of the vanity is 30". The 36" vanity will have a 33" framed mirror centered on the wooden part of the vanity (counter is flush to right wall with 1" overhang on the left). The toilet will have a 22" wide wood framed medicine cabinet above it. The 22" between the side of the medicine cabinet and the side of the mirror will have probably have a 12" to 18" towel bar for a hand towel.

Another thing that affects the sight line into the bathroom besides putting a double towel bar on the wall between the door and the window is that I need to find a window treatment that barely juts out because there is only a 27" space between bottom of the window sill and the side of the knee wall (and it will go down to 26 1/2" once granite goes on top on the knee wall). I don't want to just cover the glass with a frosted decal because it gets cold and I think it needs something like a honeycomb shade to keep out the cold. I just don't want it to look ugly from the side so I need to find one that has a very narrow depth so hopefully it won't go much past the sill.

risforremodel

The paint in our Master Bath is C2 brand. The wall color is named Slinky and the ceiling is Shark Fin - a slightly darker color which I used thinking sometime I might paint big billowing clouds on the ceiling. I really like C2 paint but it might be difficult finding a local distributor. It's full spectrum and gives off a really good appearance. Have used C2 exclusively the past four years. Their website has a locator.

Having a bit of difficulty following your descriptions, photos and conversation regarding rod placement. If you were able to view our complete Master Bath you noted that we placed some behind the door.

Doubt that a reputable glass installer will recommend a door between panels - too much weight shift. We just re-aim the shower head so that it can be turned on to warm after entering the shower.

If you like blue bathrooms, here is our Powder Room. Small space, about 4 x 6, with a textured wallpaper. At least you can see how colors go with one another.

http://s1277.photobucket.com/user/treeshouse/library/Powder%20Room?sort=6&page=1

Hope this helps, Good luck

fnmroberts, at what height above the floor are all the towel rods behind your door hung? How did you decide to use the type of doorstop you did and is it in a stud?

Just measured from the floor. Approximately 24, 57 and 67 inches. Unscientific placement based on how much space required for the shower mat, towel and wash cloth.

I dislike door stops that are where a vacuum hits them. These are set where the door knob swings and are anchored into the drywall if no stud is at the spot. Have changed almost all in the house.

Lots of planning, I see. Your shower will be very nice. I like your tile choices a lot! Hanging a glass door on another panel of glass requires heavy glass. If you mounted your door on the tiled wall, you would rarely open it 90 degrees to get in and out of the shower. A shorter width towel bar on that wall wouldn't look as crowded as as a double towel bar. When you say "double" do you mean one in front of the other, or say a 24" long bar?

I have 3/8" glass and and the self centering hinges still allow me to put that door at any position, so it doesn't get flung back 90 degrees. Hard to explain, but it takes a little effort to open a 3/8" glass door. There was a discussion not to long ago regarding glass door bumping into towel hooks/bars and people came up with some ingenious ideas. Some put rubber feet on the ends of the hook. No one could see it when the towel was on the hook. Or a small decorative waste basket that would stop the door from going the full 90 degrees. Do consider having a 1/2" hole cut into your shower glass where you can put a hook to hold the towel while in the shower. That way you only need to open the door a crack and grab the towel, close the door, and dry your bod in the heat of the shower. Tempered glass need to have any holes or cutouts made before the glass gets tempered. After the fact you need to use Command Hooks, which do the trick.

You know, hmmm, can you make a mock towel bar out of cardboard and tape it to the wall, then tape a 28" piece of something to the tile edge to see just how far you can open a door before the two connect? I always have to do these visual things, if you are an engineer you can do it on paper much more easily.

-Babka

Here's a similar discussion

I have a scale for weighing things with tempered glass on the top of it and it is the same thickness as the tempered glass in my shower. Considering it holds people standing on it (some heavier than others), I think the glass is fairly strong. Unless you hit the glass with a bat or try to bend it, it will hold.

Horizontal glass with support underneath is VERY different from vertical pressures. Apples and Oranges.

-Babka