In our house it was mostly style. I wanted a curtain because I can throw it in the machine to get it clean and throw it away when that no longer works. Dh was adamant that he wanted the glass because he doesn't like the look of a curtain. He also made noises about not liking the feeling of the damp shower curtain when he brushes against it. Whatever. I gave in. And then we moved.

Yeah, I think there's a prejudice against curtains because they are so inexpensive. I can see that if the shower is small or if it's a strange shape then a curtain might be inconvenient, but for alcove showers I think the only advantage of glass is the way it looks......and that's subjective.

Aside from the style/esthetics issue, my dislike for shower curtains stems from the fact that they sometimes provide a surface for mold to grow on, and they sometimes billow inward when the shower is going full blast.

I had a curtain while waiting for the glass to be installed and I have curtains in the other showers which will stay but I hate changing them to wash and they really should be washed once to twice a month at least, they harbor as much germs as a sponge! I hate when they blow on me and I hated that it block the natural light from my lovely large shower. They also were no where near as good at keeping the water in the shower where it belonged.

My door takes only second to clean each day looks brand new, which it kinda is and makes the whole bathroom seem so bright and open! Well worth the money for me. Oh it also keeps my shower stall much warmer than the temporary curtain did.

If you consider a curtain vs. glass from a protective and financial POV , then you can say the curtain has a big advantage . But the glass can be more and it becomes a design element , which can also accommodate others -- like a bench -- , a towel bar and many more .

I concede that it's a pain to take a shower curtain down to put it in the laundry, but it's 5 mins once or twice a month and you also have to wipe down glass regularly to keep it clean....so I think maintenance is a wash ;-)

The design element aspect is real as glass can look amazing, but maybe we've fallen into the design magazine and "This Old House" marketing trap where we want the expensive stuff we see other people having rather than considering what might be the best solution for us.

I think the water protection a shower gives vs glass has a lot to do with the shower size and the shower head arrangement. My shower is quite large and has a single rain shower head so the water is not very forceful and just falls vertically and a curtain contains all the water......none even on the curb. A curtain would be a disaster with body spray heads.

My fairly large shower is part tile wall and part glass wall. Under duress, I do sqeegee the tile walls where they are closest to the two shower heads, but I actually never bother to wipe down the glass in my shower. I'm lazy and it looks fine to me...

I think a curtain can be very pretty, but I like glass for the simple reason that it stays in place and never touches me or gets in the way. If that does't bother you and mold isn't a problem, there is no reason to spend more money.

Does glass potentially keep more heat in?

The hardness and mineral content of your water will have a big effect on how often you really need to clean the glass to keep it looking good.

In a small shower I can see that touching the curtain could be annoying. But in a large shower with a heavy curtain there's no issue with touch or billow. Add on the cost consideration of $2000 for the glass and $20 for the curtain and I like the curtain best,

Building for the CATS-

I doubt that there is much difference from a thermodynamics standpoint on the heat retention properties of glass vs. a curtain, although one could argue that glass, having much greater density and mass, would wick away heat more quickly than a curtain. Besides, there are many other factors that come into play that may in fact overwhelm any difference that exists, such as fan placement and air movement, size of shower, gaps at the top or sides, etc.

I think from a thermal perception perspective, draughts are the big difference between curtains and glass. I have to pull the curtain in my shower fully closed to avoid a draught on my back.

'' The design element aspect is real as glass can look amazing, but maybe
we've fallen into the design magazine and "This Old House" marketing
trap where we want the expensive stuff we see other people having rather
than considering what might be the best solution for us. ''

Well , if the title of the thread is right , then glass has more merits vs. curtain for a shower enclosure . If you do not agree or minimize the design possibilities and beneficial effects , it is your choice . Having a one piece unit shower could also be considered a best solution for us , under some specific terms , but pictures on houzz reflect otherwise .

I like what I can do with glass and how it merges into the tiled bench /wall as a personal choice. Necessary , as an option , yes.

In many circumstances glass will work better particularly if the shower is small or has a bench or wall. However, there are rewards with simplicity of design and with a simple shower layout a curtain can work well. Maybe we should design showers to be simpler. I avoided benches and niches in my shower. I definitely like the idea of a simple one piece waterproof shower, but the implementation of that in todays acrylic and fiber glass makes that low on many people's lists. It's a balancing act between cost, function and esthetics. I feel that a shower curtain can often compete and beat a glass enclosure and that maybe people should consider a curtain more often. It's unfortunate that they are often ignored in expensive renovations because the are seen as a poor and cheap solution when they are in fact inexpensive and potentially the best practical solution.

My 4 by 6 shower was very drafty with just a curtain, maybe not colder but most definitely draftier and the liner would billow, the heavier cosmetic curtain not as much but the lighter liner did so the" feels like "factor was measurable. I do not mind the look of a curtain and in certain circumstances think they are prettier than glass though mine is purely based on a skeeve factor.....

from men's Health "Your shower curtain The threat: The soap scum hanging out on your curtain is more than just unsightly. A study in Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that vinyl shower curtains are microbe meccas, breeding potential pathogens, such as infection-causing Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium. Plus, the force of the shower spray will make germs take flight, says the study author, Norman Pace, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder."

Take a culture of anything in the home and it will grow many nasty bacteria. I don't worry about dying from an infection causing bacteria I pick up from a shower curtain, there are bigger health risks...however shower curtains should still be washed regularly

Our shower stall (3.5'x6') glass is totally for aesthetics (and resale I guess - high COL area). DH wanted it. I wish we had just stuck with the $10 shower curtain we used before the glass was installed - so much easier to clean (I just throw away the curtain liner in the kids' bathroom periodically). Not to mention the glass was almost $4k (eek!), and took 7 WEEKS from measuring to install (was supposed to be 2 weeks).

I use water repellant fabric shower curtains. Cheap--under $10. Wash them on hot every couple of weeks for a couple of years, throw them away, and buy new.

Glass is pretty and if you have soft water and shower guard and can get everyone who uses the shower to squeegee, it's not bad to keep up. Our new house came with a glass shower door and hard water; we'll see how that goes.

Regarding bacteria buildup in the shower (the orange/pink, not mildew) - which happens not just on the curtains but also on tile, glass, and acrylic (it may not be as noticeable on the glass and tile, but it's there!) - a friend of mine cultured it for one of her nursing classes and the bacteria that resulted was not dangerous to people - it was benign. Yes, there is the "eww" factor, but it's not dangerous. [After she got her results, she immediately scrubbed her entire shower, including the tile and glass she had gotten the initial samples from). As others have said, it was b/c of the "eww" factor, not the "danger"!]

We have a 4' x 3.5' shower and have a heavy duty curtain. It does not billow, but if not closed completely will result in drafts. It's not difficult to close, btw. We wipe it down every week or two and when it eventually needs it (every couple of years), toss it and replace it with another curtain - easy and inexpensive.

My parents have glass and the daily squeegee was a royal pain. They have very hard water, so water spots were obvious, even with the textured glass if the doors weren't squeegeed. In addition, the hard water corroded the hardware - the runners (it's sliding), the frame, and the handles. In retrospect, I think a nice curtain would have been better for them, but my dad wanted the glass, so that's what they have.

When we build, we're talking about no door or curtain for our curb-less shower - maybe it will be an issue keeping in heat, but it will certainly be easier to clean!

I wonder just how much dirt and bacteria builds up at the edges of glass enclosures where they meet the tile. That's an area that is difficult to clean. With a curtain it can be taken down and put in the washing machine so I know it's clean

I have no mildew or visible gunk where my door meets the tile on any sides. I squeegee after use and than use a quick micro cloth the wipe the seems where the glass meets tile and shower fixtures to avoid build up and than I disenfect the whole stall weekly. It is so much easier than removing the liner and curtain weekly to wash in my other bathrooms and than rehang.

I also like to leave showers open after each use and with a door this helps discourage mold in the whole room where as leaving a curtain pulled open after a shower helps keep the floor and tile less likely to grow mold but it encourages the growth of mildew with in the curtains fold.

The best solution is no door or curtain but I felt very drafty but my bathroom has ten ft ceilings which was probably the issue.

I'm nuts about shower curtains..love them.

We went with glass because of the light issue in the master bath..it does have two small windows, but is still fairly dark. I wanted more open feel, more light.

Otherwise I'd go with a shower curtain. Previous place was very sunny and bright, so every time I can hang a curtain I hang a curtain:)

I did in a kids' bath though..and no, it didn't cost 20 bucks..I feel guilty even to write just how much did it cost. But it was a perfect color, and just the right amount of texture, so..

In terms of aesthetics-our master would look the best without both-no curtain, no glass, just an opening, something like what Justina Blackeney recently did..we really considered it when planning especially my DH..but I feel SO cold with no enclosure whatsoever, I was reluctant to this idea. I'd be shivering each time. (It's So Cal here-I'd still be shivering each time..very drafty indeed)

FYI here is my shower with its "temporary" shower curtain. The opening was framed for a glass enclosure, but the curtain is so inexpensive and works so well that I find it hard to justify the $2k that the glass will cost. I will probably install a nicer curtain rod to replace the Home Depot adjustable on that's there now.

Jeff, I will admit the exterior view between my glass vs curtain was minimal, I might actually prefer the curtain from outside the shower so that difference was not worth the 2k I paid for glass but the view from inside my shower was well worth every cent!

Here is the room view before and after where it does seem a waste of resources

Now inside view changed from something like this

To this!

Consider your view and light inside the stall when thinking about the expense.

My last house had a curtain on the shower stall, and it ALWAYS billowed in. The curtain attacked me every time I showered. I hated it!!

I used a clear PVC curtain (liner?) from the Hookless brand. Super easy to change, and we replaced it twice a year.

Do some people not have the billowing problem? How do you prevent it?

Nice post MongoCT,

This morning I observed my curtain closely while I showered. There is a hint of billow, but not enough to come anywhere close to touching me. I think my shower works well with the curtain because I have a rain shower head and the water just falls downwards and the shower is quite large and as a result I'm well away from the curtain and the walls and curb don't get very wet....the curb stays completely dry. I also like that I can easily turn the shower on from outside with a curtain and wait for the water to get hot. That would be less convenient with glass. But maybe the thing I like best is that there are no penetrations through the curb.

I'm going to upgrade my curtain rod to something from Bobrick

http://www.sustainablesupply.com/Bobrick-B-6107x72-Stainless-Steel-Heavy-Duty-Shower-Curtain-Rod-C1968675

and get some "easy off" rings so there's no excuse for not washing the curtain often

http://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/shower-curtains-and-hooks/shower-curtain-rings-and-hooks/double-hook-roller-ball-shower-curtain-rings.html

Total cost will be around $75 (curtain, rod, and rings), compared to $2000 for a glass enclosure. So that's 1/26th of the cost for what I think is a better solution. My circumstances might be aligned to make a curtain work well, but they should be considered as an option more often and maybe showers designed with them in mind or so the don't need any barrier rather than defaulting to glass.

You may want to continue using a suction cup bar Incase you or a future owner wishes to upgrade to glass in the future. The screw holes will be permanent in the bar you linked. They have some very pretty non screw shower bars now. I have used a suction bar in a shower with young kids without it ever coming down.

If it's possible, and it certainly isn't all the time...

I'll run screws through the grout instead of the tile. Easier to patch should the need arise.

I'd actually thought about screwing the rod into a square of Delrin and sticking that to the wall to avoid the screws into the tile. I'll search for fancy adjustable rods.

I just accidentally went through this same debate with my bathroom remodel, which involved replacing a tub with a curbless shower. Here's what happened. When the plumber finished with his work, we wanted to test the shower, but of course I didn't have the glass installed (or even ordered) yet, so we took down the shower curtain and rod from the other bathroom and put it up to run the shower. And to my surprise, even with a curbless shower, the curtain worked fine! I figured I just saved myself about $2500 not buying the glass, and if I change my mind, the blocking is all still in the wall, ready for glass.

Also, in my particular case, since this was a remodel, I had wanted a larger shower area and to move the toilet about 6 inches over to so that it wasn't too close to the glass shower wall (bumping my elbow when sitting on the john). However, the plumber strongly recommended against moving the toilet, especially since my house is on a slab foundation. In fact, he said, "I've got two kids in college - I'd be happy to take your money. But moving toilets often opens a whole can of worms and if it was my house, I wouldn't do it." I appreciated his honesty on that.

Finally, my other consideration in this bathroom remodel and having the curbless shower was that I thought one of my elderly parents would be living with me at some point, and that it would need to be either walker- or wheelchair-accessible. The shower curtain lets me move the shower "wall" completely out of the way of the toilet, making both shower and toilet wheelchair-accessible.

I'm planning on a shower curtain with our new shower. On our tub, I use a polyester curtain on those U- shaped rings and water doesn't pass through the polyester, nor does it billow. I like it so much better than a vinyl curtain.

I think what makes a curtain work in an upscale bathroom is a good quality stainless rod, and it has to be mounted. The tension rods look cheap. Mongo says you can screw through the grout so that takes away the fear of commitment. I also like the rods mounted at the ceiling. There might be a little steam retention but I can't see it being a big problem. With a lightweight white curtain, light would pass through too.

Totally agree with mayflowers. I went through all kinds of anguish before drilling in new tile (not a grout line) to fasten the rod. It turned out great.

I don't understand the billowing and clinging people talk about. Perhaps it's because I have a curved rod and it tends to draw the curtain away from the shower's interior. Also, I don't have a fan in my bathroom, but a window I leave open to some extent year-round, even in January.

I don't wash my lightweight white polyester curtain as often as others in this thread. It rinses off and dries quickly after a shower.

Linelle, I think it happens most with temp differentials between shower water temp and room tempature. The closer the two temps are the less billowing in my house. I love hot showers and I keep our house temp at 70 year long. If my water temp is lower I get less billowing but the curtain, like Jeff mentions always is moving just not attacking me which is what made my slightly larger than his shower feel much colder.

Roarah, in the winter, I heat my house to 69, but in the summer, the sky's the limit since I don't have A/C. I also like a hot shower, except on very hot days.

My curtain doesn't move at all during a shower. It just hangs there.

However, there might be one big difference, and it's that I have a tub/shower. So I have a lot more curb at the bottom (i.e., the depth of my tub) controlling the movement of the curtain.

I had a look around for a nice tension shower rod and really there isn't anything that comes close to the sturdiness and feel of quality of something like a heavy duty rod from Bobrick. I did buy the best I could find and that's a Moen TR1000. It looks pretty good and works well, but I might get the drill out and install the Bobrick eventually or just use some silicone to stick some Delrin blocks to the tile and mount the Bobrick to those.

Curtain billow is obviously due to a pressure differential between the inside and outside of the shower. That could be caused by temperature and/or by the motion of the falling water.......so to reduce blllow use a heavy curtain, keep the velocity and amount of water flow as low as comfortable and keep the temperature of the shower and the rest of the room as close to equal as possible.

Well as one whose motto is water pressure is a woman's best friend and one who loves a steamy hot shower I know why curtains attack me. I do use very heavy liners and outer curtains that still billow when I use the tub combo or small walk in showers in my house too.

Yes, as someone with thinning hair I don't need much pressure to rinse the shampoo, but I know that if you have long hair you need lots of high velocity water to rinse it well. I designed my shower to minimize the amount of water spraying around. So I have a single rain shower head inside an oversized shower. The walls get far less wet than in my other bathroom that has a shower and tub arrangement. But in neither case is curtain billow a problem and I put that down to the moderate temperature of the water.