Build Your Own Shower Enclosure – Typical doors are 28 to 30 inches wide. We generally try to avoid doors that are less than 24 inches or wider than 34 inches. The doors swing in and out 180 degrees. You should plan enough space to avoid obstacles such as toilets, sinks or towel bars. On the inside of the shower, make sure there is space for things like a rain shower head. It is usually recommended that the door rotates on the same side of the shower as the shower controls. In this way, the door opens to rotate and enter the shower, giving the shortest access to the controls. When exiting the shower, the door pulls in and drips into the base, not onto the floor.
Fixed panels that are on the same plane as the door are considered “internal” panels. They can be full height or on benches, on ponies or raked walls.
Build Your Own Shower Enclosure
If a panel needs to be cut out to go over a bench or over a pony wall, it’s called a “step-up” panel. If this is part of your design, you’ll want to make sure the base on the panel is at least 4 inches and the cutout is at least 2.5 inches deep. Contact us if you have any questions to discuss this.
Luxury Shower Glass Enclosures
Panels that are at 90 degrees (or a custom angle) to the front of the shower are called “return” panels. At the corner where the return panel meets the inline panel, we use a miter joint and silicone for stability. Sometimes it is necessary to use a small clamp at the top of the glass at this junction for added stability.
There are two basic options for attaching fixed glass panels to tiles, channels and clips. The channel is glossy and gives an unobstructed look to the glass. The channel also provides excellent sealing and there is no need to dig into the water barrier at the edge. The clips are stylish and technical. Clips add a bit of cost due to the glass fabrication required and additional installation time. Some designs use clips on the side and a channel on the bottom for a great look with better long-term water performance. For a full rundown of these two options, see Channel vs Clips.
We generally recommend that the height of the shower cabin is slightly higher than the shower head. Weight can become an issue when the door height reaches 84 inches. You should also allow enough space between the top of the enclosure and the ceiling for steam to escape. Leaving at least 6 inches of space is a good rule of thumb.
Typical doors are 28 to 30 inches wide. The doors swing in and out 180 degrees. You should plan enough space to avoid obstacles such as toilets, sinks or towel bars. On the inside of the shower, make sure there is space for things like a rain shower head.
A Comprehensive Guide To Buying Shower Enclosures
The most stylish and economical design is to hinge the door to the wall. Frameless doors are heavy, and if the door is hinged to the wall, they need structural support (gutter) behind the tile. Make sure there are double or triple studs for the back of the tile where the glass door meets the tile. This is usually the center of the margin. This can be done by installing a 2X6 “strap” between studs centered 12 inches above the rim and 12 inches below the top of the glass. This will allow the hinge screws to bite in and greatly reduce the chance of the tiles cracking during installation.
If installing a new door in an existing tile, plugs can be used to connect the hinges. Plugs work most of the time, but can cause tiles to crack.
If you are not hinged to the wall (hinge to glass), your cabinet will need a header to support the weight of the door swing. An alternative to the header is to run the panel that holds the door up to the ceiling to provide stability to the door. This is usually done in a steam shower.
The wall tile should ideally extend at least slightly beyond the edge of the shower. If the rim itself is tile or stone, it should slope slightly inward to ensure proper water control. Uneven tile positions such as “belly” and “smile” create problems with gaps in shower installation. If using a decorative tile that has a very high texture, such as an embossed strip, the decorative tile should stop or stop where the door hinges go. If you are using glass tile that is very difficult to drill, it is best to leave the tiles where the hinges go. We install the hinges on the shim plates and the final tiles rotate around the plates after installing the shower.
Building An Outdoor Shower
Despite your tiler’s best efforts, there will likely be some small breaks in plumb and level in your finished tile. That’s why every shower enclosure is custom made to fit the opening exactly. This is done by laser measuring the opening to a tolerance of +/- a 1/16 inch and cutting the glass out of square if necessary. Glass measurements cannot be taken until the tile is installed.
Pull-on hardware comes in several different styles. “D” pulls are simple and sleek. Ladder pull or square pull is also available. Or for the ultimate minimalist, we can create a 1.5″ polished hole or cutout in the glass instead of a stretch. We also offer several hardware accessories such as towel bars, handles, coat hooks.
Several hardware finishes are available. Our standard finishes include: chrome, brushed nickel, oil rubbed bronze and matte black. We also carry several premium finishes such as bronze and brass finishes. Come to the exhibition and see for yourself.
Most of the shower shelves we install are clear glass. This is because clear glass allows you to show off your (probably new) tiling and makes the bathroom appear larger. There are several opaque glass options such as rain, chip glue, satin or delta frost. We also offer Starfire which is a very clear low iron glass. Come to our showroom to see the options.
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EnduroShield is a product that is applied to the glass at the factory. This coating makes the glass easier to clean and makes the water film disappear faster, so less water spots remain. It is especially useful if your home is on well water because your water has high mineral content. It has a 10-year warranty.
There are 2 basic options for attaching fixed glass panels to tiles, channels and clips. The channel is smooth and unobstructed and provides an excellent seal. The clips are stylish and technical. Clamps add a bit of cost due to the extra glass they require. See Channel vs. Clips for a full rundown of these 2 options.
Hillcrest Glass is a full service glass shop located in Longmont, Colorado. We have been supplying glass to Longmont, Boulder and surrounding communities in Colorado’s North Front Range since 1969. It has been our local property since the beginning. As your kids might put it when they were younger (if they were talking about showering). housing… which was kind of weird), “Do you have the odd shower of ‘H-E Double Hockey Sticks’? Do you think the person who designed this ‘gem’ must have been on to something, as the custom shape even accommodates It won’t! It’s cramped and dark and the old tile joints look terrible. You want to just throw up your hands and say HELP – but this strategy alone isn’t enough to create a new shower you’ll actually want to use and blow your budget. So how do you tackle this weird bathroom mystery puzzle you’ve got?
In the following article I’m going to walk you through a 5-step process to remodel your crazy custom shower into the space you want to use it. I wish I could tell you that you can build this shower as inexpensively as a standard 60 x 36 shed kit that you find at your local home center store – but that would be a dream (sorry to burst your bubble here – but I have to I’ll give it to you straight!).
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Step 1 – Before you pick up a sledgehammer or hire a contractor to remodel your quirky shower, have a plan.
The surest way to a bad result is to get out the sledgehammer and start chipping away at your baseboard, tile walls, or weird arched entryway in your shower (or the first contractor who shows up on time and walks and breathes hire). Let your fingers click or pick up the phone and seek advice first. You must determine if the walls you are trying to demolish are structural or not. If you want to keep the shower mat the way it is today, research what the best type of shower base is (an approach made on the site.