When you are renovating your bathroom, or at the very least upgrading your shower, one of the important things to consider is the thickness of the glass for your shower door.
If you are looking for glass for your custom shower door, it’s important to understand how to determine what thickness is best for you and your shower door design.
Why knowing the required thickness is critical when buying a custom shower door online
When you are ordering a custom shower door online, it is crucial in knowing all aspects and dimensions of what you need so you can place the right order. It’s much more difficult to purchase something without seeing it first and also just as difficult in returning something as large as a shower door over the internet. That’s why you need to make sure you know how thick of glass you need for your shower door before you purchase it.
Factors that affect the thickness of custom shower door
So, what do you need to consider in order to calculate the type of glass thickness you need for your custom shower door? Since you are basically building your shower door from scratch, you need to decide what you all want as a part of your door, as well as what your bathroom can handle.
Things you’ll need to consider include:
- Type of glass
There are many different types of glass. The four main types are annealed glass, heat-strengthened glass, tempered glass and laminated glass. Ultimately, you will want to get a tempered glass for the shower. Glass that is tempered is much safer than other types of glass because when it shatters, it breaks into small pebbles instead of large jagged-edged pieces.
- Type of shower enclosure
Are you planning to install a sliding door or a hinged door? Framed or frameless? The thinner the glass you have, the more necessary a framed door is what you will need. So, if you are looking for a frameless door, you’ll want the glass to be thicker so it can support itself.
- Design of door
Aesthetically, thicker glass tends to be more pleasing to the eye. If you are going for a simpler, modern look in your bathroom, thicker glass would be the way to go, since you will most likely be able to forgo the busy frame. The nice thing about framed shower doors, though, is the variety of finishes the frames can come in, often providing a nice decorative element to any bathroom.
- Weight-bearing ability of your walls
You’ll want to know how much your walls can actually handle before going out and buying your custom shower door. If your walls aren’t able to support a ton of weight, thick glass for your shower might not be the best way to go.
- Price willing to pay
The final thing you’ll want to think about is your budget range. Despite thicker glass seeming to have a lot of the better qualities for a custom shower door, it is often much more expensive. Make sure to have a budget decided when looking at shower doors and glass thickness.
Appropriate thickness options for your custom shower door when buying online
Now it’s time to figure out what thickness option is right for you. There are four main thickness options for shower doors: 3/16”, 1/4″, 3/8” and 1/2″.
Framed Shower Doors
- 3/16” – This is the minimum thickness for framed shower doors. Since the glass for these doors is much thinner, they need sturdy frames to keep them stable and sturdy. Also, because of the thinness of the glass, this option is usually the cheapest among the four.
- 1/4″ – Although thicker than 3/16”, the 1/4″ option is still fairly thin, requiring it to also need a frame as part of the shower door. It will be a tad more expensive, but the thicker the glass, the stronger and more attractive it is.
Frameless Shower Doors
- 3/8” – This is the minimum thickness for frameless shower It provides stability, while still maintaining a somewhat lower cost.
- 1/2″ – This glass, obviously because it is thicker, feels much sturdier than 3/8” glass and as said before, tends to be more aesthetically pleasing. It will typically be the most expensive out of all the thickness options.
The right online place to buy shower door
Now that you know how to decipher the best glass thickness for your shower door, it’s time for you to start shopping and customizing online. GlassGenius is an online glass marketplace where glass shower door suppliers can meet with customers to discuss and negotiate the best glass shower door options for you. With GlassGenius, you can trust that the supplier will listen to your needs and create a reasonable offer to your exact specifications. Check out GlassGenius during your next shower renovation project.
This is an incredible guide, not only covering the glass thickness of custom shower doors, but also delving into other properties! However, there are still things to consider about shower doors, like edgework, tinting, the type of entry, etc.
After months of discussion, my wife and I are finally moving ahead with our plan to renovate our bathroom. We were thinking of installing a frameless shower and we started our research just last night right after dinner. Fortunately for us, we came across your wonderful post here and might I add, it is very well-written. I personally am very fond of where you highlighted to make sure to have a budget decided when looking at shower doors and glass thickness. You raise a very good point here, one I’m sure those interested in renovating their bathrooms will be happy to have been made aware of. Thanks for this!