Modern doors for a shower: versions, decorative

Today, in most specialty stores you can buy glass and plastic shower doors that look great and, according to the manufacturer, will most likely last for a long time.

The range of special doors is wide and some products are different from others not only the price and type of material used in the production, but also sizes, configuration, features of installation and operation, etc. Therefore, it is not easy for an unprepared person to pick up those shower doors that will most certainly fit the shower stall and ensure the comfort of subsequent operation.

What should be considered when choosing such bathroom accessories? How to properly install the purchased product with your own hands using an affordable tool? We will answer these and similar questions in this article.

The main varieties presented in the sale

Modern shower doors in the assortment of specialized stores are presented in two main modifications:

• Sliding products, consisting of several parts that are displaced relative to each other, are mounted in special guiding chutes.

In order to open access to the cabin, it is enough to manually move one of the flaps. The disadvantage of this solution is that these shower doors do not open completely, but only half.

• Swing Products, consisting of sashes that open outward, mounted on special metal hinges.

For ease of opening, handles are provided on the outer surface of the flaps. The handles, depending on the chosen modification, may differ, which is why it is possible to select those shower doors that will most closely match the interior design of the bathroom.

A significant drawback of swing structures is the impossibility of their installation in rooms with limited space.

• Folding door-accordion for the soul is practically devoid of all the disadvantages inherent in the first two categories. For example, folding structures, unlike sliding analogues, open a wider opening.

At the same time, unlike hinged structures, folding doors to a plastic shower do not take up much space, and therefore can be installed in rooms with limited space.

Important: Both those and other modifications have obvious advantages, but when choosing it is necessary to remember that many shower enclosures are not universal, and are designed to fit only one category of doors.

In accordance with the type of production materials used, the following modifications differ:

• Products made of tempered glass that are resistant to temperature changes and mechanical loads;
• Polymer products, which are not much inferior to glass analogues, but they are distinguished by a more affordable price.

Important: Modern plastic doors for shower cabins over several years of operation are covered with a whitish or yellowish bloom, which subsequently is not easy to wash off with the use of household detergents. With glass products such problems do not arise, since the contaminants are removed with a simple wet sponge or with alcohol.

Transparent and opaque designs

Modern doors for a shower corner for achievement of this or that decorative effect can be completely or partially transparent. On structures made of glass, a decrease in transparency is achieved by matting the surface using sand blasting equipment.

Custom-made doors can not only have the required degree of transparency, but can also be decorated with decorative patterns consisting of a combination of a matte and transparent surface. Designs made of polymeric materials, transparent or matte, are made directly during the casting by reducing or increasing the percentage content of a number of fillers in the bulk of the plastic.

Glass and plastic doors can differ not only in the degree of transparency, but also in color. As a result, without any difficulty, you can choose the design that will most closely match the features of the interior design of the bathroom.

Glass door decoration

The stylishly decorated bathroom goes well with an ornate glass shower door.

The decoration of glass surfaces is carried out in the following ways:

• drawing is applied with stained glass paints;
• opaque or translucent polymeric films are glued to the glass surface;
• silver or gold plating is applied;
• the stained-glass window from color pieces of glass in metal forms is laid out (the price of such a decision is high);
• multicolored fragments of glass without a metal frame are fused (the price of the solution is also high, but the result is more durable and easy to maintain than stained glass).

Fusing doors

If there is a desire to make the interior of the bathroom less ordinary and at the same time more stylish, we advise you to pay attention to the shower doors made of multi-colored glass fragments fused together.

This method of making glass constructions is called fusing. The method is becoming more common abroad, and over the past few years multi-colored products can be ordered in a number of domestic companies.

Among the advantages of shower doors made using this method are the following:

• strength comparable to the viciousness of a single sheet of tempered glass;
• optimal hydrophobic properties compared to stained glass, as there is no frame through which water could penetrate;
• small thickness of the product (only 7-10 mm) without compromising strength;
• ease of maintenance;
• aesthetic appeal of the product;
• possibility of ordering doors with the possibility of installation on surfaces with curvilinear forms.

Are there any disadvantages? The disadvantage is one high price.

Glass door maintenance

To ensure that shower door elastics, and the glass surface itself, last as long as possible, regular maintenance should be provided.

• First of all, in the bathroom it is necessary to equip efficient exhaust ventilation. Forced diversion of moist air will prevent condensation on the glass and minimizes the likelihood of rotting rubber seals.
• The surface of the glass should be cared for using special alcohol-containing liquids that can effectively remove turbid stains and smudges. When wiping glass surfaces it is not recommended to use rags and paper napkins. Divorces do not leave special sponges, brushes and mops (screeds) for washing windows.
• To make glass products stronger, you can use special reinforcing films, which are glued to the front surface and protect the door from operational wear.

Features of the installation work

Installation instructions for doors is largely determined by the type of cab used. One way or another, the installation will not require any special tools; a set of screwdrivers or a set of hex keys will suffice.

It is easiest to install plastic structures, since they will be significantly lighter than glass counterparts. Working with glass products, given their considerable weight, should be at least two.

It is important to remember that even an accidental and seemingly weak blow to the surface of the glass door during installation can cause a decrease in the service life of the product. Therefore, it is necessary to work with such constructions as carefully as possible.

You should also remember that red-hot glass weighs an order of magnitude more than plastic, and therefore glass doors are not recommended to be installed on fragile acrylic cabins. In this case, plastic doors will look more appropriate.

Conclusion

So, now that we have learned what the doors to the shower are, what they are, and what are the features of their operation, we can proceed to the choice of the modification that is suitable for arranging the bathroom.

By choosing the desired design complete with a shower tray and a cabin, you can save on the services of qualified installers and perform assembly work yourself. More useful information about the assembly of shower cabins can be found in the relevant articles on our portal. In addition, we recommend to watch the video in this article.