When it comes to deciding on layout and functionality of your frameless shower door one important question to ask is how you plan on hinging your glass door? There are various options include wall to glass, glass to glass and pivot hinges. The first thing to consider is the layout of your bathroom and where it is you plan on entering your shower enclosure. If your shower stall is open with lots of space around it than sticking with standard wall to glass hinges will save you some money and give your heavy glass a proper anchoring point. Pivot hinges are also an option that gets rid of the hardware in the center of your door by attaching to the top and bottom of glass and not being in direct sight. Another benefit of the pivot hinges is they can be combined with a header (an aluminum bar across the top of the glass) to place the door anywhere along the shower stall, giving you flexibility in layout. However if there is a tub or a toilet in the way, or depending on the best entry into your frameless enclosure you may need to look into glass to glass hinges, where the shower door is attached and swinging off and adjacent piece of glass. The drawbacks being most of the time you will need to use a header to support your shower enclosures glass, which some people find it to be an interesting aesthetic. However most people are going for the fully “frameless shower” look and are not interested in showcasing any form of metal, purely left up to an individuals taste and design. There are some ways to get around the header by stepping up the thickness of the hinged panel to ½ inch glass and using larger wall to glass clamps to minimize movement during operation. With each frameless shower enclosure there are many options available when designing and choosing layout, we recommend working with a professional shower door company to help guide you in your decision. If you are located in the greater Seattle are and would like a free in home estimate please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free in home consultation.
