Glass doors for the shower: a pledge of comfort, convenience and beauty

Place to take a shower in the bathroom should be separated from the rest of the room. This prevents propagation of the spray and the occurrence of excessive moisture in the room. The traditional curtain of waterproof material receding into the past, she was replaced by glass shower doors. This item is more secure, and with proper selection can create an original addition to the interior.

Purpose and functions of glass shower doors

An integral part of the modern bathrooms are the door to the soul. They perform both practical and aesthetic functions. Installation of independent models or in conjunction with a shower, depending on the choice of the owners. Designs are made from different materials, but that glass allows you to schedule small space effectively. It is one of the elements of the modern style of the room. More detailed characteristics of shower doors are shown below.

Shower, in contrast to the bath, allowing the maximum to save space in small rooms for water treatment. Innovative solutions in the sanitary business and a wide range of products allow for variations in the location of the soul previously unused areas. For example, in niches, or utility room, as well as an additional bathroom in the large multi-storey private homes.

Minimize the used area enables convenient door. Preventing the spread of spray and foam, it prevents the formation of puddles on the floor. Visually increase the space in the middle of the cabin allows a transparent material such as glass. In areas where there may be multiple users, for example, in the locker rooms of sports clubs, it is best to use translucent or opaque material for the walls and the shower door.

The doors to the shower of glass characterized by high usability, ease of care and maintenance. They are quite regularly wash special means. Important design purpose - protection against moisture, is more effective in the presence of quality fittings.

Useful advice!When choosing a glass door should pay attention not only to their flawless appearance, but also in the material processing technology that ensures its durability.

Doors for showers: features and select the type of model

Choosing the option entry clearance in the shower, it must be remembered that the door - is not only reliable protection against splashes, but also an integral part of the interior of the whole room. Correctly matched door is easy to use, enhances comfort while receiving water procedures and ensures maximum tightness. Below we consider the conditions of the correct choice.

The apartment where three people live, in the shower door open at least six times a day, so the mechanism responsible for the opening of doors, must be reliable. On the market now are a lot of products that both simplifies and complicates the choice. Preference should be given to proven and well-established European brands, which guarantee the quality of the booths as a whole, as well as accessories. The good characteristics have hinges and rollers Italian, German and Finnish production.

Long operation ensures the material thickness, which should be more than 4 mm. Thin glass require special protection in the form of a transparent or opaque film coating. It is noted that a plastic product can be thinner, but its quality is considerably inferior to the glass.

It is important to pre-measure the opening. The side of the door should be left centimeter gaps. If we neglect this condition, the door is rubbing against the wall, which is accompanied by unpleasant sounds labored opening and the risk of damage steklopolotno.

A special place belongs to the design of the shower door. Universal embodiment is a transparent door. If, however, the choice fell on a colored design or model with drawings, spray, stained glass windows, it is necessary to bear in mind that the product should fit into the interior. The main thing here is not extravagance, and minimalism and comfort.

How to choose material for shower doors

Shower doors are made of different materials. Making a choice in favor of one of them, you should know that the material must meet the following requirements:

• provide maximum functionality shower;
• have stylistic and design matching the overall interior;
• meet the personal preferences of home owners.

Among the most popular materials for the manufacture of doors in the shower include:

• plastic;
• ordinary glass;
• strained glass;
• triplex;
• Plexiglas.

The main advantage of the plastic in comparison with the glass - its low cost. It is this advantage often attracts buyers. At the same time it should be noted that the plastic shower door is only suitable for temporary structures. Another distinctive feature of plastic - a material lightness and ease of installation requiring no special skills.

Useful advice!If the place is in a niche for plant design has a non-standard size and shape, it is better to make a shower door to order. Compensate for the high cost of usability and durability of such a service door.

The main drawback of plastic - a fast amortization. The doors to the shower, made of this material, quickly lose their original presentable appearance. Already after the first months of use in the plastics deposited traces of water stains and salt deposits. Therefore, such a door after each use should be carefully wipe the shower. In addition, low-grade plastic gradually begins to exfoliate. If the choice is still leaning toward this material, it is better to give preference to a transparent model. Plastic with tinted pretty quickly fade, giving the poor appearance of the door.

The glass door to the shower: the advantages and disadvantages

Shower - a room with high humidity levels, so the main function of the door - it is against the penetration of moisture inside the protection. For a number of other advantages of glass models include:

1. The strength and durability. Insignificant mechanical effects do not harm the structure. Increased strength characteristics when using laminated or tempered glass.
2. Security. Even when fragments damage or acquire a round shape or the remains of the door are on the protective film.
3. Resistance to different temperature regimes. Glass and thermoplastic can withstand large temperature changes.
4. Original appearance over a long period. With proper care the glass retains its attractiveness for a long time.
5. Universal design features. Glass doors for the shower fit perfectly in virtually any style of room.
6. Easy to clean. Glass is easy to clean, giving it a fresh and shiny look.
7. Decorative. Using a variety of decorating techniques will make the doors more attractive and original.
8. Atoksichnost. Glass - natural material that does not release harmful substances.

It should be noted that the glass door to the shower fittings are provided with high-quality anti-corrosion coating that provides extra protection during operation in a wet environment.

The main drawback of glass doors - it is their high cost. In addition, it requires a fairly high cost of transportation and installation, which must be made exclusively by professionals. Another shortcoming is the accumulation of condensation on the walls of the door, so you should take care of a good ventilation of the room.

Shower doors made of glass: aesthetics and practicality

Glass door feature - a combination of aesthetic appeal and its practical application for its intended purpose. Therefore, modern manufacturers are worried not only about the reliability of a design, but also its beauty, style and decoration. Glass as a material in itself has a fascinating texture and experienced designers and craftsmen made of real masterpieces doors.

Useful advice!An alternative to the door can be a special partition for the shower in the bathroom. It provides less isolation, but serves as a reliable protection from the spread of excess moisture. The choice depends on personal preference, the room features and financial capabilities.

A wide range of structures from simple includes variants, or supertransparent frosted glass. The originality of every door will add silk screen printing for applying the glass a variety of patterns and artistic images.

Decorative give engraved drawings, colored coating or tinting. Particularly popular are those colors, like blue, bronze, graphite. Latest sandblasting technology allows you to make the surface of the original and create exclusive patterns of opaque and transparent parts.

Particular attention is the designers are paying the invoice of the material and fittings. Glass doors can be made-to-order, taking into account all the requirements of owners of the house or apartment. This will provide an original and exclusive view of the bathroom, as well as give an opportunity to sustain the overall design registration premises. It should be noted that the door-to-order will cost much more expensive than buying from the mass production.

Glass Shower: material properties and structure feature

Durability, practicality, reliability, ease of care, safety and a wide range of design solutions made glass is the most popular material in the manufacture of doors for the shower. At the same time, it should be noted that for this purpose a glass tempering and specific density. The material thickness is typically 5-8 mm, that optimally combines the protection and weight. Glass doors may be of different appearance and structure, to be transparent, frosted or patterned.

Special properties characterized by tempered glass. The level of impact resistance of this material is several times the resistance of common glass. Additional protection is provided by a special film, which prevents spillage of debris in the event of cracking.

The most expensive and at the same time considered the most reliable material triplex. It represents the structure of a thin glass sheet, which are interconnected by a polymeric material. The door of this connection is almost impossible to break, so it is easy to transport and can be safely installed in a house where a lot of children.

Related article:

Shower enclosure of glass without pallet: comfortable solution for the bathroom

Features choice to the size and shape of the room, design options. The choice of accessories, installation tips. Features care.

Recently, the showers very often practiced by the use of organic glass, which is much easier laminated and tempered glass. This significantly reduces the cost of the product. But the material is more susceptible to scratching, chipping and other mechanical damage.

Useful advice! When buying glass doors should be pay special attention to the very structure of the product, as well as the presence of the protective coating. Glass film prevents cracking and chipping in the case of mechanical damage.

Types of glass doors opening mechanisms in the shower

Shower door may be of simple or complicated structure composed of one, two or more flaps. The process of opening and closing at the same time provide different mechanisms. Selecting depends on the floor space, the dimensions of the cab itself or the space allocated in the shower and on the build of the people living in the house. Species diversity (in accordance with such classification) presents several variations:

• sliding glass doors on rollers, which may be mono-, di- or tri;
• swinging mechanism, which is a traditional way of door opening inwards or outwards, with one or two doors for the shower attached to the base of the loop;

• pendulum swing door, different fastening means: not connected by conventional and specialized loops;
• hinged models with rotary hinges, which have no fixed wings; They can be opened either in one direction or the principle of the pendulum;
• the door to the opening mechanism of the accordion type.

Any of these options has advantages and disadvantages, so their choice - especially individual case. For example, as much as possible to save space will help the sliding shower door, the moisture flows freely directly into the pan. the presence of additional space required to install the swing mechanism.

Sliding doors to the soul: Causes of leadership in the ranking

The sliding mechanism experts and users on the right give the palm, as it has several advantages, including:

• practically it does not take place;
• Opening method does not imply any space in front of the cab;
• rather sturdy construction provided a reliable fastening and durability of the walls;
• ease of installation and assembly.

The action of opening mechanism is the movement of the door on special rails, which are attached to the protective walls of the top and bottom of the cab. Free movement flaps provide the rollers and bearings. Another embodiment of the mechanism is in the inner or closed device. The frame for sliding glass doors for shower made from different materials: metallic alloy, pure aluminum or metal-plastic.

Removable or frameless models simplify care for design. The door to this item retains one upper roller. Setting the special profile with seals on the magnets or snap fit helps maximize the flaps to each other and to prevent outside moisture.

The main condition for long-term operation of sliding doors for the shower - it's proper care and careful handling. Use the mechanism necessary to smoothly is unacceptable strong and sharp movements. should use a simple sponge and non-aggressive detergents in order to avoid scratches to wash stall.

Useful advice!If the shower is very small and it is enjoyed by people of large build, then install sliding opening mechanism on the interior face is undesirable. This can cause discomfort while taking water treatments.

Shower cabin with swing door: strengths and weaknesses

Swing mechanism (anywhere door location) is the most ancient and traditional. This fact does not preclude their widespread use in the design of bathrooms. Reliability and practicality of this method of opening the door is not in doubt. Movement provide rotary awnings.

Hinged shower doors are odnopolnye or dvupolnye. The flaps may be either the same value, or different. The advantage dvupolnoy design that in an open state, it takes up much less space. Installing this model costs slightly more expensive, as it requires the installation of an additional set of accessories.

The doors are attached with hinges to the metal frame or directly to the wall. Snug fit wings to each other and, as a result, excellent sealing of the shower provide special seals. Move Silently doors and functionality contribute to high-quality loop. Door accessories eccentric mechanism enables lifting of the fabric during the opening and lowering during the closing.

Pattern with vertically extending bearing profile - more expensive option leaf doors. Such loops are favorable even distribution of the weight of each door along the whole length. Thus, there are no distortions and deviations doors throughout the operation. This factor ensures reliable sealing of the room. Glass protects from sharp blows a special locking system.

Unlike sliding structures hinged doors can be installed in a small shower cubicle, having a width of one door unit. The disadvantage of construction - the need for additional space for the door opening.

The doors to the shower: pendulum system and the principle of opening the "accordion"

Door opener in the shower on the principle of the pendulum is admissible solely for the spacious bathrooms. To the door leaf could easily accommodate, need a clear calculation of the turning angle (without creating obstacles). Turning the door is performed around a central axis or shifted. Sometimes axis is just the edge of the leaf.

Opening on a "bunching" - also not very popular method. There are soft and hard options. In the second case are fairly expensive material and assembly of the system itself. In order to achieve the desired sealing, it is necessary to purchase high-quality fittings to connect the elements of an accordion. It may consist of two or more parts. This variant is more like a principle of closing the book cover.

Soft materials by folding to form pleats and gather at one point. Structure fixed to the stable frame. In this case, talking about the glass door does not go. The material could serve as a soft plastic or dense polyethylene.

Useful advice!Glass for the shower - this is the best choice for doors. Plastic material considerably more expensive, but more durable. For those who want to save budget option is the plexiglas - a cross between the glass and plastic. It should be noted that this material is less durable and aesthetically pleasing than glass.

This mechanism has its advantages:

• carried saving space;
• the device does not extend beyond the opening;
• the door can be partially opened;
• the use of inexpensive materials.

By cons garmoshechnoy experts system include:

• unreliable insulation level;
• Mechanism weak strength;
• the difficulty of washing and brushing.

Shower door in a niche: features choices

Low and at the same time compact embodiment is the placement of a shower recess. The implementation of such ideas is possible even in a small bathroom. The simplest version is the construction of structures in the form of lined two walls, or in the construction of Perestenko the size of a walk parallel to the main wall. Between the tray and set the door in a niche for a shower.

Accessories for this design can be purchased at any hardware store. When selecting the materials you need to pay attention to how it will open the door for the shower recess. If the space is less than 1 m, the device may be of the sliding, opening or garmoshechnogo type. Swing doors are more expensive, as are made of tempered glass, its thickness - at least 6 mm. Tightness is provided by special profiles and magnets.

Installation of sliding doors is possible in almost any niche, the maximum limit - 170 cm. Such constructions consist of several parts. In a double embodiment of rollers mounted one door in the triple - moving two parts. If the niche four doors, two of them fixed and two mobile. Glass thickness of such products does not exceed 4 mm.

Giving preference to a sliding type, special attention should be paid to rollers for shower doors. They come in single and double, the difference lies in their reliability. The important role played by the silicone seal fitting design. It is essential that the door for showers in the niche was made of tempered glass. Breaking such glass will break up into even parts, which can not hurt.

When choosing a glass door to the shower in a niche it is important to consider the design. Elaborate models are more expensive, but not always correspond to the general interior. Therefore, better to give preference to sustain, but practical options.

Choosing the right size of glass shower doors

Shower door format must be chosen in accordance with the size of the opening. This is particularly important when calculating the size of the door in a niche. In this case, the place of accommodation is limited and change it in case of error is impossible. But you can choose any height - within the height of the ceiling. The optimal point of the upper part of the door varies from 200 to 220 cm. door height is usually made on a par with the entire design, so as not to disturb the overall harmony.

Simply is the case, if the niche where you plan to install the door opening, wider. After all, it is easy to narrow down by a fixed insert in the frame. For symmetry you can set two columns. Door width is calculated according to the physique of users. Standard models have sizes of 80, 90, 100 and 120 cm.

Useful advice!Easy Clean inscription on the door for the shower in a trading network indicates that they are processed by special means providing easy window cleaning. Water dripping from the surface, leaving no calcium spots and streaks. Thus, the coating prevents the formation of plaque and mold.

Features installation of doors in glass shower and a selection of accessories

Swing mechanism involves a fairly simple installation. The main thing - not to overtighten the screws, as this could lead to cracking. Installation of sliding doors is more complex and involves several steps:

• setting top roller mechanism;
• the installation of the lower rollers;
• installation of the seal on the door perimeter;
• installation of doors on the rollers;
• stops at the bottom of the installation and plugs roller mechanism.

Before installing the door on rollers, you need to check the integrity and quality of the seal. Omissions can lead to water leakage and penetration of steam into the room. Typically, seals are regularly throughout the year and then lose their elasticity and covered with cracks.

Choice of accessories - the final, but no less important step in installing glass doors to the bathroom or shower. One of the main elements - hinges. They must meet the expected load, created from solid metal and coated with an anti-corrosion agent. In this regard, suitable chrome, brass, nickel, bronze and steel hinges.

The choice of handles quite diverse shower. On the surface they look like Handles, knobs, buttons or knobs, plates. Products can also be simple pivoting or frilly, patterned. They are set just outside or on both sides, fastened with screws with special washers kapron.

Angular, linear and high-rise connectors give the cabin an attractive appearance, making it complete. In addition, they provide sealing joints. Connector angle size corresponds corners design. This value can be equal to the right angle of 90 ° or will have a higher value.

Decorating glass door shower at the factory

Decorated article gives the aesthetic appearance of the entire room, and promotes good mood. Finishing is performed as in the industrial and in the home. If factory decorations are visible immediately when you buy, the result of manual work will become evident only after its completion.

Production decoration door uses a variety of professional equipment that allows make blasting spray, mosaic pieces, engraving or apply special labels and film coating pattern. The program of machine tools with numerical program control is set any picture that subsequently appears on the glass or plastic.

Production decor has a number of drawbacks. In particular, the decorated doors are expensive, and drawings are mostly serial in nature, leading to the loss of exclusivity in the shower doors.

Useful advice!To be original, you can order a door decoration, choose your favorite picture from the catalog or offer their own sketch with a clear indication of the size and resolution. Smudged software simply can not detect.

Ways to decorate the doors of the soul with his own hands

Modern equipment, availability of a wide range of customers, allows the decoration of glass doors at home. The main advantage of handmade - exclusivity and uniqueness that makes it special is valuable. For the application of the engraved image need engraver. Very beautiful designs and patterns on plexiglass. Under the influence of light refraction thin lines appear deeper, appears 3D-effect pattern. Engraving of triplex and tempered glass requires special skills and use of diamond nozzles.

The next way to self-decoration - stained glass painting. For this purpose, ordinary and special paint brushes, which are relatively inexpensive. The main conditions of successful work - imagination, artistic skills and a little time. For operational work, you can use templates and stencils.

As decoration with your hands and apply a self-adhesive film Oracal. Its texture and color variety will help to create a unique bright composition. The main advantage of this method of decoration - a quick dismantling. Therefore, a motif that is already tired, can be easily replaced with a new composition.

The choice of glass doors for the shower: photo models of leading manufacturers

Plumbing goods market is saturated with a variety of models as a fully-equipped showers, and individual elements. Among them the leading position occupied by shower doors Sezares. Manufacturer specialized and swinging, and sliding models. Cezares shower door in a niche is also manufactured in a variety of variations. A special place in the list of models occupy single structure into the opening or a door with additional section. Such an embodiment makes it possible to set the door in a niche of any width, filling in the missing space additional column.

A distinctive feature of Cesaris shower doors is that they are made mainly of glass, and the use of opaque material is inherent only in some collections. Each model is equipped with loops of high quality steel, which provide a smooth opening of the doors. Warranty period - 15 years.

Royal Glass of Water RGW - quite a young company in the market of sanitary equipment, established in 2007. The brand is known for the release of products, characterized by provision of safety equipment in the bathrooms.

RGW shower doors are made of paperboard and is extremely durable glass Triplex. Split it can only be in a very strong mechanical action. In this case, the product RGW not fly apart and form a spider's web in the middle of the frame, making the products as safe as possible. That Royal Glass of Water was the inventor of the method of coating glass surfaces means Glass Easy Cleaning, thanks to which the surface does not remain traces of spots and streaks.

Glass doors - the most practical solution for the shower. After examining the features of the material, the rules of selection, installation and decoration, you can safely go for purchase. The selected model and accessories, subject to the above recommendations will serve faithfully for a long time in any home or apartment.