One of the most critical things about renovating your bathroom and installing a new shower system or standalone shower is choosing the right shower door. After all, this is how you’ll enter and exit your cast iron bathtub or your bathroom. However, finding a new shower door can be difficult. It’s not because you should keep them in your hands and compare them to portable shower heads.
Our buying guide and reviews will help you get off to a good start. After reading our series of reviews on sliding shower doors, you’ll want to check our purchasing guide. The article will take you through the advantages of a sliding shower door over other styles, as well as nine items to consider before buying one.
Sliding Shower Door Advantages:
When you first see a sliding shower door, you may wonder why it’s there. On the other hand, a sliding shower door has several advantages over different styles of shower doors. Hinged shower doors, pivoting shower doors, and shower curtains are some of the other forms of shower barriers you can encounter.
There is one significant disadvantage of hinged or pivoting shower doors that you should be aware of. They need room to open the door while it is open. If you have a small bathroom, a hinged shower door will take up a lot of the space you already have. On the other side, a sliding shower door is self-contained, allowing you to have a watertight, decent, and elegant door without taking up additional space.
A sliding shower door, of course, has many advantages over a traditional shower curtain. The water tightness is, of course, the essential advantage. A shower curtain can be cheap, but it will not keep water out of your shower as effectively as a shower door.
10 Best Sliding Shower Doors Reviews
Shower curtains are also infamous for mildew build-up around the bottom lip, making them particularly difficult to keep clean. Although you do have a preference in terms of what kind of shower door or shower barrier you get, a sliding shower door is your best bet in terms of value and style aesthetic.
We have listed the best sliding shower doors that give you the best performance and precise feedback.
1. WOODBRIDGE MSDC4876-B Frameless Sliding Glass Shower Door
Features:
Height |
76 inches |
Width |
44 to 48 inches |
Thickness |
3/8 inches |
Transparency |
Transparent |
Width |
25-5/8 inches |
Frame Type |
Frameless |
Finish |
Brushed Nickel and Stainless Steel |
2. DreamLine Infinity-Z Semi-Frameless Sliding Shower Door
Features:
Height |
72 inches |
Width |
44 to 48 inches inches |
Thickness |
1/4 inches |
Transparency |
Transparent |
Width |
24-7/8 inches |
Frame Type |
Semi-Frameless |
Finish |
Nikel |
3. VIGO Adjustable 56 - 60 in. W x 74 in
Features:
Height |
74 inches |
Width |
56 to 60 inches |
Thickness |
3/8 inches |
Transparency |
Transparent |
Width |
21-1/2 to 251/2 inches |
Frame Type |
Frameless |
Finish |
Polished Chrome |
4. Delta Shower Doors SD3172323
Features:
Height |
70 inches |
Width |
56 to 59 inches |
Thickness |
1/4 inches |
Transparency |
Transparent |
Width |
22-3/4 inches |
Frame Type |
Semi-Frameless |
Finish |
Bronze |
5. WOODBRIDGE Frameless Sliding Shower Door
Features:
Height |
76 inches |
Width |
56 to 60 inches |
Thickness |
3/8 inches |
Transparency |
Transparent |
Width |
22-3/4 inches |
Frame Type |
Frameless |
Finish |
Polished Chrome |
6. DreamLine Encore 56-60 in. W x 58 in.
Features:
Height |
58 inches |
Width |
56 to 60 inches |
Thickness |
5/16 inches |
Transparency |
Transparent |
Width |
30-5/8 inches |
Frame Type |
Semi-Frameless |
Finish |
Chrome |
7. SUNNY SHOWER Semi-Frameless Shower Door Glass
Features:
Height |
72 inches |
Width |
60 inches |
Finish |
Brushed Nickel |
8. DreamLine SHDR-61607610-07 Shower Door
Features:
Height |
76 inches |
Opening |
23 to 27 inches |
Depth |
2.7 inches |
Finish |
Brushed Stainless Steel |
9. DreamLine Encore Semi-Frameless Bypass Sliding Shower Door
Features:
Height |
76 inches |
Width |
56 to 60 inches |
Finish |
Chrome |
10. ELEGANT Showers 58.5 - 60" W x 72" H
Features:
Height |
72 inches |
Width |
48 inches |
Finish |
Chrome Finished |
Buying Guide for Best Sliding Shower Doors
We’ll begin by discussing the advantages of a sliding shower door over a hinged or even a curtain. Then we’ll go over some considerations to make when buying the next sliding shower door.
When it comes to shopping for a sliding shower door, there are a few things to bear in mind. It entails more than just picking the first one that appears in the search results. You’ll want to think about stuff like height, frame style, and even the type of glass finish you’ll need. When buying a sliding shower door, there are nine items you can consider.
Dimensions:
The first thing you can do while looking for a shower door is calculated your openings. Then take another measurement. While most shower doors have a diameter, they can only go so far. By ensuring that both the width and height of your sliding shower door are correctly calibrated, you will be confident that you are off to a good start with your purchase.
Adjusted Width:
When looking at the various widths, bear in mind whether or not the wall is finished. Many shower doors are designed to fit unfinished walls. If the shower door specifies a 60-inch diameter, it means 60-inch unfinished width, which translates to approximately 58-inch completed width. That isn’t usually a problem, mainly if you followed our first piece of advice and calculated correctly, but it’s worth remembering.
When it comes to cutting the header and footer bars for your shower frames, count twice and miss once. You don’t want to cut the bars so short and then know when to mount them.
Kind of Frame:
Sliding shower doors are divided into three categories based on how they are constructed. The various styles of frames affect how they are mounted as well as their aesthetic. Shower doors with aluminum or other metal lining the whole frame and framing the individual door panes are known as full-framed shower doors. This design makes it simple to hang and adds flexibility.
The thickness of the glass:
Safety tempered glass is used for opening shower doors and because tempered glass is much safer. Tempered glass is often referred to as protective glass. When tempered glass is shattered, it shatters into many smaller fragments with less sharp edges. It also tends to split uniformly over the whole board, which may help to avoid damage.
When a standard glass panel breaks, significant sharp fragments form, some of which stay in the frame and cause severe cuts. Tempered glass is often more resistant to shattering when struck. That means if you accidentally slam your elbow against the shower door, it won’t break into a thousand bits and sever your arm.
Transparency is essential:
The degree of openness Your shower door is a personal choice. Main shower doors are less pricey, and they help provide the illusion of more space when you’re in the shower. Some individuals, though, choose frosted or pattern glass because they don’t like the sensation of being exposed like that.
Frosted glass is crystal clear and treated to become translucent that keeps people from peering into or out of the bathroom. Patterned glassware is another popular alternative. A precise design is engraved into the glass and handled so that certain aspects of the invention become frosted. In contrast, others remain clear about the production decision that is entirely up to you.
There are various class finishes to choose from, all of which have varying degrees of anonymity. Frostings range from partly transparent to engraved and custom finishes that resemble rain or tinted glass.
Coatings for Glass:
It’s also crucial to consider the form of glass coating. If you’re buying a clear shower door, you’ll want to get one with a layer that makes it easier to clean. The majority of coatings are hydrophobic, ensuring they keep water from beading up and adhering to them and helps to avoid the formation of rough water scale, water stains, and soap scum. Although knowing the best shower cleaners is vital, taking preventative steps that reduce the amount of time you have to scrub is also beneficial.
Affordability:
Knowing how your shower door can open is crucial when you get it. You may choose to exit the shower from the front, by the showerhead, or from the rear.
Problems with Installation:
Is it possible that the walls are entirely parallel? How did you figure that out? The simplest method is to calculate the opening from top to bottom. The proportions will be the same if the walls are parallel. If they aren’t identical, one of the walls is out of plumb, which means that you have enough out-of-plumpness while installing a framed sliding shower door.
Depending on the severity of the disparity, this will add a variable value to the installation bill. You can need to reframe the opening based on the severity of the gap. If the hole isn’t essential, a slight build-out may be used to account for it.
Apparatus:
You’ll want to make sure it’s made of a corrosion-resistant material that also suits your current furniture. At the very least, look for stainless steel fittings and fixtures to ensure that they will not rust due to excessive damp. It’s also good if the hardware and finish of your shower tower complement the rest of your bathroom. It may only be a matter of taste and decor, but you’ll be the one who has to look at it.
Conclusion
After reading the feedback, you should have a clear idea of where to start looking for the next sliding shower door. We will assist you with any concerns you may have about renovating your current shower or selecting the best shower curtain for a walk-in shower. We have shower tower reviews and purchasing tips, and information on almost every part of bathroom renovation.