Choosing the right shower door for your home can seem a bit overwhelming when you have so many options to choose from. There are two primary types of shower doors, framed vs. frameless. You may be most familiar with framed shower doors. Framed doors offer functionality, but frameless doors have more of a contemporary appeal. There have been new improvements in the look and finishes of the framed enclosures. Much has changed since the old metal trim that was offered in only silver and gold. Framed doors are designed to seal shut with a magnetic strip and additional rubber seals and sweeps. Water splashing on to the bathroom floor is less of an issue. Water and steam are sealed effectively as well. Framed units are also a more affordable option.
A Glasstec frameless shower door can be visually appealing and can provide a modern contemporary updated look to almost any bathroom. You can create the illusion of more wide open and airy space, and these units can also accommodate larger and taller enclosures, with the heavier glass and supporting hardware. However, with the heavier glass, either 3/8″ or 1/2″, glass fabrication such as holes and notches, and the associated hardware, these frameless units tend to be quite a bit more expensive than framed units.
8 Comments
Brandon Roberts
Thank you so much for comparing these two showers together. I wasn’t sure if I should get a framed, or frame less shower door installed. But going off of what you talked about, I think I would much rather have a frame less one. So thanks a ton for the information you gave about this.
Carol
Very informative discussion of pros & cons regarding Framed vs.Frameless shower enclosures.
For my renovation needs, I prefer the new framed & semi frameless designs, especially considering the innovatives. I am redoing a brass/glass shower enclosure.
Frank Delaware
My wife has been thinking about remodeling our bathroom for some time now, but we weren’t sure how to find the right option. I loved that you mentioned that frameless showers actually have a contemporary appeal on top of different looks and finishes. It would be nice to have a variety of different options to choose from so she gets exactly what she wants.
Amy Winters
Thanks for pointing out that choosing clear glass for your frameless shower will allow you to show off the tile inside. My husband and I are currently planning a remodel of our master bathroom. We have a lovely tile picked out, and I really like the idea of showing it off with an elegant clear-glass shower. Thanks for pointing out that benefit of frameless shower doors!
Michael Lee
My wife and I have been thinking about redoing our bathroom. I like the frameless shower door enclosure because it has a cleaner look. This would fit the modern look we want for our bathroom.
Thomas Peterson
I like that you mentioned that finding the right shower door for your home can be overwhelming. There are so many options to choose from and my wife and I have been stressing about it for the bathroom renovation for a little while now. I’ve got to get in touch with a provider of shower screens and get some help finding the right one.
Derek McDoogle
I like how you explain that framed doors are designed to seal shut with a magnetic strip and additional rubber seals and sweeps. My mom told me that she would like to renew her bathroom but she does not know how to make her bathroom look more luxury. I will recommend her to check frameless shower doors so that her bathroom can look more spacious as well.
Tori Raddison
I like how you said that you can create the illusion of a more wide-open space because my bathroom is pretty small. My husband and I want to redo it, so I’ll have to suggest we get a frameless door so that it’ll feel bigger. I bet adding a lot of mirrors will help as well.