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katie_freiberg

Single, ceiling hinged shower door

7 years ago
Hi there! Does anyone know what style of shower door / frame that would have one single hinge in the center of the door that connects to the ceiling and connects to the floor? See in the picture I’ve attached - ideally there would be a hinge at the ceiling and the floor so that you could push on the left side and the right side would rotate out - or you push on the right side and the left side rotated out. Hopefully this makes sense. I’m not even sure what to google for because I don’t know what it’s called (or if it even exists?)!

Comments (13)

  • 7 years ago

    "Pivot hinge".

    For centering the hinge on the door, it's a "center pivot hinge". Some manufacturers specifically differentiate between an offset (non-centered) pivot hinge and a center pivot hinge, others lump them all together as pivot hinges.

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    I think you might be looking for a pivot door. I have never seen this in a shower. I would contact a good glass company that could help you realize your vision. I have a source in the Greater Houston area that could do this. I can get you that referral if you are in East Texas.
  • 7 years ago
    I’m pretty sure the door in your example photo is fixed and doesn’t move.
  • 7 years ago
    Thanks! This is exactly what I was thinking, but for the shower.
  • 7 years ago
    You would likely have to have your entire bathroom be a wet room as this kind of door wouldn’t allow for caulking at the bottom. Just something to consider.
  • PRO
    7 years ago
    Katie- i agree with millwork so be sure to understand the water proofing and total impact of this type door.
  • 7 years ago

    You will need to have a huge shower if you want a center pivot door. To have 24" of walk thru space, the door would need to be 48" wide. Keep in mind that the door will swing both into the shower and out into the room.

  • 7 years ago

    This looks like an interesting, expensive design that could end up being a maintenance nightmare. You would want tight tolerances for the fit at the bottom, but future building settling could compromise the swing. I also don't understand the practical benefit of having a shower door that pivots in the center.

    I love innovative design, but this seems to have a lot of downsides and not much upside. I'd go with a more traditional, practical, and reliable design.

  • 7 years ago
    So after thinking through the logistics, yes, I think the hinges would need to be set 1 foot in instead of half way through (3’ door).

    I also have a step down going into the shower (~2”), but yes, it’ll be hot mopped before the tile goes in.

    The reason I’m doing this style of door is because the one wall that the glass would go on has a pocket door behind it, so not structurally strong enough to have glass hanging from it.

    I called a shop in my area (San Jose, CA) and his only concern with the idea was that the weight of the glass would be too heavy for those types of hinges. He did say we could potentially do a smaller piece of glass that’s hinged against the pocket door wall, which would relieve some of the weight load from the hinges, without that small piece needing to be a fully load bearing piece (not sure if that made sense how I described it).

    Thanks everyone for the comments! It’s helped me research the right things!
  • 7 years ago

    This door, even hinged at the 1 ft point, may not be safe for a shower. Why not? Because a shower door must allow the door to open in case of someone collapsed inside the shower. If you were to fall, unconscious and unable to move, and were within the 1 ft area where your door must swing, there is no way to rescue you.


    Falling unconscious in a shower is not as rare as you might think. The temperature rise in the shower can cause vascular events that make you faint. Then there are strokes, falls in which the head is injured on the hard surfaces in the shower, and so on.

  • 7 years ago
    I was going to suggest that you double check your local building code for possible compliance issues. I’m not thoroughly familiar with residential bath codes. I also think you will need an engineer to look at the design, the hinging mechanism, and the attachment to structure. I do not think you will find an off the shelf solution for this.
  • 7 years ago

    Regarding weight, the basic pivot hinges I've used have a bearing limit of 250lbs. 3/8" glass weighs a little less than 5lbs/sqft, 1/2" about 6-1/2lbs/sqft.

    The largest assembly I've done was a pivoting bookcase a little over 8' wide. I used automotive wheel bearings for that. lol

    The minimum width for a shower entry is 22". With your desired 12" offset and your 3' wide door, you'd have a bit less than a 24" wide opening.

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