Sliding shower door installed backward?

3 years ago

Had barn style shower sliding door installed today. Small bathroom and shower controls are on same side as toilet, so the stationary panel has to be on the controls side. This is professional install custom. I had read that the sliding door typically goes on the inside of the stationary door but in my case, water would be directed between the gap of the 2 panels due to placement of shower head on the stationary side. I have seen plenty of pictures of same set up on line. My installer said that they place the sliding door on the outside of the fixed panel in bathroom setups like mine, so water doesn't go between the panels. I said fine. What I didnt think about is that the rollers at the top are inside (meaning you lose some of the aesthetics I guess. you see the back of the roller if that makes sense). I realized this when he was done, and wasn't very happy. He did say they can reverse the whole thing but to realize there will be a gap that water will get through. What would you do? (aesthetics vs being practical). It doesnt look awful - just not what I thought I was getting. That being said - the glass and hardware are heavy and beautiful. It was not cheap.

Featured Answer

wdccruise

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

My configuration:

Faucet and shower head are on the left-hand wall.
Sliding door is the left-hand, inside panel so the shower head does not spray the gap between the door and right-hand, outside, fixed panel.
Rollers can be touched from outside the shower when the sliding door is closed but are behind the fixed panel when the door is open.

In your case, the door could not be installed on the left because of the location of the toilet. Therefore it is on the right and the panels are positioned correctly to prevent the shower head from spraying the gap. Everything is correct.

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Comments (13)

PRO
Debbi Washburn
3 years ago
That may be how he typically installs shower doors, but what do the directions for the door say? Was the correct door purchased? Some are reversible and some are not.

He is correct in that the door goes on the outside. It looks like he did the upper pieces wrong but it is hard to know that without seeing instructions.

I would suggest looking up the door online to confirm that its indeed reversible and find a picture of it installed in the direction you have , then reaching out to your contractor and ask him to fix it so it looks like what it is supposed to.

Be nice and have all the facts together - you will get further, than getting angry.

Good luck!
Barbara Almandarz
3 years ago
I'd limit how much water can escape onto your floor. Water damage should be avoided at all costs, especially aesthetics. How many people will actually be using this bathroom?
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Dawn Renaud
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Just me. And I'm disappointed, not angry. I know ideally your fixed panel is not on same side of fixtures, but its a small bathroom. It was custom - hardware is Alumax.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
I would be disappointed too but would stick with how it is.
Dawn Renaud
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes, what you wrote is correct, but visually when standing outside shower, you see the back of the circular rollers (not the full round part if I am explaining myself correctly). When I look at pictures of this type of door,it looks like a barn door slider. In my shower now, it only looks like that when I am IN my shower. Basically the nice visual of this type of door is lost.. I guess I will either get used to it, or asking him to flip the moving panel to the inside but then have the potential water issue between the panels. Thanks
wdccruise
3 years ago
Even though the opening between the door and fixed panel faces away from the shower head, there's a gasket the runs the length of my shower door that helps prevent any water from exiting through the gap. I don't see that in your installation.

I'd swap the black hardware for chrome before changing the door configuration. See how that might look here: VIGO Elan Shower Door. (I have chrome.)
Scott Gill
2 years ago
This is apparently an all too common problem with Tub to shower conversions and I can't for the life of me figure out why manufactures haven't figured out a solution yet or maybe they have and I'm just not seeing it on their sites or installation manuals that indicates reversibility. The operability of your door is correct for the typical tub to shower conversion, where the slider has to be opposite the toilet/shower head, but the door needs to be on the outside to prevent water leakage. I'm trying to find a door that solves that and I can't find anything from premier lines like Dreamline, HMI, Agalite, Vigo. What am I missing???
wdccruise
2 years ago
@Scott Gill: "...but the door needs to be on the outside to prevent water leakage. I'm trying to find a door that solves that and I can't find anything..."

Solves what?
Scott Gill
2 years ago
Just a few manufacturers talk about reversibility but when they do, they are referring to reversing the handle to be on the left or right, while the slider is still always on the inside. No one talks about the slider being reversed to be on the outside rather than inside of the shower, as that is the proper install for a tub to shower conversion and what the OP had done. Why are no shower doors pictured like that on sites and installation instructions by default or at least mentioned that you can reverse them in this way. Tub to shower conversions are huge right now, so I don't know why that reversibility isn't even mentioned and I would argue that it should shown by default on sites and installation instructions.
Domenick Esposito
2 years ago
Aston shower doors address this with lapping seals in the gap between doors. Personally, I'd install it backwards. The seals junk up the door worse than having the rollers on the inside. Personally, I'm using frosted glass and don't care where the rollers are.
remodeling1840
2 years ago
When you looked at the full size model in the showroom, how did it look?
Scott J
7 months ago
Hey there. I’m wondering what you decided to do? I am working on my own bathroom renovation and ran into the same exact problem! Did you flip it around? I’m wondering if the seals will hold up and keep water from spraying into the gap if the door is on the inside as intended.