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jennifer_menges

shower glass door or shower curtain

12 years ago
Frameless Glass Shower Doors or a Shower Curtain? I feel if we have all that tile a curtain is going to cover it or compete with it..

Comments (43)

  • 12 years ago
    Frameless glass door. Absolutely.
  • 12 years ago
    my husband says because it is a "jacuzzi tub" we shouldn't use a glass door-- does that matter? i will still have plenty of room with a door..
  • 12 years ago
    It's your house. Go with what you want.
  • 12 years ago
    Is that the toilet almost touching the tub? If so, use a glass door so you have some physical separation from the toilet when you're using the tub/shower.
  • 12 years ago
    Had this debate with hubby today. He was thrilled that the separate shower had a framed glass door when we moved into this house years ago. I hate it. The shower grows mold and mildew faster and it a lot harder to clean. Shower curtains are cheaper and easier to change. Pick a solid color curtain from one of the tile colors and keep it open when not in use. Then it will not upstage your beautiful tile work. That said if we do redo our shower soon, I suspect I'll give in to to hubby's request but insist on frameless glass. either will look good with your tile.
  • 12 years ago
    Would the hard surface of a glass door increase the noise of a jacuzzi?
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    In your very tight bathroom, considering the jacuzzi and all the moisture you will have in the room, I think I would use a good quality clear curtain on a great rod. If down the road you think you want glass, then do it.

    Artist's Abode · More Info

    I have four baths, 3 with frameless glass doors and one with a shower curtain. Hands down, I prefer the shower curtain for all the reasons which kathleen MK says.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Does your bathroom have good ventilation, or a ventilator fan.In a similar situation I have used a glass door that opens wide to the wall when not in use.
  • 12 years ago
    Will you ever use it to bathe a kid? If yes, then no door. Just a curtain.
  • 12 years ago
    Having a shower curtain doesn't limit being able to see the tile if you leave it open most of the time. Start with the curtain and a pressure rod and see if you and your husband like it. If you don't then switch to the glass door. It's easier to go this route first than trying to fill holes in the tile made from the shower door frame etc.

    Here's a photo of my tile/shower curtain combo. I didn't want to hide the tile either so I left the curtain open a majority of the time. It's not like anyone would be viewing the tile while I was in the shower so it didn't matter that no one could see the tile through the curtain
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    glass door, however depends on your budget. A decent frame less glass door is around $1,000 for material labor and tax for that tub size
  • 12 years ago
    Budget is open, we just want it to look nice. We are planning to have kids, and this is the only bathroom that had a tub in it. I think it was Brooke who posted a pic if her bathroom with the certain. That looks amazing! I've been searching for one to coordinate but I haven't had much sucess. I don't want to use a clear one. Unfortunately we have an older house and this will be used by guest as well. We don't have the luxury of having nice big bathrooms. This is our biggest.
  • 12 years ago
    Success - sorry for spelling on my phone wouldn't let me edit.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Go with the glass doors much simpler and easier to keep up.
    Jacuzzi has nothing to do with this type of install.
  • 12 years ago
    If anyone will need to bath kids in it( guest or you) don't get glass doors. One of those bow shaped rods will give you more elbow room when showering too. The curtain can be a nice quality cloth in a solid color to accent the tile. Opaque curtains can hide scum and kid toys when guest drop by.
  • 12 years ago
    I wonder if all that say the glass door are the ones that clean the doors. I've had glass doors and I hated them!
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Yes, I clean glass doors, easy and quick each day with a squeegee. Takes a few seconds.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    glass would be great but it may be situated too close to the toilet.
  • 12 years ago
    We renovated a bathroom recently, and kept a temporary rod with shower curtain up for a while-- couldn't decide. I was shocked at how quickly that curtain liner got mold on it. Additionally, we had nice tile there that wasn't seen at all, because of the curtain. True, you can pull the curtain to the side, but then all that moisture and water just get all bunched up, never drying, creating more mold. We finally put in a fixed glass frameless panel and LOVE it. You may not want a fixed panel-- but we really like it. So so so easy to keep clean. It also allowed more light into the shower/tub area and just seems more open. Nice clean look.
  • 12 years ago
    Well JMS I have others that use the shower that didn't clean and I wasn't going to clean the water off every time someone else too a shower
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    As a guest and a squeegee was there I will use it. Yet not all guests think about that. I think of everyday use and how homeowners use there home and the habits they have. As someone who has periodic guests, I have not noticed a difference. I do understand if someone has a lots of guests. I do not like the mold and mildew that I have experienced with plastic shower curtains. Just a personal observation.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Agree with the mold/mildew of (any fabric) shower curtain. There's no way to stop it. Just not a problem with the (frameless) glass, in my experience.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    glass... why hide the nice tile work. Just wipe with squeegee after every use and they will stay perfect for years to come. We have really nice shower \ bath hardware on our site, if anything check us out for some ideas!
  • 12 years ago
    I agree with Kathleen MK above. I just removed an older shower door and replaced with a curtain because I was so tired of not being able to get in between the doors to clean them properly. I was hesitant but love it now that it is done. I like being able to change the feel of the room by changing the curtain out. Feels fresher to me. Maybe try the curtain with a tension rod for awhile to see it you like it. I use a fabric liner and a curtain instead of the smelly vinyl liners that never seem to dry. Both can be washed together when needed and put back up quickly. I never have trouble with mildew. I open the curtain fully when done so it can dry and push to one side later.
  • 12 years ago
    definitely fabric liner and curtain.......they don't take long to dry and then be pushed back. Wouldn't consider a glass door....too much squeegee-ing....and vinyl really cheap looking....and noisy!
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Just to add -- we actually renovated 2 bathrooms recently-- and one bathroom had a shower (no tub or combination) and shower doors-- probably put in 25 years ago. I agree that THOSE shower doors were nothing short of horrific. I hated it so much, I eliminated a shower completely in that bathroom, tore out walls, and put in a free-standing tub. Love that.

    But in looking for something for the other bath, that had a tub/shower combination-- I had no idea that in 20 some years, glass shower doors had come so so far. :)

    So I agree that the older ones, with all that framing around them-- just horrible for accumulating gunk and other unspeakable stuff. Just really a nightmare to keep clean.

    BUT . . . they make these amazing glass doors now-- totally frameless-- simple attachment-- so so beautiful and amazingly, astonishingly easy to keep spotless and clean. No hint of mold or gunk or anything else I can't readily identify.

    Before we committed to the glass door, I did use a fabric liner and curtain (temporary rod)-- and in no time at all, the liner at the bottom-- where it's hemmed-- had mold and mildew, and that happened shockingly fast. No way to get it clean, despite numerous washings.

    Again, no issue at all with the new frameless glass and an absolute breeze to keep clean. It's like I just entered the 21st century for the first time. I had no idea.
  • 12 years ago
    Shower curtain for me I don't like to clean the doors .
  • 12 years ago
    Thanks everyone we did go with shower doors!
  • 12 years ago
    Perfect! Looks beautiful; love the tile, too. You'll really like it.
  • 12 years ago
    glass doors, use odoban and bleach sprays... it keeps the mold and mildew down. I hate grout lines and trying to keep those clean.

    I put glass in the master bath shower and so far, not the mold/mildew growing disaster the old one.
  • 12 years ago
    You can buy a pair of drapes with grommets and attach the plastic liner behind them on the same rod. Raise the drapes to the top of the tile but keep it open when not in use. I did that in our new tiled tub. The height you get by using the drape panels makes the room appear larger and frames the tile.
  • 12 years ago
    I have the same tiny bathroom and went with frameless glass. I love it! It keeps the lines clean/uncluttered in a small modernized bath.
  • 12 years ago
    People complain about cleaning the glass. What We've found is that daily shower cleaner is your friend. If you use it fairly religously, the glass stays free of soap scum -- making your routine cleaning easier. It does the same for your tile besides. Congats on your decision!
  • 12 years ago
    Agree with James above. Absolutely. And, it's just not difficult. A quick spray and squeegee, and you're done-- literally about 15 seconds.
    Jennifer M thanked dbh
  • 12 years ago
    A tip for a tiny bathroom: install a hard wired hair dryer. No wasted storage and you can always find it!
    Jennifer M thanked kaye1951
  • 11 years ago
    i put up a glass door for my bathroom; think it is a little bit too plain, so, above the glass door i put a curctain bar, the ones you can extend. I put a beautiful colorful curtain on the rod and pulled to the side. I am still not sure.
  • PRO
    11 years ago
    WHy don't you use a tub shield like these? It will help with the clearance issues of the toilet as well...
  • 11 years ago

    I have a question about leaving a shower curtain open when not in use, to make the room more spacious: won't that encourage mildew on the curtain? What if I buy the kind that can be snapped off the outer curtain, and wash it every week? Will that fight mildew enough to be able to keep it pushed back all day?


  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Yes; that does encourage mildew.

    I tried that once, back in the olden days when I had a shower curtain, and the annoyance of having to do that-- plus, it didn't seem to help much-- was way too much for me. So I eliminated the awful shower curtain and temporary rod holding it up (the rod that came crashing down every 3rd day, it seemed), and opted for a wonderful frameless beautiful sparkling fixed glass panel (shower over tub). So so so much cleaner, far far less work, and zero mildew.

    Shower curtains look interesting-- the nice ones, anyway-- but they're a PIA to keep clean. Plus, they tend to keep out the light and made me feel I was showering in a cave. That could just be me, though. :)

    So I suggest saving your energy and your money spent on higher water bills and detergent, and opt for a glass door or fixed glass panel installed instead. That way, you can always see your beautiful tile, too.

  • 11 years ago
    H
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    I used this one, it was lovely - we had an under eaves angled shower that really did not have the room for a full rod or full height door.

  • 3 years ago

    It's a personal preference, I think a solid white or cream colored curtain would allow the tile to pop, don't keep the curtain fully drawn when not in use. I'd attach permanent curtain rod ends to keep the rod from slippin/falling. It's nice to see the different textures in the bathroom rather than all those hard surfaces. Cleaning the tracks of the glass can be a real chore when you have soap and hard water residue. A shower curtain doesn't have those issues. Good Luck.

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