





The most attractive and functional modern bathrooms are all about great style blending perfectly with functionality. One of most homeowners pet peeves about their bathroom is how wet floors get after anyone has showered, however expensive or heavy the shower curtains are. And it’s not just an aesthetics issue either. A floor that is often (or continually) damp is far more likely to develop mould, mildew and even dangerous floorboard rot.
The Stylish Solution?
One solution to that problem that an increasing number of homeowners are opting for is to have glass shower doors professionally installed. As long as you make sure that the shower head is correctly positioned in relation to the new glass shower doors, wet floors are a thing of the past. Your installer can help you determine where the shower head should be located before the doors are installed.
Wet floors aside, glass shower doors are a beautiful addition to any bathroom. They match well with any décor because they simply disappear and blend in with their surroundings. Installing shower glass doors let you showcase the shower interior itself. That might sound a bit trivial, but given how many ceramic, porcelain and glass tile options are available today that are absolutely stunning it opens up the design possibilities considerably.
Aren’t Shower Glass Doors Very Expensive?
It’s quite true that shower glass doors do indeed call for an initial investment that is considerably higher than the one you might make in a new shower curtain. But many find it’s an investment that pays off. Nicer bathroom, drier bathroom, no more replacing worn shower curtains and a possible increase in the perceived value of their home should they ever decide to move are all benefits that make installing glass doors a more than justifiable expense.
Want another reason why the investment is a worthwhile one? Even if yours is a fabric shower curtain, you have to use a vinyl backer. A report complied by the Environmental Defense League and the Canadian Environmental Law Association in Canada recently alerted consumers to the hidden dangers of using vinyl shower curtains in their bathrooms.
The average vinyl shower curtain, the reports says, emits over 100 different toxic VOCs into the air for up to three months after it is hung new from the packet. You have probably smelt those chemicals yourself, it’s that “new shower curtain smell” that always hits you in the face when you first open the packaging. Its not so nice, but you probably never realized it could hurt you.
That smell the report says is a toxic soup of phthalates, organotins, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, methyl isobutyl ketone and a bunch of other rather nasty chemicals. These can cause headaches and nausea and even more worryingly permanent damage to the central nervous system.
But are Shower Glass Doors Safe?
Some people do worry that glass shower doors are not safe, especially if children use the bathroom. That is far from the case. Glass shower doors are crafted from tempered glass that is extremely difficult to break or even crack. In addition, the edges of glass shower doors are filed down to a smooth surface that presents no danger to anyone climbing in or out of your shower.
One final note: Finding a well trained professional to install your new shower glass doors is essential. There must be an adequate amount of ventilation above the doors to allow moisture to escape from the shower enclosure itself or you could end up with a mould and/or mildew problem down the line. And you also need to make sure that everything is properly aligned so that the ‘seal’ you want these doors to create really exists.