Shower glass: types, pros and cons

The design of the shower cabin can be performed using a variety of materials that will suit the interior of the bathroom, as well as cope with their functional tasks. Modern showers are equipped with various fixtures, but glass is still the most attractive and demanded raw material for fencing.

Showers of the latest generation have undergone many major improvements in comparison with the first shower models.

A distinctive feature of shower cabins is their affordable cost, due to their practicality and minimalism. Designs are designed for obvious hygienic purposes, and therefore are often designed without any frills.

Despite the fact that glass showers have been used in everyday life not so long ago, due to their individual properties, they are a worthy competitor to other models.

First of all, this is due to the naturalness of the raw materials, since materials that are unsafe for human health are not used in the production of glass.

Glass plumbing is a modern and aesthetic piece of interior decoration. The range of products is also represented by classic models, which are distinguished by the severity of lines, simplicity and laconic design.

Showers with glass walls have a number of advantages:

• aesthetic appeal in combination with protective properties aimed at maintaining an optimal level of humidity in the room during the operation of the cabin for its intended purpose;
• long service life: glazing, with proper and careful handling, will last for more than a dozen years, due to the fact that the material does not rot, does not age and is not subject to other destruction processes, unlike most other products;
• the process of installing glass partitions takes a minimum of time;
• structural reliability;

• the application of various decorative elements, such as engraving, does not reduce the durability of products;
• the ability to decorate with any pattern, pattern or image;
• lack of seams;
• glass is easy to clean from dirt or water stains without the use of special equipment, which ensures ease of maintenance of the structure;
• high strength of most products, especially those that undergo special processing during manufacture;
• the dimensions of shower rooms are not limited to certain permissible limits, they are made of any size and configuration;
• the safety of the glass coating, which is due to the specifics of the technological production of such products.

There are not many disadvantages of glass blocks for shower cabins, but the following can be distinguished:

• sometimes the production of products requires the inclusion of third-party elements, which negatively affects the properties of glass;
• the pricing policy directly depends on the type of glass.

Glass partitions can be classified according to the following criteria:

• by form;
• appearance;
• material strength;
• flap opening method;
• by options for strengthening the structure.

The appearance (degree of transparency) of the glass material is also varied.

• Transparent - the most popular options. Thanks to the use of such products, the classic design of the shower room is set. In addition, such materials are in good harmony with any style in the interior. Products have excellent light transmittance, due to which they do not darken the room. They are also almost invisible visually. Transparent glass blocks can be filled with filler, which is used as imitation of beautiful sea shells, exotic marine life, plants or color compositions.

• Frosted glass. Such partitions create a comfortable secluded environment in the cab, at the same time, without restricting the view and maintaining good light transmission properties. There are several types of frosted glass: white and colored products. The latest versions are made in a large variety of colors and serve as a decoration for the design of the room. But it is the colored partitions that allow light to penetrate a little worse.

• Glass with patterns - products, on the surface of which, using the method of engraving or sandblasting, a pattern is applied. This design looks airy, reminiscent of openwork lace.
• Stained glass products - unique products, thanks to which you can create an original and original decoration of the bathroom and shower. Such partitions and doors are made according to individual orders. The image on the surface is the highlight of the whole design. The cost of stained-glass windows directly depends on the size and subtleties of the applied pattern: cheaper models are made out much more modestly, in contrast to expensive products.

Strength indicators of glasses for shower rooms allow you to divide products into the following groups:

• common material;
• triplex;
• strained glass.

The first group includes designs that are a budgetary, but not so popular option for showers. The glass has a beautiful appearance, long service life, is not scratched, the products are easy to care for and wash. However, for the construction of cabins, such a product is not chosen so often, since the material is quite fragile, so there is a risk that it will break, forming many dangerous fragments.

Most often, triplex glazing is preferred for arranging a shower. A feature of the material is its structure, which assumes the presence of several layers of material with a polymer film between them. Such a production technology allows you to get very durable finished products that can break, but there will be no sharp fragments. Due to such characteristics, the cost of products increases significantly.

Tempered products are made by heat treatment of ordinary glasses. Due to this, a material is obtained, a distinctive feature of which is strength. In the event of damage to such a product, there will be no dangerous edges from the fragments. The high cost of products is due to the reliability and safety of structures.

There can be several ways to open the doors in the shower stall: there are folding, sliding and revolving doors. Each method involves the use of special mechanisms to perform their functional tasks.

Strengthening of structures is carried out by frame and frameless method. The first option provides maximum strength, even taking into account the use of thin glasses.

Glass shower enclosures can have completely different designs. Often there are showers or corner cabins built into special niches.In private cottages, they prefer to install free-standing options, which can also be complemented by peculiar roofs.

Forms are not limited to traditional options, since glass partitions can repeat the shape of a square, oval or rectangle, and semicircular-type cabins are equipped at the junction of the walls of the room.

The base for a glass shower is a pallet, the choice of which depends on the area of ​​the room, the individual preferences of the owner. The pallet does not have to be purchased, since the sanitary bowl for the shower, especially for glass cabins, can be made with your own hands.

The most commonly used are acrylic or cast iron pallets., as well as bases lined with tiles or artificial (or natural) stone. Products are easily mounted in their place in the bathroom and do not require special conditions, in addition to the most even surface.

To avoid water leakage outside the structure, the joints of the walls with glass partitions, as well as glass with the floor, must be sealed. Where the door will be located, a small elevation is erected in the water of the side.

Designs that combine different types of glass products are very popular. To do this, it is necessary to depict the future glass panel on paper, and then purchase blocks of the required type in the specified amount required to create the walls.

The size is selected according to the wishes of the buyers. Shower cabins can be of standard dimensions, which are designed for one person, or they can be oversized: in such structures, two people can easily take a shower.

Glass doors are made of tempered material, the thickness of which ranges from 4 to 6 mm. In some models, it can be up to 10 mm.

Partitions can have the following dimensions:

• height from 1850 mm to 1950 mm;
• the width varies between 700-1100 mm.

However, such a characteristic as size has purely individual values, which depend on the shape and type of structure, as well as on the area of ​​the room in which the installation of the sanitary facility will be carried out.

There are many different glass options for shower cabins on the market today.

There are such varieties:

• bent products;
• showers made of glass blocks;

• plexiglass showers;
• hydrophobic products;
• refractory glass structure.

That is why, when choosing the optimal material, it is very easy to get lost in a huge assortment of types, shapes and colors.

Most often, consumers rely on their own taste preferences (in terms of product design).

In addition, there are a number of fundamental criteria regarding the purchase of glass for showers.

• The bathroom remains one of the unsafe places in the dwelling, therefore it is necessary to protect household members from tragic domestic accidents in it (especially if there are children in the house). When installing glass shower cabins, you need to consider safety measures. The most acceptable option would be red-hot products, which can be decorated in any way: various colors and textures.
• It is very important that the edge of the glass also meets safety requirements. Therefore, all the edges of the components of the structure must be sanded.
• An important criterion is the thickness of the material. The optimal value is considered to be an eight- or ten-millimeter option.

• Practicality is an important nuance for glass surfaces for shower enclosures. It implies ease of maintenance, thereby maintaining an attractive appearance of the entire plumbing structure.It is worth giving preference to polished surfaces, thanks to which you can use absolutely any means for body hygiene in the cabin, and there will also be no need to purchase any specialized formulations for washing the entire structure in the bathroom.
• An important criterion is not only functionality, but also the beauty and attractiveness of the glass and the cabin as a whole.

In order to extend the operational life of a glass shower cabin (including the pallet and the glass itself used to equip doors and partitions), you need to keep the structure clean.

There are several general guidelines for realizing these goals.

• To ventilate and completely dry all, without exception, surfaces in the shower room, after each hygiene procedure, you need to open the doors.
• To exclude the occurrence of drips on the glass (as well as the formation of scale), all fittings, curtains, components and glass partitions should be wiped to the very top with cellulose (or microfiber) towels.
• Abrasive cleaners and metal brushes must not be used to clean glass (including all-glass showers). Since they deform the structure of the material, and (over time) after regular use of such an aggressive method of cleaning surfaces, it will no longer be possible to tidy up the product.

• The components of the shower room, which are prone to corrosion, must be regularly treated with antiseptic compounds. If even slight rust forms on the parts, it is better to replace them with new ones. Close attention should be paid to the serviceability of the gaskets and various seals. Their deterioration can negatively affect the condition of the glass.
• Even minor damage to the glass requires replacement of the element. This is due to the fact that moisture and various hygiene products used in the shower, which are deposited there, enter the glass through microcracks and cracks. Their presence violates the tightness of the entire structure, the process of formation and reproduction of fungus and mold begins.

You can learn how to clean the glass walls of the shower stall from the video below.