The home interiors are changing as much as new and improved methods, ways and features are found and implemented. The home design has undergone important and beneficial changes that involves every aspect of home interiors. Bathroom, parlour and sitting room, bedroom, kitchen and other places have all been changed in terms of how they are designed including how their doors or shelves are made. Glass is a popular material when discussing home interior design which is used in various section of the home. Glasses used in bathrooms as shower doors now comes on focus as a trendy and new method of shower doors get popular and famous among different individuals. Shower doors made of glass are usually used with a frame but the new trend and innovation offers shower doors with no frame. These shower doors without frames are promising and have gotten acceptance from individuals with the sleekness, elegance and ambience that it adds to the bathroom. Frameless shower doors comes in different brands such as Kohler, Dreamline and VIGO As a modification and better alternative to glass shower doors with frame, there are few similarities and a good number of differences that must be noted as regards installation, cleaning, maintenance, precautionary measures and cost.
Installation
The installation of frameless shower doors requires a lot of precision and accuracy. Installing it involves precautionary measures to prevent the glass from breaking or cracking using pad. Installation may also include some additional hardware such as door hinges and handles, foams and other forms of pads. The Installation must be done by a professional or expert that truly understands all that is needed to be done to prevent accident.
Glass Treatment
Shower doors made of glass are always facing a similar challenge as regards water spots caused by continuous interaction with water and soaps used in the bathroom. However, there is a glass treatment that is usually done and for frameless shower doors, such can be done by making a prior contact with the frameless shower door manufacturer. There are different types of glass treatment and some are preferred to others for specific reasons. Be sure about what you decide on because you will definitely be charged for it.
Cleaning and Maintenance
One of the major talking and selling point of frameless shower doors is that it requires little maintenance because of the absence of metal frames and caulking which allows moulds and grime to accumulate and develop. However, keeping and making your frameless shower doors look elegant and sparkling clean is achieved through an innovative method of cleaning. To prevent unwanted and annoying stains on your frameless doors, you need to wipe off all water off the glass with squeegee. This is done to prevent water spots from drying and leaving stains on the frameless shower doors. For glass doors with stains already, very effective cleaning products with microfiber clothes may be used to clean off the stains.
Cost
The stylish and ambience that frameless shower doors offer is accounted for by the amount it cost to buy one. It is a fact that frameless doors are costlier than the traditional framed ones. The price of an average frameless shower door is about $500 while premium quality brands can go for higher prices. There are frameless shower doors that fully enclose the bathroom cabin and such goes for about $700 to $1000. The prices may also be dependent on the brand.
Pros /Merits and Cons/Demerits of Frameless Shower Doors
It is a good thing to move with the tides and enjoy the exciting benefits the frameless shower doors provide. However, it is important to know and note the drawbacks for appropriate precautions.
Pros/Merits
- The frameless shower doors provides a good number of styles that suit any form of interior decor and design.
- Frameless shower doors come with a custom mode of sizing as against the standard sizing adopted for traditional shower doors. This advantage makes it possible to have a perfect installation after measurements have been done.
- As a frameless door, it has no frame and as such there no reason to worry about corrosion of metal frames and its replacement.
- As a shower door without frame, there is absolutely no need to worry about moulds and dirt which usually hide under the frames
- The frameless shower doors gives the positive impression of a larger space in a bathroom due to its transparency
- The frameless shower doors provide better and improved style and ambience to the home with amazing clarity and flawless reflection of light in the bathroom.
Cons/Demerits
- Frameless shower doors are way
more expensive than the traditional framed types
- The absence of frame means there is nothing to block water leakage from the bathroom
- Leakage of water means that showerheads must be positioned to prevent or reduce leakage.
- Frameless shower doors can shatter dangerously when exposed to heat or pressure