Question 1

Is the water spot glass treatment worth it?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your situation. In general, if you do not squeegee and clean your glass regularly, you will get permanent hard water spots on your glass after approximately four months unless you have some sort of water softener system or purchase a water repellent treatment. The advantage of water spot treatment, such as Enduro Shield, is when you forget to squeegee or can’t get others to regularly squeegee the glass, the treatment helps to ensure that the shower glass will not get permanent hard water spots. It can still get dirty, but the difference is you’ll be able to get the soap scum and grime off the glass whenever you have time to handle it. There won’t be those calcified water spots that you just can’t get off no matter how hard you scrub. The commercial grade water spot treatment is hydrophobic, repels both water and oil, and is effective at repelling shower products like soap, shampoos, conditioners that can also make there way onto the glass surface. The water repellant treatment resists etching, staining and corrosion. We recommend using the water repellant like insurance, to help make sure your shower glass will stay nice for years to come – no matter what situation comes up. The factory applied treatments are much stronger than anything one can buy over the counter and use heavy duty chemicals that are not sold directly to consumers because of the safety equipment/precautions required for application. We recommend factory applied Enduro Shield because it offers a 
10 year warranty
 and allows you to clean with the glass products you choose as opposed to having to continue to use any specific brand cleaning products. That way if you have tenants or maids that use varying types of cleaning products the warranty is not voided which is what can happen with other types of treatments if you don’t use their specific brand cleaner. Note, there is a DIY product made by Enduro Shield that has a 3 year warranty but it is much weaker and requires regular replenishment.

Question 2

What is the standard height of a glass shower door and how tall should I have the shower glass go?

Accepted Answer

It is well worth it to go with taller glass when you like a hot, steamier shower.
The average height is around 72”- 80” from the curb to the top of the glass. We commonly tell our customers to measure from the curb up to where the shower head comes out of the wall for a minimum height, but they often select a few inches taller. One thing to consider as well, is when your shower ceiling is not tiled, you want to leave at least 10-12” from the top of the glass to the ceiling to let steam come out so that your ceiling doesn’t get paint peeling or cracking from moisture. For frameless shower glass, most of our customers prefer a height of 75”-82. Taller than that typically bumps up the price due to the weight of the door and the requirements for extra heavy-duty hinges.

Question 3

Does all the tile work need to be done before the shower is measured?

Accepted Answer

We can get an accurate quote to you before the tile is complete when you text or email a picture of the space where the shower will go along with approximate measurements to the nearest inch. However, before final measurements are taken for a frameless shower enclosure with a swing or pivot door all tile work must be complete wherever the glass will go. This is because every single out of square, out of plumb, and out of level condition must be measured to ensure nice clean, tight seams, where the glass meets glass and where the glass meets tile. The glass is cut precisely to fit the walls so even 1/16” of an inch out of square is accounted for. Wavy tile, bumps and bows in walls can also exist as tile and walls are never perfect so the glass is cut to fit for the most aesthetic appeal. This translates to less ugly plastics, and better fitting glass. Sometimes in the case of sliding glass semi-frameless doors, measurements do not need to be taken on site, because the wheels have adjustability to accommodate, out of square and level conditions. There are stock units for these types of sliders, typically for a tub shower or walk-in shower in an alcove.

Question 4

At what point in the bathroom remodel process do you need to come see the shower?

Accepted Answer

Call us anytime for advice during the shower remodel process. We have tile contractors that we frequently work with whom we trust and can refer. We can estimate before the tile is ready based on approximate measurements to the nearest inch and then come get final measurements after the tile work is complete. Also, we can give you tips to help along the way. For example, some people may not consider that it’s best to have the shower head on the same side that the door swings so that the water can be adjusted before stepping inside. It’s structurally ideal to hinge the door where there will be studs in the wall and the most cost efficient.

Question 5

What is the difference between clear and low iron glass?

Accepted Answer

Standard clear glass has a slight green hue which becomes more noticeable against marble looking tile or light tile. Brightly lit bathrooms also make the hues more noticeable. The thicker the glass, the more the hue is visible to the eye. If you have travertine or grey tile you may not need anything other than standard clear glass. But 95% of our customers purchase the low-iron glass when given the option. The low-iron glass has less iron content in the glass. The result is the best visual clarity. Sometimes the low iron glass is called by varying brand names such as super clear, crystal clear, starphire, optiwhite. We just call it low-iron glass for clarity. The best thing to do is to check the glass samples against your tile in person so you can see the difference for yourself. The big “Aha” moment is when you check out the edge of the glass from standard clear which is a dark green, almost black color compared to low-iron glass which has a sky-blue edge.

Question 6

How wide is the standard width for a frameless shower door?

Accepted Answer

We typically recommend 28”-32” for door width. It doesn’t affect price to have the extra width if you like it. The key is to keep the overall door width within the weight capacity of the hinges and the price remains the same. 36” is really the widest we like to go. It’s better to put less weight on the hinges overall. The smallest door possible is 22” per CA Contractor’s code, but we rarely go this small because people like a little more room that that unless it’s a super tight bathroom and there is no choice.

Question 7

Do shower doors swing in or out?

Accepted Answer

Shower doors for a frameless enclosure swing both directions and are self-centering within 15 degrees of closing position. If you want your shower to only swing one way, then this can be customized to your needs with specialized polycarbonates. By glazier contractor shower codes, shower doors are required to be able to swing out, but they don’t have to be able to swing in.

Question 8

How much space should be between the shower door and ceiling?

Accepted Answer

If you do not have a steam shower and your ceiling is not tiled, then you need to leave room from the top of the glass to the ceiling of at least 10-12” to avoid paint peel form excess moisture. There must be room for steam and moisture to escape and good ventilation is paramount.

Question 9

Should the shower door be higher than the shower head?

Accepted Answer

Most of our customers like the glass to go just a few inches higher then where the shower head comes out of the wall for visual reasons. Although at a minimum the glass should go at least as high as where the shower head comes out of the wall. The lowest for a walk in shower is around 72” and the highest at around 82” from the curb to the top of the glass. It is well worth the cost to go a little higher whenever possible and gives the shower a more expansive, impressive feel. Plus, if you enjoy a hot steamy shower then taller is great to have.

Question 10

Is shower glass made with safety or tempered glass?

Accepted Answer

Always. Tempered glass is baked in an oven at higher temperatures. If it breaks, it will in tiny pebbles instead of shards which makes it safer. Shower glass edges tend to be the most vulnerable part. We offer custom bulb seals as an option to protect the edges of your glass.

Question 11

Where should shower doors be placed?

Accepted Answer

It really depends on the configuration of the shower and which position and direction the shower door will swing. If planning to hinge the door off of a wall, remember to put studs where the door will be mounted. We recommend using three, 2”x 4” placed vertically in the wall in line with the shower curb. If planning to hinge the door from another piece of glass, then you may be required to use glass-to-glass hinges, a glass support bar and specialized clamps. In some cases, where the door can’t hinge from a wall, a frameless style shower with a header is more structurally sound. The door pivots from the header and floor with top/bottom mounted hinges. There are engineering guidelines and specifications to safely design shower enclosures. In general, we are more conservative than what product manufacturers try to promote, and must balance what looks the best from a visual point of view with what is structurally safe. The product manufacturers are selling the parts, but they are not installing them, and they don’t have the hands on field experience to know what lasts and why.

Question 12

What is the standard thickness of shower glass?

Accepted Answer

The thinnest glass that mass builders use for showers is 3/16”. The thinnest glass we sale is usually for tub glass enclosures at ¼”. Frameless shower enclosures are usually 3/8” thick. Sometimes ½” thick is required when there are large panels for a large custom frameless shower enclosure but usually 3/8” thick glass is sufficient for the majority of shower configurations.

Question 13

If I purchase shower glass online or through a hardware store can you install it?

Accepted Answer

Short Answer:
Yes, as long as your shower's side walls and bottom are plumb and level within the tolerances for the unit's specifications. However, we prefer to purchase our own materials that we can stand behind.

Long Answer:
Please, we can’t emphasize more, do not buy anything through an online retailer, big box brand or hardware store! It will not fit or function as nicely as we would have it do. We will customize your shower glass to the exact specifications needed. We won’t install anything we can’t stand behind. We are unlike any of the hardware stores or online retailers, in that we don't have a one box fits all approach. We hand-pick quality materials that are built to last. We find the best-of-class of all glass manufacturers and hardware suppliers and combine parts and styles, to offer you the highest quality options available at the most affordable prices.  Online retailers and big box stores  tend to only carry the lower-end lines. We carry the manufacturers' full range of product lines. We know what to look for in shower materials and parts and have relationships with the brands we trust to last.
What we have noticed over the last few years is there has been a stream of low-quality products coming over from China that are structurally unsafe. We find the metal alloys are cheap. Sometimes these boxes will come with missing parts and pieces and the cheapest, thinnest possible screws and anchors that we would never use. Sometimes the screws and hardware are not even stainless steel. Often the parts that are suppose to be metal are cheap plastic. The glass hinge cut outs are poorly designed and allow very little adjustability. The cut outs are different from what are optimal to prevent door sagging, which means continual door adjustments for the life of the shower. The bars are hollow that heavy shower doors are intended to be hung from. Even what traditionally have been trusted brands, are coming out with ever poorer and cheaper materials that are designed for aesthetics only. Call us before you buy any materials, please.

Question 14

Will a frameless shower door leak?

Accepted Answer

A frameless shower door when measured and installed correctly will not leak. There are very small gaps on the hinge side of the door and on the opening side of the door, but they are designed to be so small that the water will only come out when pointing a handheld shower head directly at the seams. That being said, the shower enclosure is not a fish tank. If the tile is not sloping properly on the curb or shower base, so that the water flows toward the drain, then the water can flow out of the shower from under the door. We will look out for these things during the shower measurement. There are custom shower dams available for these situations, but it’s best to have the tile done correctly. If there is an unusually small shower curb (threshold), then we may also recommend a dam, or other type of shower style, which is less likely to have water come out when dealing with a poor slope situation. Check your tile with a marble to make sure it rolls the right direction, toward the drain. We always recommend a dam for a frameless over a tub, but we have a clear option that maintains the frameless appearance.

Serving Ventura County & Los Angeles County

Frequently Asked Questions