You may or may not be familiar with the concept of doorless showers. These amenities are popular among homeowners who want easy access to their showers, as well as those looking to create a more luxurious bathroom. Here’s what you should know about doorless showers, including what they are, how they work, and a few pros and cons of having them.
What Is a Doorless Shower?
A doorless or walk-in shower is just as the name suggests — it has no doors and allows you to walk straight in. Doorless showers give you one less thing to clean, and the curbless entryway makes it easier for older adults and those with mobility needs to enter the shower.
How Do Doorless Showers Work?
Doorless showers work the same as any other shower. The only difference is that they lack the traditional opening or coverage that a shower door or curtain offers. The shower flooring sits at an angle that allows the water to run into the drain without spillage.
Doorless Shower Layout
The style of doorless shower you choose largely depends on the size of your bathroom. The layout is determined by the position of your shower, whether it’s in a corner, receding or floating. Here are three layout examples for your consideration:
- Receding: With this style, you’ll convert an alcove into a shower space that is enclosed on three sides. This creates a small cordoned-off section that offers privacy and seclusion within the bathroom.
- Floating: The floating walk-in shower is similar to the receding shower, but one side is fixed to an existing wall, while the other two have to be built. These cozy showers usually require more space since the walls have to be built and do not make use of existing space.
- Corner: Tucked into a corner of your bathroom, these shower layouts are functional and generally require less space than the others. The adjoining corner walls provide the enclosure for this shower, so no further modifications are needed. A bath can easily fit alongside a corner shower since more room is available.
Another option is to add a doorless shower with glass partitioning on one side, so you still have the option of a slight enclosure to complement your walk-in shower. This would work well with a floating walk-in shower or a corner shower that can be divided into an additional section within the bathroom.
A reputable company will provide you with an array of glass types that will suit your needs. They’ll also explore options for frameless glass shower doors, semi-frameless doors and sliding glass shower doors for even more variety.
Doorless Shower Pros and Cons
As with any home improvement project, you should consider the pros and cons. Read on for more on how you may or may not benefit from a doorless shower.
Pros of Doorless Showers
Here are a few reasons you may want to get a professional shower installation company to inspect your bathroom for a quote:
- Increased home value: Any upgrades you make to your home add value. If you decide to sell, you may get more because of the additional changes.
- Visual appeal: Walk-in or doorless showers are luxurious and stylish. They appeal to almost everyone because of their simplicity and elegance. With this feature, you may even feel like you have your own spa at home.
- Increased space: Most of the time, doorless showers extend your bathroom’s space because a physical door barrier that would normally take up space is removed. This creates flow and uniformity.
- Customization: You are the master of decor with a project like this. From choosing the tile colors to the size and shape of the shower head, you are in control of how your bathroom will look in the end. You’ll have the humble bragging rights of creating a bathroom showstopper with your own creativity and flair.
- Easy access: The lack of shower doors means anyone can easily enter the shower.
- Older-parent friendly: If you have older parents or visitors with mobility needs, they can use the shower without having to open the door or go over the curb.
- Minimal maintenance: You no longer have to worry about stocking up on shower door cleaning detergents since minimal maintenance and cleaning are required with a doorless shower.
- No special ventilation: A huge advantage of installing a doorless shower is that the ventilation is not impacted, meaning there are no special requirements. In fact, the absence of doors reduces the amount of steam that usually accumulates within the confines of a shower that has doors.
- Shower head fixture: You can choose any shower head you want for your doorless shower. You can also place it in the optimal spot to help the water drain effectively. Rainfall showerheads are favorites among homeowners who want to increase the luxuriousness of their showers.
- Less expensive: You may save on costs with a doorless shower since no doors need to be installed. Your main costs may be associated with the tiling that needs to be done.
Cons of Doorless Showers
There are a few drawbacks to bear in mind when you’re considering installing a doorless shower, although they are minimal compared to the benefits you’ll gain. They include:
- Space restrictions: Your bathroom might not be big enough to convert into your desired walk-in shower design. However, with the help of bathroom experts, you may utilize even the smallest space to accommodate a corner shower or recessed doorless shower.
- Colder airflow: With an open shower, you are less likely to retain the heat within the small shower space since more air flows openly in the bathroom. This means you’ll get colder quicker than when you have doors or curtains that trap the warm air in a smaller, confined area.
- Less privacy: You won’t enjoy the same level of privacy you would have with shower doors, but you will be able to enjoy more space to dry and get dressed without them being in the way and taking up space.
- Potentially slippery floors: If the floor is not sloped correctly to allow the water to drain, you could end up with water outside the shower that must be mopped right after showering to prevent slipping.
Install Your Dream Glass Shower With Garrety Glass
At Garrety Glass, it’s all about you. Our factory-trained employees are experts in the industry. With over twenty years of experience, we know how to keep our valued clients happy. We will go above and beyond to give you exceptional service that will keep you as a customer for years to come.
Trust us to install your shower — we will get the job done to your satisfaction with a smile. Call us at 717-741-9949 or request a quote, and we’ll get right back to you.
