Shower Doors Types

Framed Shower Doors

These enclosures feature metal framing the surrounds all four corners of all glass panels and secures the enclosure to the bathroom walls. The framing provides structural integrity, so the glass itself can be relatively thin.

Semi-Frameless Shower Doors

Semi-frameless shower doors are a halfway point between framed shower doors and frameless shower doors. Typically, semi-frameless shower doors will feature framing on one or more glass panels. This could mean that some panels will be framed in place while the door remains frameless. Or it could mean that all panels are framed along the top and bottom, but do not have framing in between. There are many variations of this with nearly endless possibilities of combinations.

Semi-frameless shower doors are more aesthetically appealing than framed shower doors because sight lines are minimized due to reduced amounts of framing. This could be a good option for those who want an updated look in their bathroom but don’t care for the contemporary look of a fully frameless shower enclosure.

Frameless Shower Doors

Frameless shower doors are trending in today’s interior design world. These sleek looking shower enclosures minimize sight lines due to not having any framing. Framing is instead replaced by individual pieces of hardware. The hardware is used to anchor the glass to walls, join separate pieces of glass, and allow the shower door to operate. The hardware is very visible and exposed which makes it an aesthetic element of the shower enclosure.

Without framing, the shower door glass must comprise much of the enclosure’s structural integrity. This means that the glass is often much thicker and heavier than the glass used in framed or semi-frameless shower doors. Frameless shower doors can also require more skill to install than framed systems. Therefore, the cost of frameless shower door systems is, on average, a bit higher than the other types of shower door enclosures.

Bathtub Shower Door

Walk-in Shower Door