Glass Options for Your Shower Screens
Posted on: 17 February 2021
If you're installing a glass shower in your bathroom, you can be confident that it's safe because building regulations specify what glass types must be used. Your shower will either use toughened or laminated glass screens. Toughened glass is several times stronger than standard window panes, and it crumbles into harmless, small, rounded cubes in any case. Laminated glass has two glass sheets stuck together with a laminated interlayer that holds the screen together even if it cracks.
The safety glass used in your enclosure will largely depend on its framing: your installer will know which type they need to use. Other glass options — such as low-iron and frosted — are purely aesthetic. To discover more about these alternatives, read on.
Low Iron Glass
It might be subtle, but standard glass has a green cast that arises from the iron content within. You can particularly notice this tinge around the edges of a screen. If you want to construct an ultra-clear shower without this caste, you could install low iron glass. This pure glass will help to highlight the tiling within the shower. A major advantage of transparent shower screens in general, whether they use standard or low-iron glass, is they help create a spacious feel in a bathroom by not blocking the view. This effect is particularly helpful in compact bathrooms.
Decorative Glass
Rather than installing transparent screens, you might want to go in the other direction and fit frosted glass panels. The advantage of frosted screens is that they create privacy while adding a decorative touch to the bathroom. You can cover the screens in etchings and patterns to complement a wide variety of different bathroom styles. Or else, you can install screens with a smooth, even frosty sheen.
One way to get the best of both worlds — to create privacy and allow for light flow — is to install screens with frosting in selected areas only. For example, shower screens could have a wide horizontal frosted band along the middle section with transparent segments along the screens' top and bottom.
Other types of decorative glass also increase the privacy of your bathroom. Patterned glass, which is moulded with patterns on one side, forms obscure shower screens. You could install rain-screens that mimic flowing water or choose from other designs. Alternatively, toned glass in bronze, blue, or green add decorative hues while also making the shower more secluded. Visit a shop nearby to see what shower screen options are available.
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