Choosing the correct thickness for a shower door requires an understanding of the effect that different thicknesses of glass have upon the structure of a shower enclosure that utilizes such glass panels. Shower enclosures can utilize different thickness of glass, and each thickness of glass has different requirement regarding the weight of the glass panel and how it will be supported within the enclosure. When choosing a thickness for the glass panels for a shower enclosure, you must make considerations regarding the weight of the glass, the type of hardware that will be used to support the glass, and the method of support for the glass panels.
Different types of shower enclosures can use thinner or thicker types of glass. For example, 3/16-inch thick glass panels are a light option for enclosures that has sliding bypass doors; the aluminum tracks that support the movement of the bypass door panels help to support the weight of the 3/16-inch thick glass panels. However, 3/16-inch thick glass is not a good choice for those who are creating or installing large hinged doors for their bathrooms; the thin nature of the 3/16-inch glass will flex when individuals walks through the door, and this flexing may create loosening of the door’s hinges or door seals.
Choose the Right Thickness for Your Shower Door Glass
If you choose 1/4-inch thick glass panels for the installation, the 1/4-inch thick panels provide more stiffness than the 3/16-inch thick glass. These types of panels are suitable for pivot doors and semi frameless doors. 3/8-inch thick glass panels are rigid enough to be used for frameless doors; most frameless doors use 3/8-inch thick glass panels; the glass panels can stand on their own with the use of heavy duty hinges.
Finally, 1/2-inch thick glass panels will provide the most rigidity to a shower door; people use 1/2-inch thick glass panels for wide walk-in panels because they can better resist the movement of the glass panels than 3/8-inch or 1/4-inch thick glass panels. As the thickness of the glass panels increases, the weight of the glass will also increase. Any increase in the thickness of the glass will add to the weight of the doors that the structure of the shower enclosure must support.
The weight of the glass impacts the type of hinges that support the doors, the strength of the wall blocking that is created behind the tile walls, and the structural support that is provided to the floor of the bathroom. For example, a hinge rated at 35 pounds of support may be enough for a door that contains light glass panels; however, using such a hinge for a door made of thick glass panels will not provide enough support for the door and the associated hardware. Additionally, the wall blocking behind the tile walls must also be able to support the weight of the glass; standard drywall anchors will not be strong enough to support the door and the thick glass panels, thus proper blocking needs to be created behind the tile.
Safety is a requirement for all of the glass that is manufactured for use in shower enclosures, regardless of the thickness of the glass panels that are to be used in the installation. All of the glass panels that are used in the construction of a shower must be tempered glass; tempered glass will shatter into small, rounded pieces if the glass breaks rather than long, sharply shards. All thicknesses of glass, from 3/16-inch thick to 1/2-inch thick, must be tempered to ensure that the safety requirements for all shower glass are met.
Another additional consideration for the installation of glass into a bathroom enclosure is to consider the type of coating that will be applied to the glass. One type of coating to consider is one that is hydrophobic; hydrophobic coatings will cause the water that condenses on the glass to bead upon the surface of the glass, and the beading of the water will cause the water to run off of the glass panels. Because the water will be running off of the glass panels, the hydrophobic treatment of the glass will help to prevent the formation of spots caused by the minerals in the water from adhering to the glass.
Both the factory applied and spray on coatings will help prevent etching of the hard water onto the glass; however, the coating will not change the thickness of the glass panels. However, it will change the way that the glass looks over time. Finally, the type of shower enclosure that you create will dictate the thickness of the glass panels that are to be used; the type of hardware that will be used will have to be able to support the weight of the selected thickness of glass, and the structure of the walls behind which the glass panels are to be mounted must also be able to provide support to the weight of the glass panels of the chosen thickness.
Therefore, you must choose the thickness of the glass panels with consideration to the weight that it will have to bear, the strength of the hardware that is to support it, and the strength of the walls that will support the structure of the glass panels.