Single Shower Doors Design

When selecting doors for a shower, homeowners have two basic choices - they can install a door or they can use a shower enclosure. With a shower door, the shower itself is a separate unit. With an enclosure, on the other hand, the entire shower is a one piece unit.

For homeowners that build a ceramic tile shower, a single shower door is often the best choice. With this type of shower door, the door is simply added onto the opening of the shower. As such, it opens in an outward fashion, similar to the door that would be found on a house.

If a homeowner has a bathroom with limited space, using a single shower door may not be a good option because clearance must be made around the shower area in order to accommodate the door.

In this case, a slide shower door may be selected instead of a single door. A sliding shower door actually consists of two doors, each of which can slide either behind or in front of the other. When one of the doors is slid over, a space is created where the user can enter and exit the shower. While these doors are quite attractive and save space, some find them to be problematic because it is possible for the door to come off the track. In addition, it can be difficult to access the shower in order to clean it when using sliding shower doors.

Shower enclosures also come in a number of different designs. As such, the doors on these enclosures vary as well. For example, some shower enclosures are designed specifically to be used in a corner. Corner showers shaped like a square typically have outward swinging doors. Quadrant shower enclosures, which fit in a corner but are rounded on the outside, typically have one sliding door that slides inside of the shower unit. This makes the quadrant shower enclosure a great choice for those needing to save space in the bathroom design.

For individuals with special needs that will need to access the shower in a wheelchair, there are also special barrier-free shower doors that do not have a track on the floor. In this way, the person in the wheelchair does not need to try to go over an obstacle. In addition, these doors open to create a much wider doorway for the person to access the shower.

It is not necessary that every bathroom or tub has shower doors. Shower curtains can be used in place to shower door. What ever you select for your bathroom depends upon your preferences and design of your shower or tub. Both of them cease water to limited area and protect walls and floors from damages caused by splashing of water. Doors are preferable option as compared to curtains because they are durable and easier to clean.

Types of Shower Door
Variety of shower doors is available in different configurations, materials, styles and sizes. Shower doors are usually made up of glass. There are five basic types of glass shower doors differ from each other due to configuration style.

• Pivot
• Bi-fold
• Frameless
• Sliding/Bypass
• Curved

Pivot/Swimming
It is a primary type of door with pivot. This door can swing out into bathroom. It is more commonly installed in recessed baths. It is important to consider while installing it that there should be enough space for its free swinging. Size ranges from 36 to 48 inches. As they cover large area they are installed with one or two fixed panels. Pivot doors are hinged in two ways that means they can open on one side or both sides. In case of single hinge door must be open outwards in order to avoid injuries.

Bi-fold
This type is best to install in small washrooms where space is limiting issue. Two panels are hinged in the middle and door is closed by folding in to shower. There are certain disadvantages associated with this type of doors. One disadvantage is that it rides on track at bottom. Sometimes it gets jammed and not able to move freely because of its twisting motion. Another disadvantage is to keep the bi-fold track clean.