A new shower door is a practical and economical way to refresh your bathroom’s appearance. While a simple shower curtain may be sufficient to keep water off your bathroom floor, shower doors provide a far more elegant solution for water-tight seals, privacy and easy access to your shower. Shower doors come in many types of configurations, styles and sizes to match any budget. They may be simple utilitarian devices or a key decorative element in your bath that reflects your personal style. This buying guide will inform you about the factors to consider in making your decision, so you can feel confident you’re selecting the shower door that will work best for you.

Shower Design & Door Types
The type of door that will work best for your shower depends on the design of your shower, the size of the opening and the practical space considerations that determine how your door should open.

Showers generally fall into three types of designs:

Types of shower doors include:

Dimensions & Measuring
The door you select should match the height and width of your shower’s opening. If the enclosure area is new, do not take any measurements until the enclosure is complete and the walls are finished. Material on the wall, such as backer board with fiberglass, acrylic or tile, can reduce the wall-to-wall width by as much as one inch on each side. 

Accurate measuring is essential to ensure a proper fit—always measure twice for accuracy.  Follow these steps to determine the measurements for your shower door. 

• Measure the Opening Width: Determine the distance from wall to wall at the top and bottom of the opening. The measurement should be to the nearest 1/16th of an inch. If these differ, select a door using the larger width for a bypass door or the smaller width when selecting a pivot door.

• Measure the Opening Height: Determine the distance from the top of the tub edge or shower base to the top of the wall unit or tile wall where you want the door to be located. Measure vertically at both sides. The measurement should be to the nearest 1/16th of an inch. Select a door with a height less than or equal to the smallest of these measurements.

Refer to the table below for general guidelines for types of doors compatible with common openings:

• A single panel door can only be up to 36-1/2" wide, due to the flexibility of the glass or its weight. When the finished wall opening is larger than 36-1/2", you should pair a door with a stationary panel.
• If you’re selecting a swinging door, you’ll need to make sure the door has room to swing open without hitting any obstructions. Hold one end of your tape measure where the door hinge will be located and “swing” it open.

Frame Design
Shower doors may be framed or frameless.

• Framed doors have aluminum or composite material framing the glass panel. A variety of finishes are available to complement your décor. The door design includes a track which can collect and trap water, requiring periodic cleaning. Framed pivot shower doors only open outwards.
  

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• Frameless doors are a newer design style with through-the-glass mounted towel bars or handles and different thicknesses of glass. Frameless doors are easier to keep clean and create a feeling of spaciousness, a welcome feature in smaller bathrooms. Frameless pivot doors can open in and out.
  

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Finish
Shower door frames are constructed of composite materials or aluminum, which can be coated to provide a wide variety of different finish colors, including brass, bronze, nickel or silver/chrome. When making your selection, consider a finish that complements the décor and fixtures in your bathroom.   

Glass
The glass in your shower door can be as beautiful as it is functional. Designs and effects like frosted, tinted and textured glass can turn your door into a large work of art that makes a statement about your personal style. 

• The thickness of the glass in your door is dependent on structural and design factors such as whether the door is framed or frameless. Glass thickness isn’t an issue for framed doors because the glass is secured in a frame. For frameless doors, glass thicknesses range from 1/4"-3/4". Generally, the thicker and heavier the glass is, the more stable and smoother gliding the door will be.
• Clear glass showcases tile and stonework in the shower and can make the small space of your bathroom feel larger.
• Frosted, or opaque, glass offers the most privacy.
• Textured and patterned glass provides privacy as well as a stylish element in your bath.