Whether you have the same shower door for years or are just moving into a new home and want to ensure that your shower door is safe for you and your family, you have come to the right place. Just a few people pay the right attention to shower doors, which may, sometimes, lead to a member of the family getting injured, or worse, due to negligence. You do not need to worry too much because, following some guidelines, you will be able to ascertain that any shower door you have or are planning to get in the future passes the necessary safety and durability standards. Read on!
- Material Used
Usually, shower doors are made out of glass. In some rare cases, people purchase plastic shower doors as a safe alternative, because they do not want glass shattering and injuring them. Shattering glass can be dangerous if it is untampered. If your shower door is old, then most likely it isn’t tempered glass and you need to replace it. Tempered glass is the glass used in cars to ensure that if the glass shatters for any reason, it clumps together to avoid small shards from embedding in nearby people and injuring them. Although plastic may not shatter, it is not as durable as glass and will not last long with the constant heat of the shower. If you feel that your plastic materials are beginning to show some wear, consider getting some shower repairs done to ensure no serious issues arise.
- Wear and Tear
If you have had the same shower door for years, you need to check how it has fared after so many years of being in use. Cracks or even nicks at the edges are big indicators of whether or not your door is still safe after a couple of years. If there are any cracks in the door, you should seriously consider upgrading your shower doors, because cracks develop over time. You do not want to wait until your glass door shatters on you.
- Types of Styles
There are different types of enclosure styles for different showers. Based on your preference, you can get a frameless shower door, a framed one, or even a sliding door, not to mention that there are hundreds of brands you can choose from. Because of the variety out there, you might often ask yourself, what are the best shower doors to buy? This depends on several factors. The most prominent one is the safety of the door itself. Although glass doors are quite durable and need a measurable amount of force to break, if you have children around who might slam the door a bit too hard, then you might consider getting sliding or frameless shower doors, which cannot be slammed against anything that could break them. If you decide on getting a framed door, then you need to keep in mind the durability of the frame itself. You surely do not want future build-up or material that may rust with constant exposure to water.
- Leakage
People are not buying shower doors just for the aesthetics, even though they are a definite plus. The function of shower doors is to prevent water from flooding your bathroom floor when someone is taking a shower. If the shower doors are not doing their job properly, there is a definite risk of someone slipping and breaking a bone or two. Make sure that the shower doors you have can stop water from spreading all over the bathroom to ensure that your family is as safe as possible when stepping out of the shower.
- Closing Mechanisms
Just as it is important to decide what kind of style you want your shower door to have, you need to pay attention to what kind of closing mechanism your shower door has. As mentioned above, glass is usually durable, unless it is met with undue force. Getting a soft-close mechanism will ensure that even if someone pushes the door too hard, it does not slam into the frame or the wall. You also need to ensure that the shower door can be easily opened from the inside because you definitely do not want to be trapped in the shower with steam for too long.
- Thickness of Panels
Check the width of the panels you use for your door. The thicker the panel is, the more durable it will be and the harder it is to break. However, you do not want the door to be too heavy, so you need to keep that balance in mind.
Follow these guidelines whenever you want to judge the safety or durability of shower doors. You will ensure that your family is safe and that you do not have to replace your shower door often. Remember that you can get a style that makes your bathroom look great, but is still functional and safe to use.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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