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Choosing a Framing Option for Your New Shower Screens

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It can be hard to decide what level of framing to choose when you fit a new glass shower in your bathroom. Should you install a fully-framed, semi-framed, or frameless design? To help you pick one over the other, consider the following points.

Fully Framed Structures

In general, glass showers tend to evoke an open feel because they allow you to see through the screens and inside the shower, making the bathroom feel larger. Conversely, shower curtains visually separate the enclosure. Thus, if you swap curtains for glass, you'll instantly enhance your bathroom with added luxuriousness and space.

Fully framed showers feature metal borders around all four edges of the glass screens, which can disrupt this sense somewhat. However, these designs provide an economical option, as you can choose from pre-configured enclosures. You'll have a choice of square, diamond-shaped, curved, or rectangular showers. Just choose the right shape to maximise your bathroom. The disadvantage of a pre-built model is that you can't customise the size or shape to fit your bathroom.

Semi-Framed Showers

Semi framed showers have a moderate amount of framing. The enclosure will often feature metal edging around the periphery of the enclosure, where the glass panels meet the walls. These structures might also have horizontal frames along the top and bottom.  However, they'll typically display only minimal hinges or brackets along the vertical edges where the glass screens join. As a result, the shower will feel more open and invisible than a fully-framed design, and you'll enjoy an added sense of airiness in the bathroom. Semi-frameless models usually cost more than fully-framed showers, but not as much as frameless designs.

Frameless Showers

For an ultimate luxury feel, you could install a frameless shower. These models use toughened safety glass which is extremely strong. Thus, they don't require much supporting metal framework. You'll only notice discrete hinges or brackets that connect the panels. These showers look sleek and clean-lined.

A significant advantage of frameless shower screens is that you can custom design the enclosure for your particular layout. You could build a diamond-shape enclosure, but construct it bigger or smaller than the standard size. Because the screens are custom-designed, they can form any shape you wish.

Typically frameless showers are the most expensive option, as the thick and toughened safety glass is of the highest standard. But you're rewarded with more design flexibility. Plus your bathroom will feel sleek, spacious, and open. Another benefit of frameless showers is that they showcase beautiful tiling without distracting metal frames.

To get help with a new shower screen, talk to a glass company near you.


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