Shower Design
Fixed panel, swinging door or no glass at all?
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Short answer
Choose a fixed panel when the shower is long enough to put distance between the head and the opening, a door when the shower is small or steam matters, and an open entry only in a large wet room where the whole floor drains correctly. The deciding factor is almost always the shower's depth, not its style.
Key takeaways
- Fixed panels have no moving parts to fail and nothing to swing into a small room.
- Doors keep steam in and are the honest answer for compact showers.
- Frameless glass costs more to fabricate and demands accurate tile work.
- Glass is measured after tile is set, never before.
The three real options
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed panel | Showers 60 inches or deeper | Some steam escapes; needs correct head placement |
| Hinged door | Compact showers, steam retention | Needs clear swing space outside the shower |
| Sliding door | Wide showers in tight rooms | Tracks collect residue and need cleaning |
| No glass | Large wet rooms | Requires whole-floor drainage planning |
Glass is a structural decision made early
Heavy frameless glass hangs off the wall. That load has to land on solid blocking installed before the wall closes, which means the glass decision is made at framing stage — long before it is ordered.
- Blocking goes behind every point a hinge, clamp or channel will fasten to.
- Tile walls must be plumb; frameless glass shows a leaning wall as a tapering gap.
- Panels are templated after tile, so allow lead time between tile completion and glass installation.
- Protective coatings reduce mineral spotting but still need regular squeegeeing in hard water.
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Planning a shower project?
Tell us about the shower you have and the one you want. We will come back with questions, then arrange to see the room before anything is quoted.