…Gap Too Much?

Hello Chris,

I just had a tile/glass shower built in Georgia.  If you can see the picture, there was one tedious glass cut that is on the front and just left of the shower door.  I realize some of these cuts are difficult, especially if you have a slanting shelf as I do.  My question is this – what is the maximum space that should be allowed between any glass panel and the tile wall?  On my installation, this gap varies between 1/8” to 3/8” wide and has been filled in with silicon.  It feels secure and looks OK, but I wonder how this will survive over the years.  I know there has to be some sealing for cracks but is a 3/8” ?

Thank you in advance for any feedback and suggestions.

Joe Williamson

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your question. We always try to make the clearances between glass and tile as tight as possible. The target width for these spaces is about 3/16” in most instances. Where two pieces of glass meet at a corner, we try to make the joints very tight, almost touching in some cases. Here in California, we are always thinking about seismic activity, and want to leave a little bit of space to allow glass to move a bit in the case of a tremor without chipping or breaking.

When installing to tile, there is the challenge of making glass look good when the tile work isn’t perfectly straight. There are also the challenges that go along with the fabrication of the glass itself. The suppliers of shower door glass will only guarantee that the glass will be within 1/8” of what is specified. Even if your shower door installer measures the opening perfectly, there is a good chance the glass will not be made perfectly. He will have to make the best of the situation when that happens, as there is nothing that can be done about it.

I would say that a 3/8″ gap is a little larger than what I would want, but not necessarily unacceptable. It sounds like you are satisfied, and that is all that really matters, right? This isn’t an issue that you need to worry about in terms of the structure or longevity of the enclosure.

Happy New Year!

-Chris