How big is too big when it comes to the gaps…
Chris,
You provide great information in response to questions. I’m hoping you can help me with one I have. We just had a frameless shower installed. All walls are tile, the curb is solid granite. The glass is 1/2 inch with one panel fixed on top of a half wall and the other panel is notched and joins the panel on the wall (90 degree angle) and continues down to the granite curb. It’s a large space so we didn’t need any door. My question is about the notched panel. The tile is square edge but the notch is curved. The glass of the notch rests on the top of the half wall, but where the glass goes down the wall to the granite there is a gap of at least 1/4 inch that the installer filled with silicone. It seems too wide and way too much silicone to me. But I’m not the expert. Your thoughts?
Denise
Hi Denise,
Thanks for your question. How big is too big when it comes to the gaps in your frameless shower enclosure? I’m sure different people will give you different answers… In my opinion, 1/4” is borderline. Generally speaking, we aim to have 1/8” gaps between the glass and the tile. Where the hinge side of the door meets the wall a 1/4” gap is normal. You have the back plate of the hinge, which is 1/8” thick, and the additional 1/8” clearance there. The gap from glass to glass (where the strike side of the door meets the fixed panel at the vertical gap) is normally 3/16”.
It’s important to keep in mind the limitations of the fabricator and the installer. The standard tolerance for frameless shower glass is plus-or-minus 1/8”. This is the industry standard… Although an installer may aim to make all of the joints 3/16” or less, it is not always possible if the glass is not fabricated exactly to specifications. In your case, I would have to say the ¼” gap is acceptable. If it were 3/8” or more I would not be satisfied, but there is little that can be done to prevent what you are describing. After all, it is only 1/16” larger than the ideal.
I hope you find this helpful,
-Chris
Also, a fact not mentioned, is tempered glass cannot have a true 90 degree angle. The inside notch has to be radius about 3/8″ to be able to go through the tempering furnace without exploding in the furnace. the glass
tempering company will usually try to make that radius as tight as possible, but this is what contributes to a
wider gap in the area you mentioned.
How far from the vertical edge of a frameless glass shower door can a towel bar be mounted? We are wanting to mount the bar 1.5 inches from the edge, is this possible?
That should be fine if it is the edge that is closest to the strike side (not the hinge side) of the door. The problem arises when the towel bar is mounted too close to the hinge side fo the door… The towel bar may collide with the wall when the door is opened.
Hello
I’m considering frameless (hinged) shower door installation, have 2 questions:
1. The flange of basin has the tile wall closer together at bottom of wall (57 7/16″) than top of wall (57 7/8″). Is this too much runout to consider frameless doors?
2. Shower basin is a Kohler cast iron, approx 14 years old, will be re-glazed. Can i drill into this for lower bracket without fear of cracking the basin? My thought it to drill the hole prior to re-glazing; have re-glaze accomplished; then install door after that.
Hi John,
That’s not enough of a difference to worry about, in my opinion. You will want to cut the glass out-of-square that 7/16″ though.
We drill cast iron all the time. I’ve never cracked one yet…
Thanks,
-Chris
How about leaving a little gap between wall and shower screen to mitigate mould from forming?
Hi Alex,
I am definitely in favor of that. I normally try to dissuade people from using any caulking at all unless absolutely necessary.
Thanks for getting in touch!
-Chris
What’s the smallest gap between glass door to glass panel which is acceptable? My newly installed glass door has 1/16in gap between glasses at the top and a little more than 1/32in gap at the bottom. I am concerned the gap is too small and overtime the glass door may crash into the panel. Any expert comment would be helpful.
Thanks
Rick
Hi Rick,
I would say that a 1/16″ gap would be the minimum you would want. I think you are right to be concerned about anything smaller than that.
Thanks for your question,
-Chris