Showers Without Doors

One new trend in bathroom design is laying out the shower stall so that it doesn’t require a door. There are methods that allow setting up the shower so that the water is contained. The thinking behind this approach is that, if the water doesn’t spill out into the bathroom, there is no need for a shower door. Some may argue that this is a good way to achieve a more minimalist design and at the same time minimize costs. There is also the added benefit of the elimination of something that needs to be cleaned daily. You may be thinking that this is a crazy topic for a person who sells shower doors to write about! Do I want to prevent people from using shower doors? Absolutely not!

Shower doors and enclosures are more than just a way to block water from splashing out. Glass shower enclosures add beauty as well as function to a bathroom. There is no danger of them being eliminated from most bathrooms, at least, not any time soon. I do like the idea of people trying new things. I love innovation even more than I love shower doors, and that’s saying something! Whenever a person tells me that they are going in this direction (eliminating the shower door) I encourage them to try it rather than talking them out of it. The great thing about starting with no shower door is that you can always add one later, if needed. I do like to share my experiences with people when asked about trying this approach.

The main concern people have is whether the water will stay in the shower. That is certainly something to consider but is a little tricky to predict. There are a lot of different variables that will help to determine water containment. Only the actual use of the shower will tell for sure. Aside from the water proofing aspect of a shower enclosure, there is the climate control feature of the glass that people often fail to consider. The shower enclosure contains that heat and steam as well as the water. If you have ever used a shower without an enclosure of some type, this is the first thing you probably noticed. The flow of water and heat creates convection that produces a cool draft that comes in from the bottom of the shower and can be quite uncomfortable. Some people might like a cool breeze during a hot shower, but I personally don’t. If your bathroom is tiny, this is not likely to be an issue, though.

For me, it is not unusual to be asked to provide a door to a shower that was designed to be used without one. People often go with this design only to realize later that the door is more necessary then initially thought. Many times, there is just too much water getting out of the shower. There are several factors that come into play; the size of the shower area, the water pressure, the position of the shower head, if there is a handheld shower wand, how each family member uses the shower, etc. There is no way of predicting all these factors in advance. As mentioned before, if the bathroom is very small, the whole room will steam up and become warm. If the bathroom is large, it may make the shower experience less than optimal if you are missing a door. The good new is, I am here to help! If you decide later that you really do need a door, I can install one for you. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to try something new. Variety is the spice of life!