Expert Advice Archives - Shower Door Experts

Expert Advice: Cleaning Your Shower Door

Posted on April 17, 2022April 26, 2022 by Emily Watkins

Cleaning Glass: an Expert’s Guide

On a recent Facebook post, somebody new commented: “Offer [a shower door] you can get clean. One that you don’t need vinegar, SOS pads and sand paper and hours of hard elbow grease.” And, friends, we do! All our shower doors, in fact!

Person cleans glass shower door — Not how you want to spend your Saturday…

How Glass Works

Glass is made from sand. To the naked eye, glass appears smooth, but it actually has tiny ridges and valleys where soap scum loves to hang out. That’s why using abrasives like sand paper is a really bad idea for your shower door! You’d only be making the surface rougher and happier for the scum!

What To Do

Your shower door experts recommend a two step approach: prevention and maintenance.

Prevention: Glass Sealant

We offer this service to all our clients. It seals those pores and ridges in your glass to prevent scum from accumulating in the first place. It’s kind of like wrapping your shower in Teflon®. You’ll still have to maintain the door, but opting for sealant does reduce those “hours of hard elbow grease” our Facebook follower so hates. We love hanging out with shower doors, but you have other things to do!

Maintenance: Microfiber

After every shower: quickly wipe down the glass with a microfiber cloth – or squeegee! it’s fun!
1-2 times per week: when the shower is still wet, give the glass a more thorough wipe with a microfiber cloth.
Once a week: when the glass is dry, evenly spray a soapless repellent cleaner on the entire surface. Then use a clean dry microfiber cloth to wipe in a circular motion and buff to a shine!

Our preferred cleaner is Diamond Blue Wash. It’s environmentally friendly and doesn’t leave any residue for you to scrub away later. Do get in touch with any shower maintenance questions at all. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for stunning shower doors. And feel free to stop by our Jefferson, Maryland showroom to pick up some cleaner and microfiber cloths!

Glass Shelves for Shower Storage

Posted on February 28, 2022March 8, 2022 by Emily Watkins

There comes a time in shower remodeling when one must ask: “Where do I put the shampoo bottle?” If you’re not planning to install a built-in wall or bench seat, your two best options are niches and shelves.

The best thing about recessed shower niches is that they don’t take up any space in your shower. You won’t need bulky, unstable, or rusting organizers added in later. (Also, niches are an opportunity for eye-catching tile that can become the centerpiece of your enclosure.) Where do we come in? Well, you can add a lot of functional space to a a shower niche with… glass shelves! The glass shelves can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of heights. Think taller space for shampoo bottles and a little cubby for razors and loofahs.

We can also install glass shelves! As always, our work is completely custom. Corner shelves give you a lot of freedom in placement. So if you live with folks of varying heights, custom glass shelves might be the way to go. Need a shelf way down low for the weird cat who likes to shower with you? We don’t judge.

Your shower might have a unique layout, so please do get in touch if you want to talk through your storage options. We genuinely enjoy geeking out about shower design, and we offer free quotes. You can also get design inspiration over on Facebook and/or Instagram, where we share a Shower of the Week. And some other fun stuff! Happy shampooing, friends.

Expert Advice: Matte Black Trend

Posted on September 25, 2021September 26, 2021 by Emily Watkins

Matte black is a bathroom design trend that’s here to stay! We get quite a few questions and comments about matte black options, so here are some ideas to consider when you’re considering a new shower look…

Black and Light

One of the most popular – and show-stopping! – iterations of the trend is black against white or light-colored walls and tile. This beige space, which could have been dull on its own, is completely transformed by the black hardware.

Mix and Match

Matte black can stand alone, but it also plays well with other metallics and colors. Here the black shower frame is paired with silver-tones, marble, and stone for a unique but entirely cohesive look. Grid showers are also having quite a moment, and these two trends are a match made in shower door heaven!

Be Bold

Chrome is the standard choice for bathroom hardware, but it can fade into the background. Totally fine if a neutral is what you’re after. We love how these folks in Frederick paired a more neutral handle with a bold black faucet and painted panels. And that tile! This unit definitely makes a statement!

Or Start Small

If you want just a bit of black in your bathroom, it’s easy to switch up your cabinet pulls or faucet. For the shower or tub that could mean just a black shower head or handle. Who knows, you might get carried away by the trend!

Get In Touch!

We’d love to know what you think about this design – really! Matte black: yea? nay? We are quite active on Facebook, and you can also get in touch the old fashioned ways – well, not carrier pigeons but, you know, phones and email! We’re also on Instagram where we share even more shower door pics for design inspiration.

Or if you’re ready to dive in, you can get a free quote anytime!

Expert Advice: Custom Finishes

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Door and Panel with Custom Brushed Bronze Finish

Custom finishes were a big topic of conversation in 2020, with matte black reigning supreme! Bathroom fixtures with custom finishes can be maddening to match with shower door hardware. Fortunately, this wasn’t our first rodeo. These Silver Spring, Maryland clients were looking for a custom brushed bronze to match their bathroom, and we made it happen!

Shower door with custom brushed bronze hardware

The most common custom finishes we use to match your bathroom:

matte black
brushed bronze
satin or polished brass
satin or polished nickel

Matte black and polished nickel are still somewhat uncommon, but they’re becoming more easily accessible. We will usually have them in stock already. Which is a good time to note: custom hardware can add a week or more to your lead time, but trust us – it’s worth it! We will be super-clear in the early stages of the installation process how custom parts and finishes could affect the production phase and the overall timeline of the project.

Get in touch if you have any questions about custom finishes or anything else. We’re on Facebook and Instagram too, where we share comics, coloring pages, and all kinds of weird…I mean… fun stuff! See you over there.

Category: Expert Advice