Modern Matte Black Shower in Maryland

Panel door panel corner shower with a towel bar and robe hook in matte black

On the practical side of this design, the single-sided towel bar on the panel over the bath tub adds valuable bath real estate for wash cloths and towels. The interior robe hook is great for a loofah. We’re guessing they’ll go for a black loofah?

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.

Meet the Lucette: Fully Framed & Not Ashamed

Shower Door of the Week: Fully Framed Lucette in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

The Lucette is a classic framed shower enclosure with a traditional bypass sliding door. But what does that mean? You’ll see us write a lot about “frameless” shower doors, because they are super on-trend. Within the shower industry, “frameless” refers to any shower enclosure that doesn’t have metal adhered to the edge of the glass. As you can see, this Lucette goes in the opposite direction with a bold chrome frame. Shower Door Expert Emily weighs in: “I really dig the chrome finish against that charcoal grey tile! And wouldn’t Lucette be a fantastic name?” Friends, please tell us if you name a child or pet Lucette.

In general, framed shower doors are less expensive than fully frameless doors. This custom unit (in Emily’s hometown, Shepherdstown!) has a buttressed inline panel over the bench seat. A non-standard layout will cost a bit more, so definitely check in with us about all your framing options. Not to brag, but our framed systems are built to last and look better than comparable products from big-box home improvement stores. We don’t offer any builder’s grade systems, the kind usually pre-installed in new developments. Our framed showers are always custom built for your individual space!

Fully framed Lucette shower door unit in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Framed shower doors are definitely one step up from shower curtains. Emily again: “When you’re investing in your house, maybe for the first time, small improvements like headboards and shower doors just make you feel so much more established in your own space, y’know? I felt so adult in my first bathroom without a dingy shower curtain!” And, aesthetics aside, some shower spaces really do need a door. A shower curtain wouldn’t work with the bench seat in this shower door of the week. Bottom line: finding the right solution for your shower is personal based on your space and vision.

We genuinely enjoy geeking out about shower doors so, again, get in touch any time! You can also find us out there on Facebook or Instagram. We post stunning shower door pics, yes, but also super-fun content including our very own comics!

Expert Advice: Our Trusted Tile Companies

Choosing tile is the time for your inner interior designer to shine! There’s something special about making a unique interior space that’s all your own. But who do you turn to for options and advice? Who actually installs your dream tile? We often get asked for referrals, and with 30 years in the shower door business, we’ve made some excellent local contacts. Please do let them know that we referred you! But without further blogging ado, here are our most-trusted tile contractors:

Frederick County, Maryland

Epic Kitchen & Bath / Scott Phucas / 301-363-5531

HH Homes / Hank Parater / 240-870-2985

J Grubbs Construction / John Grubb / 301-748-7374

Lighthouse Craftsmen / Pete Ring / 240-315-832

Newell Property Services / Tom Newell / 301-371-0645

PKS Home Improvements / Paul Sager / 301-337-0134

Premier Contracting Services / Tyler Timberlake / 877- 928-7767

Quality First Home Improvement / Dave Farnum / 443-398-1100

Woodsboro Craftsmen / Jeff Crum / 301-304-0945

Carroll, Howard, & Washington Counties, Maryland

Woodsboro Craftsmen / Jeff Crum / 301-304-0945

 

Montgomery County, Maryland

PKS Home Improvements / Paul Sager / 301-337-0134

 

Washington, D.C.

Falcon Construction / Kaz Malachowski / 301-294 – 3100

 

Loudoun County, Virginia

Goode Guy Handyman / Ronnie Goode / 703-431-2754

 

Berkeley County, West Virginia

Miller’s Residential Creations / Travis Sprouse /  304- 918-0007

Tristate Home Improvements / Chris Hill / 304-240-0646

 

Franklin County, Pennsylvania

Innovative Kitchen & Flooring Supply / Ryan Stouffer / 717-263-2611

 

Note: We are not responsible for any mistakes, mix-ups, or mayhem caused by these contractors. Kidding: they’re good people. But please let us know if you have a negative experience that might cause us to retract our recommendation. And definitely get in touch when it’s time to plan for your perfect shower door! In the meantime, follow along on our social media (Facebook and Instagram) for tile and other design inspiration!

Feeling Fancy in Alexandria

Shower Door of the Week: Symphony Hardware in Alexandria, Virginia

There are so many ways to make a shower truly your own. For our shower door of the week, you can see the eye-catching tile, always fun to shop for. On the practical side, there’s bench seating and a handheld shower head. Nice! But hardware is an often unsung hero of shower design. Not here in Alexandria! These clients are singing loud and proud with their Symphony hardware upgrade. Handles, hooks, and towel bars can really add that extra something to your bathroom design. Hardware can take almost any look toward more modern and sleek – or here something a little more classic. Shower door expert Emmarose calls this one “fancy”!

Corner shower unit in Alexandria Virginia with Symphony hardware
Shower Door of the Week
Close-up of a Symphony handle

You can let us know on Facebook or Instagram what you think about this style. Are you more of a ladder pull lady? Coda guy? Stay tuned for our upcoming quiz to finally find out “Which Shower Door Are You?” We also have a new expert / model in the showroom who you’ll definitely want to meet. He doesn’t say much, but he has a fantastic t-shirt collection…

Phantom of the Germantown Shower!?

Shower Door of the Week: All-Glass Phantom in Germantown, Maryland

Never fear, that’s just our all-glass Phantom shower door!

Reducing the number and prominence of metal parts has been an industry obsession for years. But 310 Tempering has taken things to a whole new level of frameless glass with Phantom shower doors. This unit debuts a game-changing glass header system that anchors high-end bathrooms without dominating them. When you invest money in eye-catching tile, you want to see it!

These happy customers also opted for low iron glass. That’s another way to make sure your tile isn’t obscured. Iron content gives clear glass a slight green tint. Low iron glass, also known as high definition glass, is more optically clear and gives the shower a noticeable luster.

In other Shower Door Experts news, did you know that we’re on Instagram? You can catch our shower door of the week there every Sunday, but there’s so much more! You can see our good-lookin’ experts (if we do say so ourselves), new coloring sheets to support our local food bank, shower-themed holiday wishes, and more! Yesterday was International Cat Day. We’d love to hear if your cat has any weird shower habits. If you send us a pic (emily@showerdoorexperts.com), we might feature it on our Instagram page! Oh, we also definitely want to know if your shower is actually haunted.

Cat bath. Wet cat. Girl washes cat in the bath

Your experts are also quite active on Facebook, and you can always get in touch by phone, text, and email too. We genuinely love to chat about shower design! If you’re keen to get started, you can even start a completely free quote from our website. Hope to hear from you sometime!

Sandblasted Glass Making Waves in Pennsylvania

Shower Door of the Week: Custom Sandblasted Glass in Chambersburg

We were making some summer sandblasted waves in sunny Chambersburg, Pennsylvania! Our friends at Rowland Glass Studios in Thurmont, Maryland did the custom blasting. We always enjoy working with them! Design note: they left the top section of the shower clear to show off that fun sparkly tile. On our end, we think the upgraded curved concerto handle fits really well with this wavy design.

Side note: Expert Emily sees waves, but Expert Noah makes the fair point that you can also stand in the shower and pretend you’re a tiger. Who’s right? Email emily@showerdoorexperts.com if you want to weigh in on this debate…

What They’re Saying

Wow, this one really blew up over on our Facebook page! (We’re also on Instagram.)

“Gotta love when two great companies come together on a project and get beautiful results!!”

“Love this, need this”

“Do you give free estimates?”

Yes! Yes we do give free estimates! Get in touch or start a free quote from the website. Somebody also asked us about a full bathroom model, so also know that we can recommend contractors in your area. We work with some terrific and trustworthy people – very much including Rowland Glass Studios! – and are always happy to share our insider knowledge.

Completely Custom 4-Sider in Pennsylvania

Shower Door of the Week: Custom Unit in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

This 4-sided custom shower enclosure is the bee’s knees! Well… two bees, combined. 🐝🐝🚿
This was a fun project. The little alcove has handy – and beautiful – bench seating. We love the idea of a small shower alcove! But because the door meets the adjacent panel at a custom angle, we had to be super precise with our engineering and installation. Thankfully, our technicians hit this one out of the park!

What people said on our Facebook page: “absolutely beautiful,” “beautiful,” “love!”

We continue to follow all safety protocols when we visit your homes. Gotta keep our customers and experts safe! We’re also starting to get visitors in our showroom, which opened back up this month. It is so good to see people again! We really missed having in-person chats about bathroom design. If you can, come on by!

If you’re new to the Shower Door Expert blog (welcome!), our showroom is in Jefferson, Maryland. This project was in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and we get to the southernmost reaches of Pennsylvania fairly often. If you have any questions about our service area (and whether we can scoot outside it for you), please do get in touch – it never hurts to ask!

Getting Steamy in Arlington

Shower Door of the Week: Steam Unit in Arlington, Virginia

Two? Two transoms in one? Have they gone mad!? Yep, we’re crazy about this steam unit design!

Steam units require tall glass. Usually we recommend either a fixed transom or an operable one. But this custom enclosure has such a high ceiling that we put in both to ensure good symmetry and proportions. The homeowners loved our design! And our expert technicians were pretty proud too.

Shower door nerd note: If you’re still in the designing phase, you can also consider using a bulk head from the ceiling to keep the unit height more standard. But for neo-angle or corner units, it’s important that the bulk head aligns with the curb below. That way the reveals will stay consistent from top to bottom.

We truly love to chat about shower design, so get in touch or even start a free quote!

Our Showroom is Open!

Showroom Reopening

Our showroom is open again! This spring and summer have been, without question, the hardest months of operation for us in our 30 years as a small business. We moved heaven and earth to keep our experts not only employed but fully supported through the coronavirus pandemic. But we wouldn’t have been able to thrive without the support of our amazing customers! We’re infinitely grateful to everyone who trusted us to keep their homes safe. In that spirit, here’s how you can help us keep our showroom safe for you and our expert family…

Safety Teamwork

  1. Everyone will wear a mask – experts and customers – no exceptions
  2. We’ll all maintain a social distancing interval of 6’
  3. At this time we cannot offer a public restroom
  4. We can welcome only one customer/family at a time
  5. For convenience and safety, we have a strong preference for appointments

If you make an appointment we can guarantee a time slot where you’ll be our exclusive VIP! Meeting new people is one of our favorite things about being shower door experts. We get to hear all about your vision, and you get inspired by our displays! We genuinely love to chat about shower design and figure out how to get you the custom glass door of your dreams. Hope to see you sooner-than-soon! Be safe and well, friends.

 

Best Shower Door Installations, June 2020

Washington, DC + Mt. Airy, MD + Aldie, VA

It’s a 3-for-1 special for this week’s #ShowerDoorSunday! With everything going on the last few months, we took a step back from weekly posts. But with the grand reopening of our showroom, we’re ready to get back into the swing of things.

Frameless Door & Panel in Washington, DC

For alcove shower (i.e., standard wall-to-wall) openings, the frameless shower door & panel is the most popular swing option. For opening widths over 60” homeowners sometimes opt for panel-door-panel configurations instead.

This 60” opening in Washington, DC had a toilet we needed to clear with the door swing, so we went slightly narrower on the door (24” instead of the standard 28” width). The modern ladder pull handle complements the modern hardware fixtures within the shower.

Frameless Corner Shower Enclosure in Mt. Airy, MD

A handsome corner shower enclosure in a handsome bathroom in Mt. Airy, MD! The mixed use of materials in the bathroom space is part of what makes this installation so attractive. Marble floors, granite slab horizontally on the curb and vertically on the outside wall, a river stone shower pan, and gorgeous neutral gray tile within the shower. Even the niche shelves use different materials! And yet it all ties together in a wonderful way.

The use of a knee wall on the left side lets good light into this shower, and we accommodated it with a custom notched panel that extends about 2” to the centerline of the 4” wide granite cap. The homeowner wanted to pick up more towel-hanging real estate in the bathroom, so we installed an elegant through-the-glass towel bar on the inline glass panel beside the shower door.

Frameless 2/3 Neo Angle Shower Door in Aldie, VA

Just another gorgeous shower space! Which obviously makes it easier for our glass shower doors to really shine. The use of river stone for the shower pan and in the vertical panel on the back wall is simply masterful.

This 2/3 neo angle design in Aldie, VA required an angle mount on the shower door hinges since the right wall isn’t squared off at 90-degrees. Fortunately, we’ve been making atypical details like this work for the past three decades, so it didn’t pose a problem. The homeowner preferred glass clamps instead of low-profile u-channel at the base of the stationary glass, which we were happy to accommodate.

Interested in a quote for a new shower door? Our online quote request form makes it a super simple process!

What our Clients Say

"Professional and Attentive"

“After much research we decided to use Shower Door Experts, and we are extremely happy about our experience. They are very professional and attentive to your needs!”

"I LOVE It!"

“Would greatly recommend Shower Door Experts. Very professional. Had my shower door installed yesterday and I LOVE it!!”

"You Can Have the Best"

“Sometimes you can have the best. The folks at Shower Door Experts know how to install a quality shower door and the end result is well worth the money.”