Special Panels in DC

Shower Door of the Week: Panel Door Panel Door in Washington, D.C.

No, not political panels! Shower door panels! Though this compact corner unit could run for office on charm alone. We love the chrome square pull handle for this style – sleek and modern.

panel door panel shower door

Our only style tip would be to consider upgrading to low iron glass against lighter tile. It’s not a “must” by any means, and we will never try to upsell you on anything! But you can see that this standard glass has a slight blue-green tint. That hue comes from the iron content in the glass. Low iron glass is more optically clear. Something to think about…

Something else to think about? IT’S FRIDAY! And our Experts are here for it. Especially this one:

Follow his / our shenanigans in the usual spots: the Facebook, the Instagram, the Jefferson, Maryland!

Fairfax Clamp Party + FREE Handle Upgrade

Shower Door of the Week: Clamp Design in Fairfax, Virginia

Ol’ Clampy. Clampy McClamperton and the Clamptones. Clippity Sir Clamps-a-lot. The Clampinator.

This corner unit in Fairfax picked up a lot of nicknames over the week. And it’s easy to see why: it has a ton of personality! The contractor we worked with on this job is a big fan of clamps at the base of the shower – versus having a channel. We dig it! The side of the door facing us in the photo was a little bigger than normal, so we split that puppy into two pieces. It’s a cool “paneled” look that’s modern, distinctive, but not distracting from the overall bathroom design. The brushed nickel header keeps it all sturdy as can be and was a great color pick against the grey marbled tile.

Oh, and it gets better. Right now we are offering a FREE handle upgrade in chrome and brushed nickel. Any swing door with a chrome or brushed nickel finish qualifies for an upgrade from a standard handle to a 6″ or 8″ ladder pull. Ladder pull is what you see in the photo above. The 6″ LP is normally $85 and the 8″ is $150 value, so that’s pretty sweet!

Speaking of sweet, our beloved graphic designer Jordan of Gypsy Cab Studios created this for us last week:

We encouraged everyone to SHOWER the world in kindness last week and, you know, I think we all felt a ripple of good will spread out from Jefferson, Maryland. Are you wondering who that charming showerhead-lookin’ guy could be? That’s Showerhead! Protagonist in our very own web comic series. Showerhead and his trusty sidekick Barry have already been through intergalactic hijinks, so catch up and stay tuned for their continuing adventures…

Trend Alert: Matte Black Grid Door

Shower of the Week: Gridworks bypass sliding unit with matte black finish in Frederick, Maryland

This grid shower door we recently installed in Frederick, Maryland is doubly on trend! Grid showers and matte black hardware are both having a moment, and we love it.

Expert Advice: Matte Black Trend

The doors we install are actually from the second generation of the grid shower door movement. Early grid showers had small rectangular panes of glass welded together with metal framing. The look was was an immediate hit, especially in urban areas with uber-contemporary design trends. The units sold like hot cakes, but they were ghastly expensive!

Other manufacturers have found better, less expensive ways to accomplish the same look. We source ours from Century Bathworks in New Jersey. By using a single piece of glass with thin grid framing adhered to it, Century is able to provide this trendy matte black look at a fraction of the cost of its competitors.

Matte black hardware is, in general, also having a moment. Oil rubbed bronze finishes are also popular, but their tone can run the gamut from super dark to super light. It’s definitely easier to pair black with black versus two different oil rubbed bronze finishes from two different manufacturers.

If you’re interested in this trend, get in touch! We’re happy to start chatting about what would work for your unique shower space. You can also get the ball rolling with a free quote. We also post more shower door pics and fun bonus photos on Facebook and Instagram.

Completely Custom Corner Shower

Shower Door of the Week: Completely Custom Corner Door in Poolesville, Maryland

“Custom” is the word of the week around here. I asked our office experts how they would describe this corner unit. Expert Schuyler chimed in, “It’s certainly not standard! The return panel doesn’t extend to the wall. Only 2 of the 3 panels extend to the ceiling.” That was the client’s vision, and we made it happen!

Schuyler adds, “We are the gods of custom.” Not sure that part was meant for the blog, but… I’m not denying it.

Personally, I dig the postmodern vibe of the different heights and open door space. We often recommend low iron glass against light colored tile, but in this case it’s especially key to the vibe. For anyone new to the ol’ blog: low iron glass is more optically clear than regular glass. Iron gives a slight green tint that’s not super noticeable against darker cool tones. But if you’re going for a crisp look, low iron glass is something to consider.

As ever, get in touch if you have any questions about shower door design. We love it when clients come to us with a vision, but we also love starting from scratch to figure out what you want and need from a shower space. In short: we love you guys! If you <3 us too, follow along on Facebook and/or Instagram. This month we once again featured original art from Gypsy Cab Studios to celebrate our favorite holiday of the year…

Shower with a Friend Day!

Holy Smokes! Smoked Glass in Martinsburg

Spray Panel in Harper’s Ferry

Shower Door of the Week: Spray Panel in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia

Say it, don’t spray it! …is not actually the tagline here. We’ll keep working on that. But we did want to say: we’re big fans of how this project turned out. Spray panels are simple, just a hinged or stationary piece of glass that takes up some part of the shower or tub opening. Sometimes all you need is that one panel to keep water away from the rest of the room. As an alternative to a metal frame – or even many metal clips – it is the pinnacle of non-invasive design.

This particular panel in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia (which is so beautiful this time of year!) was custom measured to 39×79″ with chrome hardware. All our work is custom, so after you send us the dimensions and we get the ball rolling, one of the experts will come take careful measurements. (Read more about the installation process.)

Caulkmaster 3000!

The client chose to have the glass treated with a sealant, which we recommend but never push. Sealant closes up the microscopic “pores” in glass where scum likes to hang out. It makes cleaning your glass so much easier. And who wouldn’t want that? Anyone in Harper’s Ferry should be happily kicking through fall leaves, not stuck inside scrubbing at soap scum!

And, finally, sneak preview: we’re about to launch the 3rd annual Thanksgiving Hand Turkey! There are fun prizes. and your art will be displayed in our office gallery. Ooooh. Follow along on Facebook and/or Instagram. We’ll be posting the rules, sharing turkey art as it comes in, and – of course – announcing the winners!

thanksgiving hand turkey as thanos

 

Full Height Corner in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Shower Door of the Week: Full Height Corner Unit in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

It’s been awhile since we shared a photo from Pennsylvania! We’re located in Jefferson, Maryland – just outside Frederick. But our service area takes us to D.C., northern Virginia, the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania, and of course most of Maryland. We get around! So keep your eyes peeled for one of our unique vans…

This shower of the week is a full height frameless corner unit. It looks fairly simple, but let’s take a look under the hood. Under the bath mat? Anyway, here are the details:

  • oil rubbed bronze hardware is a great match for the beige and lighter brown tones of the floor and tile
  • upgraded handle and robe hook – these are our Symphony handles, which add visual interest
  • low iron glass is more optically clear than regular glass, looks great against lighter tile colors
  • glass sealant that makes the glass a breeze to clean

We regularly get questions about cleaning shower door glass. So often that we created a handy blog post about it. The shorter version is that glass sealant fills the microscopic pores and ridges in your glass to prevent scum from accumulating in the first place. After that, your best friends are environmentally-friendly cleaner like Diamond Blue Wash and microfiber cloths. No scrubbing required!

Let us know if you have any questions about shower design, shower maintenance, best songs to listen to in the shower. We are, after all, the shower door experts! We’re over on Facebook and Instagram with behind-the-scenes pics and special offers. Hope to see you there – or maybe on the road in Pennsylvania…

Sandblasted Fade in New Market

Shower Door of the Week: Sandblasted Fade in New Market, Maryland

A sandblasted shower door is perfect for anyone who wants to shower without the “show”! Our friends over at Rowland Glass Studios do custom sandblasting, so you can request your perfect height. How cool is it to have privacy but still be able to see out? The un-blasted top also lets in more light, which is a plus. But you still might want to include lighting above the shower, as these clever clients chose to do.

That’s all for this week, but we do wish you a happy Labor Day weekend! We’re so grateful for all our hard-working experts, and for the customers who keep our small local family business thriving. 30 years of shower doors!

Drop us a line if you have any questions about shower doors or want to discuss why Sandblast Fade would be an awesome name for our company band. You can also get exclusive content over on our Facebook and Instagram.

Glamor Clamps in Eldersburg

Shower of the Week: Door and Panel Door with Clamps in Eldersburg, Maryland

Clamp your eyes on this shower door! The most noteworthy feature of this door and panel unit is the clamps along the bottom. Usually there would be a channel, but clamps are a minimalist and perfectly sturdy option too.

Ding ding! We have another low iron glass door this week. Long-time readers know the drill. Low iron glass is more optically clear than regular glass and looks great against light-colored tile. Iron particles give glass a slight green tint, which is why low iron glass is more clear. It doesn’t matter as much against darker tile, but with the marbled tile here it was a good choice.

The other upgrade for this unit was glass sealant. We’ll never push it on anyone, but it is quite nice! Especially if you’re not a huge fan of scrubbing glass. Even though glass looks smooth, it actually has lots of teeny tiny ridges and valleys where scum accumulates. Sealant fills in those microscopic gaps so your glass stays cleaner – and easier to clean!

You can keep up with shower of the week – and lots of other fun pics! – on our Facebook and Instagram. We’re also always on standby for shower door chats. No question too small or weird! Get in touch with your friendly local experts!  (That’s us.)

Total Clarity in Germantown, Maryland

Shower Door of the Week: Corner Unit with Low Iron Glass in Germantown, Maryland

Shower door of the week was once again unanimous: behold this lovely corner unit! It features brushed nickel hardware, a pull ladder handle, and low iron glass. Combined, these elements make for a de-light-ful shower space. Long-time readers will know that I love a matte black finish, but in this case brushed nickel keeps the look light and open.

corner unit shower with low iron glass

Newer readers might be asking: what’s low iron glass? It’s magical! Low iron glass is crystal clear, lacking the slight green tint of regular glass. Iron causes the green hue that dulls the overall perception, so lower iron glass is more optically clear. We recommend it especially against light colored tile. If your tile is, say, turquoise, you can probably skip the low iron glass.

In other Shower Door Expert news, this pic of one of our experts was a big hit on Facebook and Instagram this week! I’ll repeat: this move is for experts only! Do not try at home!

But it turns out that we’re NOT the only ones who can do this! Local teacher Ramona is also a badass expert…

Thanks for sending us the pic, Ramona! If anyone else has sweet shower moves, let us know! You can get in touch all the usual ways – and start a free quote right here on the website if you’re ready for a sparkly new shower. Thanks for tuning in, loyal readers. We’ll be back with another SotW soon!

What our Clients Say

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