shower Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Shower Door Experts

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.

Let the Sun Shine In!

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Minimalist Panels in Frederick, Maryland

One of the major advantages of frameless glass versus a shower curtain is natural light. Our pick for best photo of the week illustrates this wonderfully! It’s especially important in the winter that we get as much sunlight we can. Natural light improves your mood and keeps you in a healthy circadian rhythm. And it’s just beautiful!

As our poll showed the other week, we’re seeing a solid trend in minimalist shower design. We might need to rethink the company name if doors go out of style! Kidding – they never will, but they certainly are optional for some layouts. We’re always happy to give feedback on how minimalist you’re able to go with your enclosure.

In other shower door news, we had a couple comments this week on our Facebook page about keeping glass clean. Love the glass look but worry about maintenance? Bottom line: new glass that’s been sealed is ridiculously easy to take care of. We offer glass sealant on all our doors, and then you only need a microfiber cloth to keep your door all sparkly clean! Here’s a full write-up on the process, and we include a maintenance card with every installation. And, as always, just give us a call if you have any questions, anytime.

Bronze Pentagon in Leesburg, VA

Posted on December 13, 2020December 14, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Glass to Glass with Brushed Bronze in Leesburg, Virginia

This client came to us with a vision of brushed bronze hardware – and we made it happen! It’s one of the great joys of our job, turning your visions into reality. And we really love how this one turned out.

As Expert Emmarose notes, “This is a big boy!” The pentagon shape makes for even more space and requires the two panels to meet at a custom angle. That’s where the specially ordered brushed bronze hardware comes in! Even though it’s a big enclosure, the overall look is still light and open with just the notes of bronze seeming to hold it together.

Also worth mentioning: these clients wisely chose to invest in optically clear low iron glass. We recommend this for clients with white and light-colored tile. Regular glass has a slight greenish tinge. You might not notice it against colorful tile, but for this much white tile it does make a difference.

In other Shower Door Expert news, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Santa has already been handing out gifts to employees and contractors. Strangely, our head honcho Tom never seems to be around when Santa visits…

For more seasonal photos and shower door inspiration, find us over on Facebook and Instagram!

Custom Walkthrough Shower in Fayetteville, PA

Posted on December 6, 2020December 8, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Custom Walkthrough in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania

We had actually had two unusual custom shower installations this week and couldn’t decide which to share. So we took it to our Facebook followers! Which do you think they preferred?

They chose A! – but only by one vote. It’s tough because they are both really cool custom showers. So it comes down to personal preference. The first shower (A) uses angles to leave an open walkthrough. It feels airy and spacious for its actual size. The second shower (B) uses glass on two sides with a sliding door to enclose a sunken tub. One Facebook friend commented that B has a lot of unusable space on those stairs. We suggested a mini bar! What would you do with the extra space?

It’s always fun interacting with you all on social media. We’re on Instagram too, where we post silly behind-the-scenes pics. And shower doors, of course! We highly recommend browsing through photos before you start on your own custom project. One benefit of having been in the business for 30 years is that we’ve seen it all! And we genuinely love to chat about design. So get in touch, follow along, and start planning your dream shower!

Sunny & Sandblasted in Knoxville

Posted on November 15, 2020November 15, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Sandblasted Glass to Glass Door & Panel in Knoxville, Maryland

Two things we love, love, love about this shower: the sandblasting and the sunshiny color! We can’t take credit for the paint choice, but how great would that be first thing in the morning? But back to the sandblasting…

Having the middle section of your shower door sandblasted is a pretty genius way to get privacy without reducing the light that makes its way into your enclosure. Textured glass like acid etched or rain are visually interesting, but keep in mind that they also limit the light that can pass through the glass. One solution, if you want a fully private and/or textured glass is to supplement your shower space with additional lighting. Bonus expert advice: we love a good dimmer switch for maximum lighting options. So, if you need more of a shower cave than a sunshine island, turn that dimmer switch waaay down until your eyes are fully open.

Oh, right, some of you are here for the technical details. Here we have one panel and one door, and what we in the biz call “glass to glass.” The Cardiff pivot hinges connect the panel and door where the glass meets. So if you like the look, that’s what you can ask for. We can also give you some recommendations for folks we’d trust to do your sandblasting, if you’re inspired. And, as always, we’re happy to answer literally any question about shower doors. Get in touch!

In other Shower Door Experts news, it’s that time again…

2nd Annual Hand Turkey Contest!

To celebrate Thanksgiving, we’ve brought back a favorite holiday tradition from childhood: hand-traced turkey drawings!

The Rules

Draw a turkey. The one requirement is that you trace your hand to create the turkey body. Other than that? Get creative! You can use crayons, markers, glitter, etc. – but the most elaborate turkeys won’t automatically win. Big points for personality!
Name your turkey. The name of your turkey will be evaluated alongside your drawing. So if your turkey doesn’t look like a Phil? Don’t name it Phil. And nameless turkeys will be disqualified from the competition, obviously.
Post your turkey. To officially enter the competition, you must take a picture of your hand-drawn turkey and post it to our Facebook page by Thanksgiving. We will announce the winner on Friday the 27th!

The Winning Turkey Gets…

Unique prizes! First place: gold medal. Second place: turkey hat. Third place: turkey glasses.

But the true reward is eternal turkey glory!

Again, get in touch if you have any questions or just want to talk turkey!

Hagerstown Neo Angle in Aquamarine

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Neo Angle in Hagerstown, Maryland

Our pick for this week’s shower door was unanimous – that tile is stunning! This neo angle unit is clearly (ahem) an example of why you would go with frameless glass if you’ve invested in eye-catching tile. Heavy metallic frames would detract from what’s unique about this shower space.

Technical details for our fellow shower door geeks! Of if you just want to know what to ask us about. (Please do get in touch! We looove to talk all things shower doors.) This is a neo angle unit with an additional in-line panel. The extra panel supports the weight of the door without adding any extra hardware. For hardware, you’re seeing prima pivot hinges and beveled clips for a smooth look that complements the frameless design.

Another design note: we often counsel that optically clear low iron glass works best against light-colored tile. Here it’s the opposite! Regular glass, which has a slight green tint, actually brings out the blues and greens in this aquamarine tile. (We’ve been debating – is “aquamariner” a word!?) The frameless design + glass choice really come together to make this tile POP!

Let us know what you think – and check out our fun Halloween pics! – on Facebook and Instagram. And stay tuned for our Second Annual Hand Turkey contest! You heard it here first…

Custom Renovation in Columbia

Posted on October 16, 2020October 14, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Custom Corner Shower Renovation in Columbia, Maryland

This job was a custom renovation by our local friends at Covey Construction, and they asked us to install the glass shower door. Because, you know, we’re the experts! Teamwork makes the shower dream work.

Technical information if you want to discuss something similar:

This corner unit has a panel-door-panel design, with the door swinging on pivot hinges. Glass-to-glass pivot hinges allow us to put the hinges adjacent to the knee wall without having to drill into it. If you love this exact look, ask us about Cardiff hinges, Coda pull handle, and Coda robe hook. All in chrome. If you’re still pondering your options, feel free to look at our hardware options and online brochures.

Also ask about low iron glass. These Columbians opted for this glass that is more optically clear – no green tinge – and looks fantastic against lighter colored tile. It’s not a “must,” but if you’re serious about a shower renovation that makes you oooh and aaah, it’s definitely worth considering.

We’re always happy to chat about design and recommend contractors for your renovation. And you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram for design inspiration – and upcoming spooooky Halloween content…

Swing Into the Shower Cave

Posted on October 11, 2020October 11, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Swing Door to Wet Room in Middleburg, Virginia

Sometimes all you need is one simple swing door to make all your shower dreams come true. As shower door experts, we’re known for our technical custom work. We geek out about challenges like last month’s custom 4-sided shower door of the week. But sometimes the beauty of design is in its simplicity.

This single panel door opens to an enclosed wet room. The dark tile and minimal lighting reinforce the feel of a cozy shower cave, a retreat from the rest of the house/world!

What do you think about the shower cave? We share our Shower Door of the Week on Facebook and Instagram, so you can let us know.

Modern Matte Black Shower in Maryland

Posted on September 28, 2020September 28, 2020 by Emily Watkins

Shower Door of the Week: Matte Black Panel-Door-Panel Corner Unit in Boyds, Maryland

Matte black is having a moment in bathroom design! Last week we shared a framed shower door in chrome, and our Facebook friend Monica commented, “Needs black instead of metal and it would look better.” Well, Monica, this one’s for you! The matte black hardware certainly takes center stage, but two other design elements play supporting roles. The first is white tile that contrasts with the black for a crisp modern look. The second is low iron glass, which is more optically clear then regular glass. That means the black and white palette isn’t dulled by a greenish tinge. We highly recommend low iron glass for clients who invest in eye-catching and/or light-colored tile.

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.

Handling Clogged Shower Drain Problems

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Noah Watkins

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Tag: shower