What Are The Best Glass Styles for Shower Doors?

Woman stands in front of a glass shower

Glass shower doors come in various styles, including bi-fold, tri-fold, pivot, and sliding. When selecting new glass shower doors for your bathroom, it is essential to consider the style since these should complement your existing bathroom to help you maintain a cohesive look. Continue reading to learn about the best glass styles for shower doors to help you find inspiration for your bathroom.

Clear Glass

Clear glass shower doors have a timeless look. This type of glass always allows the most natural light into the room and gives the illusion of more space. Clear glass shower doors also let you see every inch of the wall, give the room a clean look, and help brighten the space.

One major drawback with clear glass shower doors is that they will show every streak and touch of dirt. To maintain a clean look, you must clean these shower doors after virtually every shower. Another thing about clear glass is that it does not give you a sense of privacy while you are showering.

Frosted or Etched Glass

Frosted or etched glass is ideal for homeowners who prefer the look of an opaque glass shower. This type of glass adds an ornate element to your bathroom, does an excellent job of hiding streaks, and adds a layer of privacy that clear glass shower doors will never have. Etched glass shower doors look incredibly alluring in larger bathrooms because it gives the space a cozier and inviting feeling. Additionally, this type of glass comes in different designs, giving you even more customization options for your shower.

One of the downsides to this type of privacy shower glass is that one side is smooth while the other is textured. Cleaning the textured side of frosted glass shower doors is difficult, making soap scum accumulation a potential problem down the road.

Textured Glass

Textured glass also features one smooth side and one textured side with a repeating pattern, adding a touch of personal style to your bathroom. There are myriad types of textured glass, including bamboo (which looks like real bamboo stalks), reeded (which has a geometric pattern), fluted (which features equally spaced vertical lines), and rain (giving off the appearance of a waterfall). Since each texture varies, the specific pattern you select for your shower doors is the most significant factor in the glass’s opacity.

All textured glass shower enclosures provide a lot of privacy and do a good job concealing water spots and streak marks. One major disadvantage of textured glass is that it tends to be more expensive and more complicated to clean than other glass shower door styles. Additionally, if you pick out a textured glass that looks a little too unique and want to sell your home in the future, some prospective buyers may be hesitant to buy simply because they would like the bathroom to look different.

Tinted Glass

Tinted glass shower doors are perfect for modern and contemporary bathrooms. These come in various color tones, including black, blue, bronze, gray, or green, and range from light to dark tints. Tinted glass shower doors are sure to give your bathroom a moody feel, and this kind of glass also reduces glare and adds a layer of privacy.

Be aware that tinted glass dramatically affects the look of your shower’s interior and will darken your bathroom more than anything. However, choosing this shower enclosure style with privacy glass will make a statement in your space.

Rain Glass

Shower doors with rain glass add a unique stylistic element to your bathroom. Rain glass has one smooth side, and the other side is textured to make it look like there are water droplets. This form of privacy shower glass is something that people like since it does an excellent job of hiding water streaks and obscuring people behind the glass. Another advantage of rain glass is that it lets in quite a bit of natural light into the room.

The main downside to rain glass is that it makes your shower blend into the background and does not help make the space feel bigger. This type of glass is a little harder to clean, so that is another thing to consider before buying privacy shower glass.

Conclusion

Clear and tinted glass shower doors are the easiest to clean, and both work well in modern and contemporary bathrooms. Frosted, textured, and rain glass can be harder to clean, but they obscure water marks and grime much better than clear or tinted glass. Textured privacy shower glass doors also add a decorative element to the space and offer more privacy while you shower.

Customize your bathroom with some new clear, frosted, textured, tinted, or rain glass shower doors. They each add a different look, so whatever style of privacy shower glass you pick should ultimately enhance your space, not detract from it. Notice how your bathroom looks now to help you narrow down the type of privacy shower glass you should get. Be sure to reach out to Community Glass and Mirror and let our team of experts help you select the glass shower doors that best suit your needs and preferences.