When it comes to your shower, you want to ensure you have the most informed advisor on your side, and at Floyd, our trained installers and our knowledgeable staff are experts. Owners Kathy, Justin, and Josh Tyler know showers and will be available to assist you every step of the way. Choosing the shower that works best for you and your bathroom can be daunting, so look to Floyd for guidance. Our expertise is your gain. Value is knowing that you have trained experts, a quality product, and a fair price with Floyd.
Frameless Vs. Semi-Frameless
So you know what a new shower is, but you are unsure which direction to go. If you have made it here, you are well on your way to building your dream shower. Let’s look at some of the differences.
More Frame/Metal
As you can see from the image, Semi-Frameless does have a frame along the edges. The advantage of this is that your shower enclosure is pretty watertight. The disadvantage – is more frame.
1/4″ Glass
Since there is a frame along the bottom, we can use 1/4″ glass. This is why semi-frameless shower doors are more affordable than a Full Frameless Shower Enclosure. Full Frameless Shower Enclosures will use 3/8″ or 1/2″ Glass.
Why can’t we use 1/4″ Glass on Full Frameless? Great Question. 1/4″ Glass cannot support itself for a shower. The height and width of the glass will break.
Watertight
Full Frameless Shower Enclosures are very tough to make completely watertight. We are opting to remove all the frame, which does create gaps between where the door meets the stationary panel and where the door meets the wall. We use plastics/vinyl to minimize the water leaking out, but some water will find its way out.
Semi-Frameless Enclosures have a metal strike that meets the door and the stationary panel along the hinge side, making a Semi-Frameless Enclosure as watertight as we can get.
Budget
Semi-Frameless will, most of the time, be a more affordable option. Using 1/4″ glass and faster installation drives the investment down.
Shower FAQ
After I Design My Shower, What Are The Next Steps?
After you submit your shower sizes, we will work up a quote for you within 24 hours. We require half down, then Katy will call to schedule our shower door technician for the final measure. After the last measure, our production team takes over. Before ordering your glass, it will undergo a series of checks and balances to ensure quality and accuracy. Once we get the ETA for your shower, Katy will call to pre-schedule your shower enclosure. When your glass arrives, it goes through a visual inspection to ensure your class does not have imperfections.
How Long Does It Take To Get My Shower Installed?
After our shower door technician has the final measurements, we are looking at 2-3 weeks for your shower to be installed and ready to use. This is assuming that your glass arrives without any imperfections.
Can I Install The Glass Myself?
You certainly can install the glass yourself. Remember that Frameless Shower Enclosures are heavy and will break very easily since they are tempered. Unless you have installed heavy glass showers previously, we do not recommend attempting a self-installation.
How Tall Can I Get My Glass?
Since we cut the glass custom for your shower, you can go as high as your bathroom allows.
Do You Have Stock Door Sizes?
Yes! Our goal is always to try to fit customers into a stock door; it will save quite a bit of money. We have just about every combination of stock doors with widths between 24″-36″ and height between 72″-82.” ShowerGaurd has a smaller selection of Stock Doors. We have 28″ width and 72″, 75″, 76″, 78″, and 80″ height. For a stock door to be used, all the walls must be level and plumb. With Frameless Showers, 1/8″ can kick you out of a stock door. We have a few stock doors with a built-in 1/4″ lean that can help keep you in the stock door. We don’t want to force a stock door to fit into an opening where we have a wall out of level and create gaps, which can lead to water issues. Read our Construction Tips to help ensure you can stay in a stock door.
How Thick Will My Glass Be?
Frameless showers are typically 3/8″ thick. The other option is 1/2″ glass, but the cost jump is pretty substantial.
Can You Get Rid Of Soap Scum On My Current Shower?
Unfortunately, we have not found a product that will entirely remove the soap scum on your existing shower. As you can see from the picture: glass is a very porous structure. When shampoo, soap, etc, land on the glass, it begins to fill those pores with dirt and grim. The longer it sits on the glass, the harder it becomes to clean it. Over time the soap scum gets baked into the glass and becomes almost impossible to remove. What can you do?
How Can I Prevent Soap Scum And Corrosion On My New Shower?
We are glad you asked! ShowerGuard is the best solution for shower glass. ShowerGuard permanently seals the surface of the glass for lasting beauty with less maintenance.
Do Frameless Shower Doors Leak?
Simply put, a frameless shower door has no frame! All frameless doors and enclosures are designed to deflect water, not retain it. We do our best with plastics to keep as much water inside as we can. Some common sense applies here. Do not use a handheld body spray to rinse off your frameless door. Make sure your sill, curb and/or ledge is pitched approximately 3/16” in towards the shower as well as all the other design tips we have provided for you. The only vulnerable (potential water leakage) area should be the door. All fixed panels are silicone inside and out and should never leak.
What Is The Difference Between U-Channels And Clamps?
Clamps are the preferred installation at Floyd. For two main reasons.
Aesthetics: With less metal, clamps are the cleaner look that most of our St. Louis customers are looking for. There is less room for mold build-up.
Installation: Everywhere you see a clamp, we notch the glass out to allow our clamps to secure to the glass. This allows the glass to sit flush on your shower pan. This does lead to a higher fabrication cost.
How Soon After My Shower Is Installed Can I Use It?
Please allow 24 hours for the silicone to cure before turning your shower on.
Can I Put A Heavy Door On My Existing Fiberglass Shower Enclosure?
Our recommendation is not to install frameless shower glass on an existing fiberglass surround. A hollow-bodied fiberglass shower enclosure is not designed to accept the weight and torque produced by a nearly 100-pound glass door in motion and levered over 2 feet. The frameless hinges need to anchor to something with more substance. We prefer a wood stud behind the hinge locations but can anchor to tile and other surfaces IF the surfaces are sturdy enough to support the weight. For fiberglass enclosures, we recommend a semi-frameless enclosure.
I Currently Have A Cultured Marble Surround, Can I Keep That?
There are two significant issues that we will run into with using existing cultured marble surrounds.
- Discoloration. When you remove your old framed unit, there will be a thick discoloration line that clear, frameless shower glass will not be able to cover up. A lack of light causes this.
- The Notch. You can see from the yellow circle where the cultured marble was notched out for the frame. The frame is typically 1 1/2″ thick. When you remove the old frame, we now have a 1 1/2″ notch, and your glass is only 3/8″. Options?
A few companies can spray your shower to solve the discoloration issue. You can purchase just a ledge from St. Louis Marble in Fenton. Have it installed, then spray your shower so it all matches.
What Is Your Warranty?
All of the hardware is backed by a lifetime warranty. Our hardware comes from Kansas City Portals and is tested for 72,000 pulls! (33.8 years). As opposed to the industry standard 2500 pulls (less than two years). When installing Frameless Shower Doors, every inch matters; if your hinges don’t hold up, your whole enclosure can come crashing down. ShowerGaurd is backed by an industry-leading Limited Lifetime Warranty. ShowerGuard glass is warranted to the Original End-user Customer to be free from visible staining, corrosion, or discoloration under regular use for as long as the Original End-user owns the shower. If a warranty claim is needed: ShowerGuard handles all materials and labor!
A few companies can spray your shower to solve the discoloration issue. You can purchase just a ledge from St. Louis Marble in Fenton. Have it installed, then spray your shower so it all matches.
Is There A Difference In Hinges?
There is a HUGE difference in quality with hinges. Many companies are going to use the cheapest hinge they can. At Floyd, we don’t feel saving $50-$100 is worth sacrificing so much quality. You spent too much money on your bathroom to have your shower fail.
Brands Carried:
Looking To Upgrade Your Shower?
Get in touch with our team at Floyd Glass to get a custom glass shower quote today!