WHAT IS AN ENCLOSURE?
AN ENCLOSURE IS A DOOR OR A PANEL THAT GOES FROM WALL TO WALL OR AROUND YOUR SHOWER BASE. IT CAN BE FRAMED, SEMI-FRAMELESS OR FRAMELESS, AND COMES IN MANY CONFIGURATIONS.
WHAT IS A FRAMED ENCLOSURE?
FRAMED MEANS THAT ALL THE GLASS HAS A FRAME AROUND IT, I.E. ALL GLASS EDGES ARE FRAMED. FRAMES COME IN MANY FINISHES, SUCH AS: CHROME, GOLD, WHITE, BRUSHED NICKEL, ROMAN BRONZE, SATIN, ANTIQUE AND MORE THAN 60 OTHER CUSTOM COLORS.
WHAT IS A SEMI-FRAMELESS ENCLOSURE?
SEMI-FRAMELESS DOORS STILL HAVE SOME FRAMING MATERIAL AROUND. GENERALLY AN OUTER EDGE OF A GLASS DOOR AND A TOP OF A DOOR DO NOT HAVE ANY FRAMING. SEMI-FRAMELESS ENCLOSURE HAS SIDE JAMBS AND A SILL, AND SOMETIMES A HEADER. APPROXIMATELY ONE-QUARTER OF GLASS DOES NOT HAVE ANY FRAMING ON IT.
WHAT IS A FRAMELESS ENCLOSURE?
NO ENCLOSURE CAN BE ENTIRELY FRAMELESS; ALL ENCLOSURES ARCHITECTURALLY REQUIRE A TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION THAT HOLD THE GLASS IN PLACE. A “FRAMELESS” ENCLOSURE CAN HAVE GLASS CLAMPS OR A SMALL JAMB THAT IS USED TO ATTACH THE GLASS TO WALLS AND BASE. SOME DESIGNS MAY ALSO REQUIRE A HEADER TO HOLD ALL THE GLASS PIECES TOGETHER. THESE ARE THE BEST-LOOKING DOORS, WHERE THE GLASS IS CLEAR AND 3/8” THICK.
WHAT IS A BYPASS/SLIDING DOOR?
A BYPASS/SLIDER IS A CONSTRUCTION THAT ALLOW ONE DOOR TO PASS BEHIND OR IN FRONT OF ANOTHER DOOR. MANY CLOSETS HAVE BYPASS DOORS. BYPASS DOORS GENERALLY REQUIRE A HEADER, SILL (BOTTOM TRACK), AND SIDE JAMBS. WHEN ORDERING A BY-PASS DOOR PLEASE INDICATE WHICH SIDE OF THE SHOWER YOUR SHOWER HEAD IS CLOSE TO AS YOU FACE THE SHOWER FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN. WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT OVERLAP PREVENTS WATER FROM GETTING OUT BETWEEN THE DOORS.
WHAT IS A HINGED DOOR?
A HINGED DOOR MIGHT HAVE FULL-LENGTH HINGES OR AT LEAST TWO TO THREE HINGES ON IT. THINK OF YOUR HOME’S FRONT DOOR. THIS STYLE IS OFTEN FOUND ON SHOWER STALLS UP TO 36 INCHES WIDE. DEPENDING ON STYLE, THEY CAN BE FRAMELESS, SEMI-FRAMELESS, OR FRAMED. THE DOOR CAN HINGE OFF LEFT OR RIGHT WALL. YOU WILL NEED TO INDICATE SIDE YOU WANT THE HANDLE TO BE ON, I.E. LEFT OR RIGHT AS YOU FACE THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN. YOU WANT TO BE SURE THE DOOR WILL CLEAR ANY OBJECT SUCH AS THE TOILET, CABINET OR SINK.
WHAT IS A DOOR AND PANEL?
A DOOR AND PANEL IS USED WHEN AN OPENING OF A STANDARD ENCLOSURE IS MORE THAN 36 INCHES WIDE BUT NOT GENERALLY MORE THAN 72 INCHES WIDE. THE PANEL MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THE DOOR COULD BE MOUNTED ON RIGHT OR LEFT WALL OR OFF THE PANEL.
WHAT IS A SILL/THRESHOLD?
SILL IS A PART YOU STEP OVER WHEN GETTING INTO SHOWER. THE SILL IS GENERALLY THREE TO FOUR INCHES HIGH AND MAY BE FOUR TO SIX INCHES WIDE. THE SILL SHOULD PITCH FROM 1/2″ TO 1/8″ INTO SHOWER AREA. THIS WAY WATER WILL RUN BACK INTO SHOWER AREA AND NOT ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR.
WHAT IS A CUSTOM ENCLOSURE?
A CUSTOM ENCLOSURE IS MADE SPECIFICALLY TO MEET YOUR NEEDS WHEN LAYOUT DOES NOT MEET ANY STANDARD APPLICATIONS.
WHAT IS A CENTER LINE MEASUREMENT?
IF YOUR SILL/THRESHOLD (A PART OF CONSTRUCTION THAT YOU STEP OVER TO GET INTO A SHOWER) IS 5 INCHES WIDE, THE CENTER LINE WOULD BE 2½ INCHES. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MEASUREMENT AS IT AFFECTS HOW GOOD YOUR CUSTOM-MADE DOORS WILL FIT. PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CRITICAL MEASUREMENT.
HOW THICK IS THE GLASS?
OUR GLASS DOORS RANGE BETWEEN 5/32″, 3/16”, ¼”, 3/8”, AND UP TO ½” THICK. THICKNESS OF THE GLASS IS DETERMINED BY STYLE AND COST OF A DOOR.
HOW SAFE IS THE GLASS?
WE WORK ONLY WITH TEMPERED SAFETY GLASS. HOWEVER IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE HUNG FROM, BEAT ON, OR SLAMMED SHUT. SHOWER ENCLOSURES ARE NOT FOR UNSUPERVISED PLAY AREAS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
WHAT IS A BUTTRESS WALL?
A BUTTRESS WALL IS A HALF WALL THAT MAY DIVIDE THE SHOWER FROM THE TOILET AREA TO ACHIEVE MORE PRIVACY, BUT CAN ALSO BE USED TO REFINE THE SPACE. A BUTTRESS WALL CAN BE ON FRONT AND SIDE WALLS DEPENDING ON HOW YOU WANT IT TO LOOK. YOU CAN SEE EXAMPLES OF BUTTRESS WALLS BY LOOKING AT OUR «MEASURE IT» SECTION ON THE HOME PAGE.
IS MY SHOWER ENCLOSURE WATERTIGHT?
NO, SHOWER ENCLOSURES ARE MEANT TO KEEP THE MAJORITY OF WATER (99%) INSIDE SHOWER AREA. THEY CAN LEAK WHEN GETTING TOO MUCH WATER PRESSURE, WHEN BODY SPRAYS POINT AT A DOOR AREA, OR IN CASE OF MULTIPLE SHOWER HEADS. IT IS BEST TO PLACE A MAT OUTSIDE A SHOWER DOOR.
DO YOU OFFER FREE ESTIMATES?
WE DO OFFER FREE ESTIMATES, BUT RECOMMEND THAT YOU PROVIDE APPROXIMATE MEASUREMENTS. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE YOU AN APPROXIMATE STARTING PRICE BEFORE TAKING ON-SITE MEASUREMENTS. OUR SERVICE AREAS ARE NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
WHAT TYPES OF GLASS DO WE OFFER?
MANY SHADES OF CLEAR GLASS ARE AVAILABLE AS WELL AS LESS TRANSPARENT GLASS SUCH AS BUBBLE GLASS, RAIN GLASS, AND ANTIQUE GLASS. WE USUALLY RECOMMEND CLEAR GLASS AS IT USUALLY MAKES A BATHROOM LOOK LARGER. CONTACT US TO DISCUSS OUR OFFERS AND SEE SAMPLES.
WHAT THICKNESS OF GLASS DO YOU RECOMMEND?
THERE ARE 3 STANDARD THICKNESSES FOR SHOWER DOORS: ¼’, 3/8’ AND ½’. CALL US TO DISCUSS WHAT THICKNESS IS MOST SUITABLE FOR YOUR SHOWER.
DO YOU RECOMMEND THE GLASS TO BE TEMPERED?
YES, ABSOLUTELY! ONCE YOU TEMPER A PIECE OF GLASS IT INSTANTANEOUSLY BECOMES 4-5 TIMES STRONGER. ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF TEMPERED GLASS IS THAT IF ONE DAY IT BREAKS, INSTEAD OF BRAKING INTO LARGE SHARDS, IT BREAKS INTO SMALL PIECES CAUSING MUCH LESS DAMAGE AND POSING MUCH LESS DANGER. GLASS GOES THROUGH EXTREME HEATING AND RAPID COOLING TO BECOME TEMPERED.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP MY SHOWER FROM LEAKING?
IN ORDER TO KEEP YOUR SHOWER DOOR FROM LEAKING, YOU MUST FIRST EXAMINE WHAT CAN BE A REASON OF A LEAKAGE. IN MOST CASES SHOWER DOORS LEAK FROM FAILURE TO PITCH THE SADDLE INSIDE. THE IDEA IS THAT ONCE WATER FROM YOUR SHOWER HEAD HITS GLASS IT RUNS DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF GLASS. ONCE IT HITS A SADDLE IT HAS ONLY TWO WAYS TO GO: OUTSIDE OR INSIDE OF A SHOWER AREA. IF A SADDLE IS PITCHED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, WATER WILL GO INTO THE RIGHT PLACE, WHICH IS INSIDE A SHOWER CABIN. WE RECOMMEND THAT PITCH WOULD BE 5 DEGREES INWARDS. THE SECOND REASON OF A LEAKAGE IS A SHOWER HEAD POINTING DIRECTLY IN BETWEEN GLASS SEAMS. KEEP IN MIND THAT ALL HINGES HAVE MOVING PARTS WITH SMALL SPACES TO ALLOW MOVEMENT. BY CHANGING THE DIRECTING WATER FLOW AWAY FROM SUCH AREAS, YOU WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF STOPPING THE LEAKAGE.
