Does your shower door screech, scrape, or refuse to close completely? If so, it might be time for a replacement glass shower door.
Glass shower doors are notorious for developing problems over time. These problems include rusty tracks, worn hinges, broken rollers, and cracked glass.
Common Problems with Shower Doors
Many shower doors are bypass doors. This style has two glass panels that slide past each other on a track. In some cases, one panel is fixed, and only one side moves.
The lower track and rollers on bypass shower doors are the most likely places for problems to develop. Because the track gets wet regularly and often does not dry out entirely between showers, rust quickly develops, making it harder to move the door.
Bypass shower doors also have small rollers attached to the bottom of the door. These rollers get old, worn, and dirty, making the door hard to open and close.
In some cases, the metal frame around a bypass shower door comes loose from the glass or the wall, and this can be a genuine hazard for anyone taking a shower.
Solutions for Damaged Glass Shower Doors
Replacing a bypass or hinged glass shower door is not a complicated job for a glass professional. Depending on the shower stall design, it’s often easy to change the type of shower door to a new style when replacing it. For example, you can often substitute a bypass shower door with a hinged door or vice-versa.
One permanent solution to shower door problems is installing a wraparound enclosure without any doors at all. A shower wraparound can be constructed with ceramic tiles or glass bricks, which let in light while still maintaining privacy.
In some cases, a glazing contractor can repair a poorly operating glass shower door by cleaning or installing a new track, rollers, or hinges.
