For more than five years now, clear glass with framing and grillwork has been a hot trend. You find this look on mirrors, on glass partitions, and perhaps most commonly on glass shower enclosures. Since Glass Simple is currently sticking with our frameless clear glass panels, we are in a position to offer aan unbiased assessment of the pros and cons of grid style shower doors. In addition, a number of our team members and business contacts have years of custom glass shower experience to draw on when evaluating this look. So before you decide one way or the other, here’s our pro take on the grid style shower door trend.

Grid Style Shower Glass Overview

To being with, there are two distinct options for achieving this look. Some shower glass is both framed in metal and has an actual metal grid. While this offers the most authentic and impressive results, it is fairly expensive, so the look is sometimes achieved by framing any fixed panels with U-channels and applying the grids and the door “framing” through ceramic frit printing.

Within both categories, further variations are available in terms of the layout and pattern of the grid as well as the width of the metal or the ceramic frit lines. Most often, the hardware and gridwork on these showers is matte black, a look that is most reminiscent of the steel-framed windows that inspired the style. However, metallics in the gold family have begun to trend, and white grillwork is offered by some manufacturers as well.

Grid Style Shower Door Pros

The real appeal of this style is simply its appearance, which is very fashion-forward. This also lets us know that it’s a look which many homeowners and designers find attractive. Apart from its use on gridded glass, matte black has been popular in bathroom design for years, and a grid style shower door is often a way of ramping up its impact.

Black grillwork really pops against white subway tile or other pale neutral shower wall coverings, and it can add visual interest to a monochromatic space. White and golden-hued grids open up still more design possibilities and help create certain aesthetics such as French countryside or cottagecore. Finally, there’s no doubt that – whichever finish is used – this look is visually striking and will likely become the bathroom’s focal point.

Grid Style Shower Door Cons

Sticking for the moment with aesthetic concerns, it cannot be denied that some people find grid style glass reminiscent of a jail cell, particularly when the finish is matte black. This doesn’t matter if you and your spouse like the look, but it’s something to consider if resale appeal is a factor.

The more serious cons are on the practical side of things:

• Glass with real metal grillwork looks impressive, but cleaning it is time-consuming and demanding. Since cleaning resolutions often fall short of the mark, the glass shower’s appearance may age more quickly than it would have with frameless glass.
• You may also run into longer lead times when sourcing genuine gridded glass for your bathroom.
• Ceramic frit grids are appealing for their lower price point and potentially shorter lead times, but the look is definitely less authentic.
• Glass with ceramic frit printing is easier to clean than glass with a metal grille, but the U-channel around any fixed panels does add to the complexity of cleaning the enclosure.
• While the hinges on doors with metal grids are typically incorporated into the framing, the hinges on ceramic frit printed glass stand out noticeably further from the glass than the “grids,” which can draw attention to their printed nature.
  
  
  

What’s the Bottom Line?

Although there is not a practical need for grid style glass on a shower, if you like this look that alone is an important factor. The most authentic and impressive option is real grid-work in your chosen finish. You may be very happy going this route if it works with your budget and timeline and you use a professional cleaning service. If the ceramic frit printing is a more realistic option for you, make a point of looking at one of these showers – or at least at a sample of printed glass – to make sure that you will be pleased with the look. With a clear understanding of the pros and cons, you can determine whether grid style shower doors are right for your bathroom. And if you have questions about shower hardware, know that the Glass Simple team is just a phone call away at (571)707-7760!