A walk-in shower with glass splash panels and no door is an attractive option for many homeowners doing a bathroom remodel. If you’ve been perusing home décor articles looking for inspiration for your renovation or new build you’ve probably seen showers partially enclosed with glass panels but with the entrance to the shower left open. In today’s piece, we’ll go over benefits and cautions as well as pro tips for making this design work.

1. Walk-In Shower Overview

However, before we dive into analysis mode, let’s do a quick overview of what the walk-in glass shower option entails. Glass panels are installed to help with water containment, and these are held in place by small clamps and/or sections of U-channel. The placement of these splash panels is largely determined by the location of the shower head and any other sprays or jets. The glass does not fully enclose the shower area, though, and an open entryway is left with no swinging or sliding door panel in place.

2. Walk-In Shower with Glass Panels Pros

Benefits of this design are varied and include financial, practical, and aesthetic considerations.

• The elimination of the door panel means you need fewer pieces of glass and no hinges or sliding door hardware, thus cutting costs.
• A walk-in layout simplifies the process of entering the shower area, making it more universally accessible.
• When a walk-in shower is also curbless accessibility is even better, especially for those using wheelchairs.
• Walk-in showers look upscale and stylish.
• The open entrance contributes to a look and feel of continuity between the shower and the rest of the room, which in turn makes both areas seem more spacious.
• Even though the design is simple, you can still give a walk-in enclosure visual appeal by choosing a bold and on-trend hardware finish like matte black or satin brass.

As you can see, this type of custom shower enclosure has a lot going for it. However, it’s not right for every situation, so let’s take a look at the cons.

3. Walk-In Shower with Glass Panels Cons

The main concern with a walk-in shower is leaks. On a full glass enclosure you have the door panel itself as well as vinyl seals and wipes helping with water containment. Since these are absent on a walk-in enclosure you risk water escaping into your bathroom, which can lead to issues including:

• Puddles of water that can cause someone to slip and fall
• Mildew and mold growth
• Damage to the flooring
• Rotting of the subfloor

No one wants to deal with these issues, so do they rule out walk-in showers as an appealing option? Not necessarily. In the next section, we’ll look at tips for successfully designing a walk-in shower to minimize water leaks.

4. Walk-In Shower with Glass Panels Tips for Success

For a successful walk-in shower design, several elements must come together including appropriate placement of various shower components, extra waterproofing, and proper slope. Let’s look at specifics.

• As mentioned earlier, the placement of shower sprays must be carefully considered for any walk-in design. Body jets are probably not a great idea for a doorless enclosure, and the shower should must never aim at the open entrance.
• Next, the shower needs a correctly installed drain to get the water out of the shower before it builds up and leaks into the bathroom.
• In order for the above to occur, the shower floor has to be sloped toward this drain. A general recommendation is to slope the floor 1/4” per foot, but you will want to check relevant building codes and guidelines for your specific area and project.
• If the shower includes a curb, the top of the curb needs to slope toward the bathroom floor at a rate of 1/8” to 3/16” over 6.”
• With an open entryway, the risk of some water getting into the bathroom cannot be eliminated, so extra waterproofing of bathroom floors and walls is also a must.

Get More Pro Tips and Answers to Your Questions

Whether you’re working on a walk-in shower design or something more traditional, help selecting the right hardware is just a phone call away. Glass Simple’s helpful and experienced team can be reached at (571)707-7760. We are happy to work with glass pros and DIYers alike and offer local pickup as well as shipment of glass shower hardware to the 48 contiguous states.