Avoid project delays and the hassle of returning purchases by determining what kind of shower door handle you need to meet your bathroom goals. The truth is, unless you work in the industry, there’s a good chance that you’re not even aware of all the different possible choices, so it makes sense to do a bit of preliminary research. Since shower door hardware is the Glass Simple team’s specialty, we’ll provide tips, insights, and data to help you choose the best handle for your practical needs and aesthetic goals.

1. Are you replacing an old handle?

Shower door handle shopping is different depending on whether you’re designing a new custom glass shower or upgrading the handle on your existing door. When replacing a shower door handle, you’ll need to get a product of the same general type. For instance, if your door has a pull handle, this must be replaced with another pull handle; if it has a knob, another knob must take its place. Why? Because the glass has been fabricated to receive a certain type of handle by having a particular number and size of holes drilled in it.

This brings us to the next point. Even if you’re shopping within the right category of handles – ie pulls – it’s necessary to ensure that the new product can be installed using the holes already present. Note product specifications for the diameter and spacing of the cut-outs and check these against what’s on your shower door. Also, glass shower doors have different thicknesses – usually 3/8” or 1/2" – and it’s crucial to verify that the handle you’re ordering will work with your door glass.

2. Which shower door handles are most ergonomic?

We’ll now turn to choosing a handle for a brand new glass shower door. Are you planning to age in place, want to practice universal design principals, or just like an ergonomic handle? Then you’ll choose from:

• Pull handles
• Towel bars
• Pull/towel bar combos

Pull handles offer a classic look. They are available as a single pull to be installed on the exterior of the shower door or as a back to back set that gives you a handle inside and a handle outside the shower. Just because they’re ergonomic, this does not mean pull handles can’t be attractive – check out this square matte black ladder handle for instance.

While shower door pulls are usually vertically oriented on the door, towel bars are installed horizontally and double as door handles and as bars on which to hang towels or washcloths. They are offered in many of the same styles as pulls and can also be single sided or back to back.

Finally, if you can’t choose between the above options, towel bar and pull combos give you a towel bar on the outside of the door and a pull handle on the inside. If you’re looking at towel bars or towel pull combos, always ensure that the width of the door can accommodate the bar you are ordering.

3. What shower door handle options allow me to minimize metal?

While some glass shower designs celebrate the metal components and their finish, others strive to keep the focus more on the glass itself. If you’re going for this latter result, a small knob or a through-glass finger pull would be the way to go. Knobs can be single sided or a double sided set, so check this detail when ordering.

Do you still have questions about the kind of shower door handle you need? Please give our experienced staff a call at (571)707-7760. Our team combines glass industry experience, a thorough knowledge of our products, and a commitment to excellent customer care!