Are Glass Shower Doors Durable?
Are you not sure how glass and your child mix? If you’ve removed glass tables and shelving from your child’s play spaces, you might not know whether adding a glass shower door to their bathing area is the right way to go.
However, while glass seems delicate, it’s more durable than you may think. While no glass door is impenetrable, tempered glass enclosures are stronger than the annealed glass your knickknacks and vases are made from. Tempered glass is made by cooling the material quickly. This creates a sturdy surface that shatters into pellets instead of shards when it breaks.
Some shower doors take safety a step farther and use laminated tempered glass. Laminated glass has a sandwich-like structure. These panes include two pieces of tempered glass with a polyvinyl butryl plastic sheet in between. The plastic can hold the glass together if damaged. This reduces the risks of shattering and injury.
Should You Install a Full Glass Shower Enclosure in Your Child’s Bathroom?
Now that you know more about the glass you’ll find in shower panes, decide whether you should add a full enclosure to your child’s bathroom. A frameless glass enclosure can open up the space and create a tranquil, spa-like setting. This is an ideal option for people without children or families with plans to share a bathroom. But if your young child is the only person who will use the space, you may want to reconsider this option.
Younger children who can’t bathe independently will still need to use a tub. A full floor-to-ceiling shower enclosure doesn’t provide this option. While you can still include glass in your bathroom design, you should also install a bathtub. If you have a large master bath space, you could add both a frameless stall-type shower and a separate tub.
Should You Install Glass Doors With a Tub?
Do you prefer the aesthetics of a clean, clear piece of glass over a shower curtain? But if you want to install a tub in your remodeled child’s bathroom, can you swap out a shower curtain for a glass door?
A sliding glass door is an option that can work well in a child’s bathroom. Not only does this glass option add to the space’s decor, but it also eliminates potential slip-and-fall hazards a long cloth curtain could create. A flowing piece of fabric could easily tangle under your child’s feet, or they could pull the curtain down. These aren’t issues you’ll need to watch out for with a sliding glass door.
Not only will a glass shower door reduce the tangling and trip-and-fall hazards in your child’s bathroom, but it can also help to keep the bathing area clean. Moisture may gather on fabric and plastic shower curtains. This can result in mold growth. Unlike fabric or other curtain material, glass is easy to clean and dry — reducing the mold risks in the bathroom space.
Is Shower Glass Too Clear for Your Child?
You know that the streak-free glass shower or bathtub door is there. But does your child? Concerns about your child accidentally walking into the glass shouldn’t stop your bathroom design ideas. Instead of a crystal-clear glass panel, consider a frosted or etched design. This frosty or patterned pane adds an extra decorative element and turns a would-be clear door into a noticeable piece of glass.
Do you need a new shower or bathtub door? Contact Martin Glass Co. for more information.