What are some tips for installing a shower door?

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Answer
Here are some key tips for installing a shower door:

Measure Carefully

Measure the shower opening width and height at multiple points (top, middle, bottom) to account for any unevenness in the walls. Use the smallest measurement for the door size13. Measure the height from the threshold to the top of the tile or wall surround3.

Protect the Shower Floor

Place a drop cloth or plastic sheeting over the shower floor to catch any debris and prevent clogging the drain1.

Install Wall Tracks Properly

Position the wall track for the fixed panel first, ensuring it is level and plumb to the wall. Mark and drill holes for wall anchors, using appropriate drill bits for the wall material (tile, fiberglass, etc.)12. Secure the track with stainless steel screws and heavy anchors if needed1.

Hang Fixed Panel First

Hang the fixed glass panel in the wall track first, temporarily securing the bottom with the sliding door guide1. This makes it easier to access the shower during installation.

Level the Top Support Bar

Cut the top support bar to size if needed, and ensure it is level and plumb with the fixed panel before drilling holes and securing it13.

Install Rollers and Seals

Install the top rollers on the sliding door panel, add door seals, and hang the panel on the support bar, ensuring the bottom is inside the guide3. Adjust rollers so the door closes properly3.

Seal Perimeter with Silicone

After testing the door operation, use clear silicone caulk to seal the perimeter between the glass panels, walls, and base for a watertight seal3. Allow 24 hours for the silicone to fully cure before use3. Following the manufacturer's instructions closely and taking the time to properly measure, level, and seal the shower door installation will ensure a high-quality, leak-free result123.




Author: Home Repair Tutor



Key insights

  • ️ Don't order the glass shower door until the walls are completely tiled to get an accurate measurement between the two tiled walls.
  • It's important to account for the pitch of the shower bench when making the template for the glass shower door installation.
  • Installing a glass shower door requires careful consideration of the handle and other hardware.
  • The number of hinges needed for the door depends on its height.
  • The installation of a glass shower door begins at the beginning of your shower remodel, so make sure all your studs, backer boards, and tiles are in place.

Timestamped Summary

  • 00:00 Order the glass shower door after the walls are completely tiled to ensure accurate measurements and a smooth installation process.
  • 01:31 Ensure the shower bench is perfectly plumb and account for its pitch when templating the glass, and order the necessary accessories ahead of time.
  • 02:16 Purchase a six inch chrome handle for the glass shower door installation.
  • 02:22 Measure and order the handle and hinges for the glass shower door installation.
  • 03:01 Purchase chrome glass shower door from crl and also get the channel.
  • 03:07 Install a support arm from crl for additional support for the fixed panel.
  • 03:36 Install a support arm at a 45 degree angle to strengthen the fixed glass panel, and use the appropriate U channel for 3/8 inch glass.
  • 04:13 Make sure your studs, backer boards, and tiles are plumb and level before installing a glass shower door to avoid difficulties.

Video Full Text

  • 00:00 Hey guys in this video. We're gonna be discussing more shower remodeling ideas this time in the form of frameless glass shower doors. So we're going to show you what is involved with these doors. How you do the planning for when you need to make the template and much much more. It's gonna be a lot of fun. There are two different components of this glass shower door. First you have the door that has a handle so it opens up into the shower. It actually swings back out too so the hinges are made such that this working open inward or outward the second component is a fixed panel and this wraps up around our solid quartz bench top. So this panel stays in place. One of the biggest questions we get asked is well when should you order the glass shower door well don't order anything until the walls are completely tiled. So the reason why you do that is you need to get an accurate measurement between the two tiled walls otherwise. If you order the door beforehand you might be wasting a lot of money it should be no surprise that if these walls are not completely flat and plumb the installation of the glass shower doors is going to be difficult at best so the installation of these doors actually begins way back back at the beginning when you are checking the studs for plumbness evenness and level and when you're done with all the framing the waterproofing of the walls and the tile work. The tile walls should be completely plumb and level.
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  • 01:31 What made this glass template. A little bit challenging is this cut here along the shower bench so. It's also important that the front face of this bench be perfectly plumb or straight up and down. If this section of the bench is not completely plumb. It's gonna make the templating for this glass. A little bit difficult that said this shower bench is flat left to right but it does have a pitch to it coming into the shower to allow the water to drain properly so you have to account for that pitch when you're making the template for the glass so keep all that in mind. Now there are four different accessories that we ordered ahead of time for this glass before we templated it.
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  • 02:16 The first item we had to purchase was the handle. This is a six inch chrome handle.
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  • 02:22 It's two in three-quarters of an inch from the edge of the glass. Here we centered it at 36 inches from the top of the glass. So first thing you have to order is the handle oh the other thing that we wanted to mention is. There are 1/2 inch holes that we requested be drilled into the glass for the handle now because of the store is 72 inches tall. We were able to just use 2 hinges. There's one at the bottom here and there's one at the top and you want to order these to match the handle.
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  • 03:01 So we got these from crl and they're in chrome. The third item that you have to get is you channel.
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  • 03:07 This is what the glass slides into along all these different transitions here so you need to get enough you channel for the tile wall. The shower bench in this case and then the curb if you want additional support for the fixed panel. You can get a support arm also from crl. So this goes into the glass panel and then into the tile wall and into a support member that's in the wall.
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  • 03:36 For example a stud or a 2 by 10 we requested that a hole be put about 12 inches from the edge of the fixed glass panel and what we did is we set the support arm at a 45 degree angle that went into the tile so this will help this fixed panel be nice and strong. This glass is 3/8 of an inch thick so we got the you channel that would fit 3/8 inch glass before I forget if you're doing a shower remodel or a complete bathroom. Remodel definitely check out bathroom repair tutor comm that's where we have all of our complete video tutorials. They're step-by-step that are super helpful.
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  • 04:13 They adhere to industry standards and we're constantly updating it and it's a tremendous help to you if you're doing modeling so definitely check out bathroom repair tutor comm. So guys remember the installation of glass. Shower doors actually begins at the beginning of your shower remodel. So if you're planning to use a glass shower door you want to make sure number one all your studs or plumb and level with each other number two that your backer boards are nice and plumb as well. So. In this case we use wedi backer boards and then finally when you're setting your tile that that tile is flat even and also plumb so if those three things are not in place. It's going to make the installation of a frameless glass shower door very very tough so make sure that you're taking all these things into consideration when you're planning the remodel of a shower and then of course if you have any questions for us. You can just ask those down below more happy to help you out so thanks for watching. This video give us a thumbs up if you like the tips and we'll see in the next one take care.
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