Every room in a house has its set of problems. While bedrooms and kitchen have theirs, bathrooms have their own unique problems. First, almost all homeowners living in the present times want their bathrooms to look elegantly beautiful and modern. To have a modern looking bathroom you need to bring in the modern components, such as custom shower doors. And a shower splash guard is one the most popular types of shower door.
Here’s the more important thing. A wise customer will pick a certain component for not only how beautiful it makes their bathroom but also how well it serves a purpose, killing two birds with one stone. Among other important modern bathroom components, glass shower splash guards need your attention the most.
Glass Splash Guard for Shower
If you surf the internet, you will notice many different types of shower splash guards. The old plastic ones are probably the cheapest ones. However, most other types of shower splash guards are not pretty per se, don’t add any value to the bathroom and they don’t even provide the protection against splashes, something you expect from them to be best at. There is definitely a reason why glass shower splash guards have become so popular recently. However, before you know more about their benefits, here is a little comparison between shower splash guard and glass shower enclosure.
Wouldn’t A Glass Shower Enclosure Be Enough?
When you want your bathroom to look modern, you have two big choices: glass shower enclosure and glass shower splash guard. The final decision depends fully on what you like more and find more suitable in your bathroom. There are certain benefits of having splash guards for showers that are not offered by glass enclosures. First, a splash guard is most commonly installed with bathtub shower combos. Of course, you can’t think of installing an enclosure around your bathtub since it will become quite difficult to get in and out.
While an enclosure encloses a specific region between glass walls, a shower splash guard is only a piece of glass fitted at the right location to prevent splashes from falling out of the tub and onto the floor. It is not made into a cube shape since this is not the purpose of a shower splash guard. The piece of glass that is installed can have variable dimensions. A bigger piece of glass is used if you need more protection and really covet your bathroom floor tiles.
Things to Consider before Shower Splash Guard Installation
There is a lot of stuff that needs your attention before you have splash guard for shower installed in your bathroom. Here are some of the most important ones:
Glass Thickness
You don’t want just any piece of glass sticking out of the wall and guarding your shower space. A thin glass can be extremely dangerous in the bathroom. Any small mishap can cause it to break into smithereens and hurt the person in the bathroom. Keep in mind that many glass shower splashguards have a handle attached to them. This handle helps you get into and out of the tub and avoid slippage. You can’t expect your shower splash guard to offer any support if the glass is extremely thin. Make sure you pick a shower splash guard with a thick glass to give you the sense of security you need.
Glass Design
Just like glass shower enclosures and doors, you have a variety of options available with a glass shower splash guard. You can choose plain glass with enough thickness or add some more style to your bathroom with a rain, frosted or custom pattern. Plain glass looks elegant but needs a lot of cleaning. On the other hand, rain and patterns are great when it comes to hiding finger marks, splashes etc. While these patterned glass designs need cleaning too, you can forget about cleaning for a few days after doing it once. With plain glass, you will feel like cleaning it after every shower.
Glass Size
Glass size is a crucial factor to consider since splashguard is not just a beauty item but it has an important purpose to serve too. Make sure the glass size is big enough to prevent shower splashes from falling on the floor. You will also want to consider the height of the glass based on the height of your showerhead. Keep in mind that you want to leave enough space between the wall and glass shower splash guard to go into your bathtub easily.
The Company
This has to be the most important decision for you to make before you have splash guard for shower installed in your bathroom. It is highly recommended that you pick a company that provides custom solutions. If your bathroom is constructed differently or the available space is small, only a custom install can solve these issues. If you can’t find a custom solution, look for a company with lots of options. Because that is what you customers with unique situations need. Standard glass sizes and shapes do not really do the job for them.
Shower Splash Guard vs. Shower Curtains
The biggest competitor against glass splashguard for shower is the shower curtain. The biggest disadvantage of shower curtains is that they look outdated and old school. They can never achieve the modern looks and elegance that a glass shower splashguard can. The biggest goal you achieve with shower curtains is privacy. Curtains end up blocking too much light and thus causing your shower area to look dark. On the other hand, glass shower splashguard offers a lot of transparency and thus a lot of light to pass through as well.
Cleaning is another big challenge with shower curtains. Not only do they absorb a lot of dirt but they also become moldy really soon. You have to keep on washing them if you want them clean. On the other hand, a detergent with wet piece of cloth is all you need to clean your glass shower splashguard. People who have shower curtains understand how irritating it can be at times to move the shower curtains out of the way while getting in and out of the shower. Unless you find matching shower curtains with your bathroom’s color, they look like a blotch and kill the consistency of your bathroom design. The transparent splashguard for shower, on the other hand, adds to the consistency of your bathroom’s theme.
The Big Benefits of Glass Shower Splash Guards
Here are some great benefits of glass shower guards for which homeowners like them the most.
They Look Great
It won’t be wrong to say that the first reason for people to have glass splashguards installed in their bathrooms is looks. That big piece of neat and transparent glass covering your shower area beautifies your bathroom like no other. With a huge variety of styles and shapes available, you can make your bathroom look exactly as you have imagined it.
They are Affordable
Glass splashguard for shower is probably the best product out there that adds beauty to your bathroom at a very affordable price. The price of your shower guard depends on the size, thickness and style of the glass. Price can also vary based on how difficult or easy it is to install it in your bathroom. Nonetheless, these prices are nothing compared to installing a full glass shower enclosure.
They are Easy to Clean and Maintain
Maintenance is a great plus for glass shower splashguard. With one bottle of detergent and wet cloth, you can clean your splashguard several times. Spray some detergent and scrub with the cloth. On the other hand, shower curtains can be a pain when it comes to washing them. Not to mention, many of the stains they capture with time become irremovable. They can also start stinking if you are lazy to wash them even once.
They Can Fit in Any Space
Shower enclosures require glass to be installed on all sides with space required for door installation. On the other hand, glass splashguard is just a big panel of glass that can fit into anywhere and still leaving enough space for you to enter your shower and bathtub. You can even decide how big, tall or wide a piece of glass do you want installed in your bathroom. In a nutshell, they can virtually be installed in any bathroom size.
They Are a Long Term Solution
Contrary to how quickly you have to change the shower curtains, glass shower splashguard is more like a lifetime solution. Just pick the right thickness and shape of the glass and you might not have to have a reinstallation done before your next bathroom remodeling project. Therefore, while it might sound a tad bit more expensive to have a glass splash guard installed compared to buying shower curtains, glass splash guard will be much more affordable in the long run.
Common Challenges with Glass Splash Guards and Their Solutions
There are certain challenges that you might face when you get a glass splash guard for shower installed in your bathroom. One of the biggest challenges is accessibility to your valves, levers and knobs to turn on the shower. Once the glass splash guard is in the way, it will be hard for you to reach the knobs while standing out of the bathtub and away from the shower. Does it mean you will have to get wet every time you want to turn the shower on? No, you absolutely don’t have to do that. The best solution to this is to choose a glass shower splash guard, which is less wide. Another good solution is to have the knobs and levers located a bit on the side and not exactly under the shower.
The other challenge is when your showerhead is not very high and you need a short heighted glass splash guard for shower. The maximum height of the top edge of your glass is then low enough to touch your shoulder or maybe even ribs. A pointy corner of the glass can then be a danger for you. The best solution is to have a glass splash guard with rounded corner installed. With such a huge variety of glass shower guards available, you can find one with rounded corner easily.
Some people are also worried about steam escaping from their bathtub because splash guard doesn’t cover them from all sides.
This particular problem can be solved by installing the right sized shower splash guard. For a small sized bathroom, a small sized glass panel would do. Select a big panel if your bathroom is spacious and big. With the right sized glass panel, you should not have the issue of steam escaping and leaving you bathing in cold.
Some Unique Problems Glass Splash Guards Solve
If you are someone who likes to look at things from all possible angles before making a decision, you will find out some additional benefits of glass splash guards. For example, kids love to push, pull and hang with the shower curtains whenever they are in the bathroom. Such playfulness of kids can cause them damage. They can slip badly and fall hard on the floor or inside the bathtub. It can make matters worse if your bathtub is full of water. With a glass shower splash guard, you can take on this particular problem to some extent. It might not be a perfect solution to the problem but still much better than the security that shower curtains offer.
Another problem people have when taking a bath in the bathtub is standing up in the soapy water. Chances of slipping in this situation are pretty high. They don’t have anything to hold on to, and shower curtains can just make things worse here. Your glass splash guard for shower can have a strong and sturdy handle attached to it to help you stand up and get into the bathtub. Holding onto this handle helps you avoid slipping accidents greatly.
Now that you know everything important glass shower splash guards, make sure you pick the right one and cherish it.