Glass makes a beautiful choice for a shower enclosure, as it opens up the room. There are a few concerns, though, if you have kids that use the shower. Fortunately, there are a few features that still make glass a good choice.
1. Opt for Easy Access
Sometimes a child will need help in the shower, so it's important to make sure the stall can easily be accessed by an adult from outside the shower stall. This means a wide enough entrance so you can reach in to help with hair washing or another task. A pivoting or hinged door that opens up one shower wall completely is ideal. Another option for a tub and shower combo is a sliding or bypass sliding door, which opens up half of the long side of the shower.
2. Allow for Monitoring
Glass comes in a variety of transparencies. Highly textured or frosted glass is barely translucent, as it only allows light but doesn't allow you to see through easily when monitoring a child in the shower. Transparent or highly translucent glass with minimal privacy frosting is more ideal from a safety standpoint, especially when kids will be using the shower stall.
3. Skip the Handles
Doors that push open from the inside are preferred to those with interior handles. You don't want a child to hang or swing on the handle when opening and closing the door — that's a recipe for a slip and fall or a broken shower door. If a handle is a must, opt for vertical as opposed to horizontal handles as these provide less temptation to swing upon.
4. Add Some Seals
Even the best behaved children tend to splash a bit when taking a shower or a bath. A glass door and enclosure works much better for containing the mess than a simple shower curtain, but some water can still leak out around the door. Fortunately, you can upgrade the water seals installed along the threshold and sides of the door. Not only will the rubber seals prevent leaks, they also help soften the hard edges to reduce bumps and bruises when getting into the shower.
5. Install a Latch
Glass shower doors pose a unique hazard in homes with very young children — it allows them to see into the enclosure which can make the child tempted to investigate. The standard magnetic latch may be no match to a determined toddler's curiosity, but there are exterior push-latch options you can add to the door. These can be installed near the top of the door so the child can't reach it.
Contact a glass shower door installer to learn more about the family-friendly options that are available.
Share17 February 2023
My sweet spouse and I are building a new master bedroom onto our small home. I’m so excited about this fun, renovation project. I’ve already started shopping for beautiful furniture to fill this bedroom with. Are you currently searching for the perfect pieces of furniture to put in a new bedroom? If your bedroom contains a large closet, you might not need to buy a dresser. Instead, you may want to invest in a large bed complete with a decorative headboard and a footboard. You may also wish to look for a gorgeous chaise lounge to relax in while you read books at nighttime. On this blog, I hope you will discover valuable tips to help you buy pieces of furniture you’ll cherish for many years to come. Enjoy!
