The comeback of the wall-to-wall frameless shower screen
Dive into this articleFrameless shower screens are one of the classiest options you can opt for when redesigning your bathroom’s shower because they add a much more luxurious and stylish feel to your space.
Glass panels of frameless screens come manufactured with 10mm toughened safety glass fully compliant with Australian standards. This feature makes the frameless screens the best in safety, durability, quality, strength, and sturdiness.
You can also perform glass coating for your screen once every three to five years to keep the glass looking new and neat. Also, the only tools you need to do maintenance for are the brass-made hinges. Replace those hinges when they start making squeaky voices or when they stop providing your shower door with the necessary support.
Moreover, you have the choice to select from a multitude of types and shapes when installing a frameless shower screen, from shower screens wall-to-wall to the Diamond frameless shower screen or the L corner screen.
Reasons to choose a sliding door for your frameless shower screen.
Additionally, depending on your preferences and the size of your bathroom, you can also install a shower screen with a sliding door, a hinged door, or a Bifold door. For instance, opt for a wall sliding shower screen if your bathroom is small and you have limited space that you can exploit.
That’s because sliding doors do not use space, and you can enter and exit the shower without having to swing the door in or out. Moreover, a frameless sliding screen is easy to use and constitutes a better option for the elderly, kids, and people with disabilities since they can access the shower simply by opening the door from both sides, either left or right.
Also, a wall-to-wall sliding screen will modernize your outdated Brasco, and when you improve the look of your bathroom and remodel it, you will be increasing its resale value.
We recommend you use a high-quality stainless steel knob handle for your sliding door because this handle is functional, and you can use it to hang your towels and clothes. Opt for the stainless steel matt black coloured doorknob since apart from being classy and stylish, it is also resistant to fingerprints and not prone to smudges.
Adjustable wall-to-wall shower screen-Bunnings
Adjustable wall-to-wall shower screens in Perth are the most prevalent type of screens in that region in Australia. Residents of Perth are well aware of the latest trends in shower screens and understand the almost unlimited benefits of a frameless wall-to-wall sliding shower screen.
An adjustable wall-to-wall shower screen comes with changeable widths and heights that you can control and modify at your comfort relative to the measurements of your bathroom.
Usually, you install two side panels for a wall-to-wall screen, a panel from the right side of the wall, and the second panel from the left side of the wall, and in between those two panels, you will put the door, thus, creating a three panels wall-to-wall shower screen.
However, you can mount a total of two panels instead of three, thus creating a doorless walk-in shower or a wall-to-wall screen with a return panel channelled to the wall from one side and the door from the other side.
Please note that wall-to-wall frameless shower screens are available in different colours, such as matt black, chrome, or brushed nickel. For us, the best option you choose is a signature matt black elegant frameless wall-to-wall shower screen that will take your bathroom style up to another level. We suggest you add an advanced Smart lighting system to your bathroom where the intersection of the lights with the black colours of the shower will create a luxurious spa-like atmosphere.
Feel free to check this adjustable frameless wall-to-wall screen made with a toughened 10mm glass compliant with Australian Standards, available with widths between 600mm and 1400mm, 2 CRL hinges with three years warranty, two wall brackets, one PVC plastic under the door, one water threshold under the door to avoid water splashing out, and one small knob.
Next, we will give you an idea of how to install a wall-to-wall frameless shower screen in your bathroom though we need you first to note the following:
While frameless glass panels are thick and powerful, however, during installation, they are easily broken if not well handled and will injure you if you don’t have the required experience in using the tools to install such screens. For your protection, we recommend you hire two qualified professionals to install your frameless shower screen.
The installation process of a wall-to-wall frameless shower screen and safety instructions
Next, we will give you an idea of how to install a wall-to-wall frameless shower screen in your bathroom though we need you first to note the following:
While frameless glass panels are thick and powerful, however, during installation, they are easily broken if not well handled and will injure you if you don’t have the required experience in using the tools to install such screens. For your protection, we recommend you hire two qualified professionals to install your frameless shower screen.
How to install a two-panel wall-to-wall frameless shower screen
1- Use a spirit level to point where you will install the wall and floor brackets on your screen, and then place the glass to the wall and drill the holes using a suitable drill bit.
2- Use a wall plug, then install the metal brackets into the wall above the glass panel.
3- After repeating the same steps followed to install the first panel with the door panel, join the latter with the return panel and then screw the handle into the holes of the door.
4- Apply silicone at the bottom of the screen with a thickness of 3mm, and cover all gaps between the glass panels, door, wall, and floor.
5- Leave for 24 hours, and admire the beauty of your brand new wall-to-wall frameless shower screen.
If you prefer a cleaner look for your bathroom, and because frameless shower screens are more about minimum hardware, we recommend you abandon wall brackets and choose instead a channel fixed shower panel, where you can insert your glass panels directly into channels without the need for brackets.
Safety instructions for professionals installing a wall-to-wall frameless shower screen
For safety purposes, the installers must wear a protective helmet, earplugs, gloves, long sleeves, safety glasses, and a face mask during the installation process.
Plus, although wall-to-wall frameless shower screens are safe, there’s a rare possibility that the glass suddenly collapses. In such a case, the glass panels will crush into small ice like pieces that won’t cause any harm because the glass used for frameless shower screens is compliant with Australian Standards, is a toughened safety glass with a thickness of 10mm.
However, in case you have kids, we recommend you install a semi-frameless shower screen instead of a frameless one in your bathroom because there’s a low possibility that the heavy brass-made hinges surrounded by glass fall on your body and cause harm and injuries.
Choose the best shower base for your screen.
To prevent water from leaking out into the bathroom floor, we advise you to install a plastic shower base under your glass screen. These shower bases come in different shapes, colours, sizes and can come manufactured in acrylic, plastic, or other materials.
Check in the image below for a classy and sophisticated veined black shower base made from marble and Rio stone. This base is expensive and will cost you a whopping AUD 3,000, but shower bases are available at different prices, and you can purchase a plastic base for as low as AUD 250.
Why It’s time to replace your old bathtub with a brand new wall-to-wall frameless shower screen
Apart from adding a modernist minimalist design to your bathroom and providing you with plenty of space, replacing your old bathtub with a wall-to-wall frameless shower screen is a must in 2021 for several additional reasons.
Frameless shower screens are much less expensive than traditional tubs that will cost you anywhere between AUD 1,900 and AUD 3,500, while the cost for frameless screens amounts to around AUD 1,100 up to a maximum of AUD 2,200, including GST (Goods and services tax), installation, and measurement costs.
Frameless screens have a sleek look, give your bathroom a clean and neat feel, and are very simple and fast to clean compared to a tub that you need to spend hours cleaning. You can save time spent on cleaning when you install a frameless shower screen.
Although frameless shower screens have a standard 10mm toughened safety glass, you can choose among various glass types and designs, such as the scratched glass that will make your bathroom look bigger. You can also opt for the tinted glass that adds colour and a unique shade to your toilet. For added safety and protection, some people prefer to use a thickness of 12mm instead of 10mm for the toughened glass of their frameless screens.
An additional reason to install a frameless wall-to-wall shower screen in your bathroom in place of the traditional bathtub is the time you spend under the shower. If you are a professional, always in a hurry, and don’t want to spend a very long time bathing, then a shower screen is the solution to your problem.
Additionally, you will save one-third of the water spent using a shower screen instead of a bathtub. Because people in Australia are very aware of the importance of responsible water consumption and the rising water costs in Sydney, most Australians switched to a shower screen and uninstalled their old bathtubs.
If you are very attached to your bathtub and would love to keep it in place in the event you wanted to take a soaking bath, we have got you a solution; you can still add a modern style to your bath by installing a frameless wall-to-wall shower screen above it without going through the hassle of uninstalling your old bathtub.
This frameless screen will also prevent water from flowing out of the tub and splashing onto the bathroom floor, saving you plenty of time and removing the annoying effort you spend on cleaning.
A frameless wall-to-wall shower screen increases the resale value of your bathroom by an average of 62.5% because of the luxurious and classy style that it adds to your space.
A wall-to-wall semi-frameless shower screen has almost the similar specifications as a frameless wall-to-wall shower screen with tiny differences that we will dive into next. First, the standard thickness for the glass panel of a semi-frameless screen is 6mm instead of 10mm for frameless screens. Still, as with frameless panels, you have the choice to select a smaller or higher thickness for your screen.
For sure, because of the less thick glass of a semi-frameless screen, the latter is less expensive than a frameless screen with prices ranging from as low as AUD 660 and up to AUD 1,100 with GST ( Goods and services tax), installation, and measurement costs included. This price is affected by several factors, such as the distance the installers need to travel to reach your location, the type of the shower door, its height and dimensions.
Semi-frameless shower screens come mounted with a thin aluminium border that provides the support needed for the glass and compensates for the lighter glass thickness found in frameless screens.
If you are on a budget, we advise you to choose an adjustable wall-to-wall shower screen because it is less expensive than a corner L shape type of screen or a Diamond shape screen. The wall-to-wall shape is also the simplest, easiest to install, and most widely adopted type in Australia.
Based on our observations and thorough analysis, we can assure you that the best decision that you can take as of this moment is to install a matt black wall-to-wall frameless shower screen with a sliding door in your bathroom. Whether you have a spacious or small bathroom, this screen is suitable for you and will turn your space into a fit for a king or queen modern style bathroom.