Just checked my quote and there is not much difference between star fire and regular. These are just single shower doors.

Starfire is 1051.95 per door and regular is 885.05 per door

Personally I would go with regular in the kids baths and use the Starfire in the master. Have you considered going with Showerguard at the very least in the master?

Had to google Showerguard to see what it was! Is it worth it? How much more is it? One boys shower is ensuite but the other opens to his room and the hall (he shares the bath with the playroom) and it is something people will see (probably just kids/teenagers, but still . . .)

I'm using Starphire because I held a piece of tile up behind both types of glass and the difference in appearance was substantial. But the difference is more substantial with lighter tile, especially white tile (I used calacatta gold, and after spending all of that money, I don't want it to look green). The price difference is worth it for the difference in appearance, but I wouldn't have done it had I chosen another tile that didn't look so different behind the glass. It also depends on the glass thickness. I'm using 3/8" (to save money), but if I had gone with 1/2" the greenish tinge was twice as noticeable. The thicker you get, the "worse" the green gets.

If price is not a real consideration for you, I would go with the clearer Starphire glass. If it's not too much of an effort, it may be worth going to a glass place to see the difference with you tile.

approximately in the 7-8 a sq ft range but glass is pourous and it will get crappy looking no matter what you do from soap scum and hard water

We used 3/8" Starphire glass with Clear Shield for our guest bathroom shower. We saved some $ by using 3/8"--it doesn't feel flimsy at all, and for a little-used shower, getting 1/2" glass just wasn't worth the added expense.

We did "up-charge" by using Starphire (we wanted the white tiles in the shower to look white, without a greenish tint). We also had Clear Shield applied (similar to Showerguard in that it protects the glass from etching/filming; different application process)--DH and I did use that shower exclusively while our other two bathrooms were being reno'd. We felt the added protection was well worth any additional cost, especially over the long term.

My personal feeling is, glass protection is definitely worth having. You're making an investment, so why not do what you can to help keep it looking good? Different glass shower door fabricators/suppliers might use different products, so you should ask your door people if they use one vs the other (our guys use Clear Shield, so that's what we got).

Starphire is a good choice, if the greenish tint of regular glass will change the look of your tile/walls (unless you don't mind the tint). As I mentioned, we wanted our white tiles to look nice and white when viewed through the glass. If it is within your budget, and you will be happier with clearer glass, I think it's a good choice.

Starphire. There is no debate about this. Why spend $$$ on tile work and then put a green filter on it?

Pricing out the shower guard for the master shower. I am not worried about etching, etc. We have a 20 year old glass shower surround now and while the soap scum can be a problem and a pain to clean, it still looks great.

My builder has several houses he has built where he has someone that is a "caretaker" for them - mostly vacation houses. He has had great luck with the aftermarket applied sealers. His caretaker says they work and keep the shower clean for a couple of weeks.

Any experience with this? These are just single shower doors so I can't imagine it is too much of a pain to apply.

We did decide to do star fire in all. We were priced out 3/8 inch glass. I just thought that was standard - glad to know it doesn't feel flimsy. We figure these doors will be there forever (we will be in the house 30 years at least we hope - til we move to the retirement home!). Now I am wondering if we should do an enhanced glass or treatment.

Our glass person actually recommended against a Showerguard-like treatment. He said he it wasn't worth it, so I took his word for it. We just squeegee after each shower and have had no problems.

My glass shop didn't recommend it for my application either (he told me not to tell his distributor). He said that he only recommends the coatings to those who don't use the city's water system (and always to those who use wells). He said that a weekly cleaning will suffice in the city.

Thanks for the input. We have had no issues with our shower door on city water. Of course it would be nice if it would stay a bit cleaner but it is not a huge deal.

Now we have a full shower surround and in our new house we will only have a shower door on the opposite side of the shower from the shower head so I expect it will naturally stay cleaner.

I guess I see what the price is and decide ;)

Our glass installer recommended using Rain-X product from an auto supply store which I have used on my car for years. He said if you squeegee every time or two and then clean and apply rain-x every 4 weeks then we would be in great shape. He did however mention that the water source is going to be the most influential factor in the life of the glass, and the routine squeegee. It is going to be installed soon and I am going to go with the Starphire for an additional 12%.

Mr garden... How wide is your tub door? Is it enough to keep water from splashing outside the tub?

Good discussion about starfire glass. Thanks to all who contributed photos... Very helpful!

dianelouise - The glass panel is 36". Showering has led to splashing along the tub rim, and some spray made it to the floor after two people shower. No pools but the water does get there.

The glass is on a pivot and opens about 45* before contacting the overly large toilet lid. It does allow turning on the tub from outside it though and very easy cleaning. It is also swung open for baths.

I personally wouldn't recommend the single glass panel for a spot that is mostly showers; I hate the cold air circulating while showering. For a guest bath/powder room, its look is quite nice though.