Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
sadiev_gw

Shower Glass Surface Treatment - Clearshield or Showerguard

SadieV
11 years ago

We are getting quotes for a new heavy glass shower door that will have stationary panels on both sides. We are going with the starphire glass that will not have the green hue to it. We are being offered two different surface treatments: Clearshield or Showerguard. The Clearshield has a 10 year warranty and can be re-applied in the home if the need arises. Showerguard has a limited lifetime warranty and if there is a problem, we would pay to have the door removed and sent back to the factory.

Does anyone have experience / recommendations on either product? As we are using a clear glass, I was thinking either of these products would make it easier to keep the glass clean and clear.

Comments (15)

  • cat_mom
    11 years ago

    The company we got our shower door from uses Clear Shield. According to them, they used to use Showerguard, but had problems with it (?).

    We also used starphire glass. This shower door is in our guest bathroom. The shower is only used for one or two weeks a year generally, during my parents' visits. DH and I did use that shower exclusively for a few months while our other two bathrooms were being reno'd. After showering, we spray the tile and glass with a daily shower spray, and then use a squeegee. We had them add the Clear Shield as added protection. So far, so good.

  • salem1772
    11 years ago

    Our shower glass installer suggested applying Rain-X once a year or so, and squee-geeing often as an economical and satisfactory alternative to either of these products. Our glass has not arrived yet, so I have no experience on this topic. Anybody know if he is right or not?

  • David
    11 years ago

    Rain-x does not last very long and is difficult to apply such that streaking is minimized on windshields. I briefly considered it but ended deciding otherwise.

    Aquapel lasts way longer than rain-x (> 6 months), but in the long run, it too may be too much of a hassle.

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    Clearshield is an applied protectant that is put on by the glass supplier and Showerguard is actually done when the glass itself is manufactured so it is embedded in the glass as opposed to surface applied. Which one is better depends on the shower install company. They both do basically the exact same thing and the warranties are similar so it really is a matter of preference. Rain-x is most definitely a temporary at best solution and as mentioned earlier tough to apply evenly and is must be reapplied fairly often.

  • woodinvirginia
    10 years ago

    RAINX does work and is way cheaper then the other solutions.. a quick GOOGLE of any of the other products will show that millworkman and the others have a financial interest in protecting the products they represent.
    HOWEVER MY INFO COME FROM THE john BRIDGES WEBSITE ON CERAMIC TILE. THEY HAVE A COLLECTION OF PRO'S who also say that RAINX will work on your glass shower doors. You may have to squeegee it or re apply it every 6 weeks but 4.50 a can for a product that most of you will only use 2 cans per year [at 4.50 a can from wally world] it will take you 25 years -35 years to make up the price difference with the other products depending on which one you use.
    My water doesn't have minerals in it because I USE A WATER SOFTENER.. so don't give me any stuff about accumulation my shower door looks as good as the day it was installed...7 years ago.. and I only spent 25.00 to keep it that way..

  • millworkman
    10 years ago

    Quite frankly wood, I could care less if anyone takes my advice or not, your happy with your choice and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

  • pamtreder
    8 years ago

    Just going to order glass for my shower and I am in that quandry of "to Showerguard or not to Showerguard." I will squegee and spray a shower spray daily, but not committing to a promise to clean my shower weekly, like I should. Despite the cost, I think I am going with Showerguard as we have heavy deposits in our water. Remodeling bathrooms are way expensive!


  • angel_mercado89
    7 years ago

    doesn't work they won't honor warranty

  • sjhockeyfan325
    7 years ago

    What doesn't work - Showerguard? We had a Showerguard door in our previous home and it worked GREAT, I'd never do another glass shower enclosure without it.

  • cpartist
    7 years ago

    RAINX will work on your glass shower doors. You may have to squeegee it or re apply it every 6 weeks

    Frankly, I don't want to be bothered reapplying Rainx every six weeks. I have better things to do with my time.

  • PRO
    Shower Door Guy
    3 years ago

    I have experience with the products. Rain-X is simply silicone that smears and will not last long at all. ShowerGuard is manufactured into the glass surface to make the surface non-porous and does a great job protecting the glass surface and is considered the best and also the most expensive. ClearShield and EnduroShield are both hydrophobic coatings and will last a long time. I believe both are about the same quality treatments but can not confirm this at this time. All but Rain-X are great options, the latter two are relatively cheep.

  • AJCN
    3 years ago

    4 year old thread!

  • chinacatpeekin
    3 years ago

    Thank you, ShowerDoor Guy; I’m happy to see this four year old thread.
    Four years ago, I was never on Houzz, but fast forward to today, and I’m in the midst of a bathroom renovation and will be getting glass shower doors for the first time, so the information you shared here is of value to me.

  • Helen
    3 years ago

    I'm not a pro but I installed Showerguard during my relatively recent remodel. I had researched and also asked about it on this forum, and decided on it for all the reasons @ShowerDoorGuy discussed.


    It has been in use for about 2.5 years and it is still performing really well. I do not squeegee after every shower but I do rinse any obvious blobs with the hand spray before exiting. I am lucky in that I have a weekly cleaning person and she wipes down the door presumably - because the door always looks shiny and clear.


    Even when neglected, it snapped back into shape as I didn't have the cleaner during the pandemic and so the door did get water spots where water had dried. I am in Los Angeles and my water is very hard - when she came back all of the water spots were gone :-).