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piscesgirl

Showerglass - Starphire / ShowerGuard...HELP...so confused

piscesgirl
10 years ago

We have been pricing around for glass for our frameless glass shower. We are looking at low iron glass and possibly a shower glass protectant. I have received quotes from 6 places.

Low Iron Glass: Is all low iron glass the same? Some places sell Starphire, which as far as I am aware is a brand name. Starphire's website states it "contains as little as 10% of the iron content of regular glass". Is all low-iron glass 10% or are some higher...like 20% iron? Any benefits to going with Starphire versus a non-branded low-iron (other than I guess I know what I am getting)

Shower Glass Protectant: So we are also looking at a shower protectant like ShowerGuard. I have called around and the place that gave us the best price on low-iron glass (which happens to be Starphire) had a $22/sq ft upcharge for ShowerGuard. They said it was this expensive because they have to order the Starphire glass with the Showerguard and it is very expensive. Other places that just used low-iron glass (not Starphire brand) had a $9-$10/sq ft upcharge for ShowerGuard.

So if I compare my lowest price for non-protected low iron glass (the Starphire quote above) and the lowest price with ShowerGuard protectant (low-iron non-Starphire brand glass) we are looking at $630 difference ($15/sq ft). Just wondering if ShowerGuard is worth over $600. Thoughts? If it was a $300 or less I may consider it, but this is a lot more than I expected.

If we are diligent about cleaning the glass will we be ok? Any suggestions? I have never had glass shower doors so I have no clue what to expect.

I talked with the company that had the $22 up-charge. We discussed that we have public water and in this area we have slight/moderate hard water (Philadelphia burbs). They basically said that if we are good about cleaning our shower that the ShowerGuard is not really needed. They said a squeegee doesn't get all the soap off and just makes the glass look clean and clear and that the key is to get the soap residue off and at the end at every shower at the very minimal we should rinse down the glass. They said soap is the catalyst for mildew and stains. They then said to give the shower a good cleaning once a week. They also recommended using a self applied protectant and said we could use Rain-X (which they called the poor mans shower guard).

Does this make sense? I just want to make sure we are not making a huge mistake if we don't go with the ShowerGuard.

Comments (13)

  • millworkman
    10 years ago

    Email me firsthome, I will try and help you.

  • jacqueline5
    10 years ago

    Hi

    I'm not the original poster, but I have virtually the same questions about shower glass. Is there a difference between the name brand products and generic low iron? What are the differences in glass protectants? This is a huge investment and money is very tight (forced remodel of marble bathroom due to defect in Newport Brass valve leaking). I don't want to overspend, but we are on a well and despite a water softener, we still get hard water stains.

    Thanks!
    Jacqueline

  • jdougjo
    10 years ago

    Maybe that are full of it buy my glass guys told me the best thing to do is to buy and apply CRL TPC (Transparent Polymer Coating) Surface Protector. Cost me about $15. Takes a little work to apply the 2 initial coats but seems to do a great job.

  • LE
    10 years ago

    If you use liquid soap or shower gel and spend 5 seconds squeegeeing it, the glass does not get dirty very fast. We got regular glass, so it is definitely greenish, but since the floor is green slate, we pretend that was deliberate! In a white room, I'd spring for the low-iron glass, but not the coating. (Or try the DIY coating, which I hadn't heard of before.)

  • jdougjo
    10 years ago

    Absolutely agree with Lori about the liquid soap and squeegee.

    And I think even if you get the factory surface protector you'll want to reapply a refresher periodically. In fact, I was told it may be required for any warranty.

  • millworkman
    10 years ago

    jacqueline5, if you would like some advice please feel free to email me and I will do what I can to help you.

  • suzanneinpalmdesert
    7 years ago

    I just met with my contractor and the glass guy about these issues. I am going with the low iron glass and we are going to have the protectant fused into the glass during the manufacturing process instead of being applied to the surface where it will eventually wash/erode away and have to be recoated. My contractor has also suggested adding a system to my water heater that "softens" the water without the use of salt. Will this substantially add to the costs? Yes, it will. It's possible that I may have bought the Brooklyn Bridge.......


  • jewelisfabulous
    7 years ago

    Well worth the price to have the Showerguard and the low-iron content glass. Well worth.

  • millworkman
    7 years ago

    jewel is right in my opinion.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    7 years ago

    And mine.

  • mark_rachel
    7 years ago

    We are going to bite the bullet & spring for the Starphire & the Showerguard. I just hate to spend so much money on the bathroom/shower then try to save money on the glass. I will look at that glass EVERYDAY & I can afford to have it give me anxiety. It's worth the extra money for my sanity.

  • mrpandy
    7 years ago

    We have no special anything on our shower. Our glass guy recommended Rain-X and a squeegee, and for our installation suggested a U-channel. We went with his recommendations and couldn't be happier.