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lois_g

Can I put shower glass doors on top of a tub?

lois_g
10 years ago

Have a tiny ( super small) New York City one bathroom apartment. Because of mobility concerns, just installed a low Kohler Bellweather bathtub--top is 12" from floor. Thinking of clear sliding glass doors on top of tub--possibly Kohler Flaunce or Levity. But if use tub sized doors--then too low for anyone tall and metal top is eye level, which looks bad. What if I use the shower sized doors instead? Would the 10-12" clearance between the top of the doors and the ceiling be enough? Or would there be a resulting mold/spot issue?
Appreciate any comments or suggestions.
Shield would not work-- because of size and layout( tub, small vanity, toilet-- all with little space between), I would have to enter tub in order to turn on/off water.
Tub has walls on 3 sides and currently have shower curtain but would prefer the upscale look of glass.

Comments (5)

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    I think that's a great solution and I don't think the higher doors will cause any increased moisture problems (although it's always important to have an exhaust fan regardless of the shower enclosure design).

    The only issue I can think of for you to check out before buying the doors is to determine how the bottom track is fastened. Some of them only require attaching at the ends to the walls, with some silicone on the underside. Others involve putting screws down into the surface beneath them, which in this case would be the rim of your tub!

  • azmom
    10 years ago

    We are shower people, but keep a Kohler Bellwether bathtub in the hall bath in case there is a need to bath a baby or young child in the future. The tub is surrounded by 3 ceiling height tiled walls. The bathroom is 13.5 x 5 feet.

    I hate the look of by-pass glass doors. In addition, I think it is super uncomfortable for a person to bend over a door track when cleaning the bathroom with doors right next to the person.

    We then were set to use frame-less custom made glass enclosure. But the more I read, (there are a few postings on this forum regarding this subject) the more I 'simulated' cleaning the bathtub and its surrounding through a frame-less glass enclosure, the more concerns I had for safety and the ease of cleaning. Finally I decided to use an extra long shower curtain from Restoration Hardware instead.

    We wipe dry bath tub and walls after each shower. I am so glad we have a shower curtain there. I don't think using shower curtain is of a less upscale look, even if it is, I would choose 'practicality' over 'look' any day.

  • Bunny
    10 years ago

    Updating my bathroom is my next project. I currently have framed bypass glass doors attached to the walls and top of my tub. azmom is right about the discomfort when cleaning the tub and the potential perils of bumping into them. I plan to go back to a shower curtain when I remodel and move it off to the side when the shower isn't in use.

    BTW, ever seen what happens when a glass shower door fails? My BIL was carrying a new one in from the garage and it just spontaneously burst into a billion pieces. Fortunately the tempered glass meant no sharp edges or injury, but OMG, it was 9 years ago and I'm still finding pieces of that door.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    10 years ago

    We put glass doors over the tub in our second bathroom in the 80's. They hang on rollers and don't touch the siliconed metal track that runs across the edge of the tub, so they are not difficult to clean. You just have to do it while you are inside the tub. But then we had to use that shower when we remodeled our master bath. YUCK! Awkward to climb in and out, so we had to install a suction grab bar for balance. The doors restrict your space to the tub dimensions. I don't consider glass doors over a bathtub as "updated". We stayed at several motels that have curved shower curtains. MUCH more elbow room in the same amount of space, and the curtain doesn't "suck in" like the straight ones. There are some really beautiful shower curtains that you hang on a curved double rod with a mold resistant l liner. A nice quiet lighted exhaust fan centered over the tub and wired to a timer will solve the moisture problem.

    -Babka

  • Joe Macker
    4 years ago

    Did you end up installing shower doors on tub? How did it turn out?