Frameless vs. Framed Shower Doors: A Comparison Guide

Showering can be a reinvigorating experience. Transforming your shower enclosure can enhance the appearance of your bathroom with a simple design change. Changing your shower doors.

Should you choose a framed or frameless design for shower doors in your NZ bathroom? Here is how framed and frameless shower doors compare in various respects…

Aesthetics

Many people would deem frameless doors the winner here. The lack of metal fixtures on these doors simply leaves them looking cleaner and tidier.

Also, as it is not easy to immediately discern the outline of these doors, they can make the room appear larger and more ‘open’.

Watertightness

Here, framed doors pull ahead — as their greater use of metal can accommodate a larger number of fittings designed to help keep water inside the shower.

In both instances, metal elements attached to the glass can be heavily caulked, while sweeping doors can be affixed to the bottom to prevent water from pooling out.

Maintenance

The track at the bottom of a ‘sliding’ framed shower door could easily collect water — potentially leading the metal to corrode or mould or mildew to start growing.

On the whole, frameless doors are easier to keep clean, as they leave the shower with fewer awkward gaps where mould or mildew would have a chance of taking root.

Cost

It is difficult to directly compare framed and frameless shower doors on this score, as they are installed differently. You could find yourself having to pay more for both the parts and installation of a frameless door, given its more complicated configuration.

However, you can’t just consider the asking price; you also need to factor in what long-term value the door is likely to bring. In practice, frameless doors can stay intact for longer, as they use less metal that would be vulnerable to corrosion.

We can deliver framed and frameless shower doors to NZ addresses nationwide. If you live in Auckland, we would even be able to install those doors in your bathroom. Please browse our website to see examples of the designs we have available — and contact us for a free quote.