Just like you, many homeowners have felt the pain of dingy, sub-standard and non-functional showers in their bathrooms. What is now a haven for mold, mildew and water stains can quite easily become a source of gleaming pride.
Close your eyes and imagine having a brand-new remodeled shower with flawlessly clean walls and gleaming glass finishes. All it takes is vision, focus and a budget to make it a reality.
Perhaps your situation calls for a major “down-to-the-studs” remodel. If you are fortunate, however, a modest makeover might provide enough clean and simple fixes to drastically improve your situation.
There is a lot to sort through.
New Paint.
In years past, you had to use a glossy or satin paint wall finish to lock out persistent bathroom humidity. But today many manufacturers are producing specialty paints in multiple finishes
with anti-microbial additives to protect against moisture and mildew. They will be more expensive than standard latex-acrylic. Overall, the surest way to prevent mold and mildew is investing in a properly vented exhaust fan ducted to the exterior.
Focus on Fixtures First.
In most bathrooms, the sink or tub faucets are the most visible hardware in the room. When you decide on new fixtures first, all other decisions, including shower set, toilet flush lever, towels bars – flow from that design and aesthetic standard. Give some thought to the ergonomics of the faucets and consider ones that are the easiest to use for all ages.
Storage and Counter Space.
The sinks and vanities you choose will go a long way toward defining how much storage and counter space your new bathroom will offer. The choice of a pedestal sink offers a slim yet traditional impression. Ideal for smaller spaces, it offers no storage and minimal counter space. Vessel sinks, bowls that sit on top of a vanity, are gaining in popularity and can offer ample storage when mounted on sizable vanities. A more traditional single or double sink vanity offers both counter space on top and storage space below.
Get the Right Lights.
In most bathrooms, recessed or surface-mounted ceiling lights are critical for overall room lighting, but very unflattering for self-reflection. Task lighting on either side of your over-sink mirror is ideal. Fixtures should be placed at eye level (around 66 inches) and ideally spaced 36 to 40 inches apart.
Let Maryland Frameless Showers Be Your Resource.
No matter what functional and design decisions you reach, let Maryland Frameless Showers give your bathroom the elegance it deserves. A beautiful frameless glass shower door will give your new bathroom an entirely different aesthetic. Flawlessly designed, invisible glass, frameless shower doors achieve a luxurious and opulent look for your bathroom.
Frameless shower doors require minimal care, so with a little bit of effort, they will stay looking as good as the day they were installed. Maryland Frameless Showers provides all customers with a squeegee that makes it easy to prevent buildup. However, sometimes life gets busy and you don’t have time for even quick cleaning. If you live in an area with hard water, calcium and other minerals might build up on your glass.
Here’s how to remove buildup and keep it from coming back.
Understand What Causes Deposits
Hard water has a high concentration of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. When rain falls, it travels through the ground, picking up minerals on its way to lakes and rivers. After it leaves the water treatment plant, it might pass through old pipes and gather rust. These minerals flow through your showerhead and cascade down your tile and glass enclosure. Water evaporates, leaving mineral deposits behind.
If you see a scaly looking film on your frameless shower enclosure that doesn’t squeegee away, you probably have mineral deposits. You might also see buildup on your showerhead and around your drain.
Dissolve Mineral Deposits
Acids react with mineral deposits to break them down. Try these natural solutions first to remove light calcium and lime scale:
- Vinegar – The acid in vinegar often dissolves mineral deposits. Pour some in a spray bottle and mist your glass and tile repeatedly. Keep surfaces wet for up to 20 minutes to allow the vinegar to break down the scale, then rinse it away with hot water.
- Lemon juice – If the vinegar smell bothers you, use lemon juice in the same way.
If you still have a film on your glass, you may need to try a commercial solution. Read online reviews to select one that is effective on both soap scum and hard water deposits. Most solutions have heavy fumes and can harm your skin. Be sure the area has adequate ventilation and be sure to wear gloves to keep spray from dripping on your hands.
Protect Against Future Deposits
It helps to install a water softener in some areas with extremely hard water. These units treat water coming into your home and make drinking water taste better, get clothes cleaner, and make appliances last longer.
Create a barrier that prevents future mineral deposits so you have more time between cleanings. After your doors are clean, spray them with a furniture polish that contains lemon oil and polish them with a dry towel. The film left behind by the polish will discourage future buildup.
At Maryland Frameless Showers, we’ll help you build and maintain your dream bathroom. Contact our experts today.
Cold weather, holiday stress, and short daylight hours wear on your body and your mind. You might not have the time to get away for a pedicure, massage, and facial, but you can experience that relaxation at home. Bathrooms are small spaces that are easy to personalize for a spa-like relaxation zone. Appeal to your senses and create a haven from stress with these steps.
Open Small Spaces
Everything you see when you walk into a spa was chosen carefully to create a feeling of relaxation. Small spaces feel cramped and stressful, so make your bathroom feel as roomy as possible. Put away clutter on vanities or contain it in matching baskets. Put away personal care items when they’re not in use.
A frameless shower makes small bathrooms instantly feel larger. A shower curtain obstructs the view and traditional shower doors are enclosed in rubber and metal. Frameless showers are clear glass. They’re an elegant, minimal enclosure that makes your bathroom feel like a luxury escape.
Use Continuity
Create a seamless transition by painting walls the same color as your shower tile. A frameless shower door will draw attention to lavish tile and other shower features. Use the same color in towels and accessories to encourage the eye to travel around the room so that the space appears bigger.
Spas often use colors from nature for their soothing effect. Greens and browns bring the outdoors in. Smaller bathrooms feel open when you use lighter shades.
Expand the View
The same principle that makes shower doors so attractive also applies to windows. A small window by the shower or tub lets you view the outdoors while soaking. If a window isn’t an option, a skylight can provide daylight and make you feel as if you’re showering in nature.
Make a Sink Statement
If you have a limited budget for bathroom improvements, a vessel sink is an affordable way to add a spa feel to your space. They’re usually bowl-shaped, but they also come in shapes that are boxy, sculptural, or inspired by nature.
Swap Your Shower Head
Turn your frameless shower into a waterfall with a massaging showerhead. Immerse yourself in falling rain to rinse away stress or target tight muscles to massage away tension.
When you’re ready to transform your bathroom, the experts at Maryland Frameless Showers can help. You pick the glass and fixtures that are perfect for your space. Contact us to find out more.
When it comes to frameless glass shower doors, don’t believe everything you hear. There are many myths and misconceptions floating around from people who know nothing about the product. Many false “facts” originate from the manufacturers of typical shower doors. Instead of buying into these falsehoods, learn the truth about frameless glass shower doors. Here are four myths, debunked.
They’re Hard to Keep Clean
One of the benefits of glass shower doors is that the clean, clear glass looks elegant and adds the illusion of space to a bathroom. If the glass becomes dirty or full of soap scum, this defeats the purpose of the installation. Luckily, keeping glass shower doors clean is simple. Plenty of products exist on the market to keep glass doors looking pristine. Some doors even come with protective coatings to keep water stains off the glass. Epoxy added during manufacture makes it easy to keep the glass clean.
They Shatter Easily
Falling in the shower and shattering your frameless glass door is a fear based in fiction. Manufacturers design glass shower doors to be extremely strong and sturdy. They will not shatter from typical falls. Proper parts and installation processes will lead to a very durable door. Frameless showers can even be stronger than framed ones, as they do not contain materials that will corrode and break over time. Plus, the glass on these doors is tempered. This means if it does break, it will not shatter into sharp, dangerous pieces.
They’re Too Expensive
Many glass shower door providers offer competitive prices on the latest models and payment plan options if you can’t afford one lump sum. The cost of your door will depend on the type of door, installation method, and company you choose. When it comes to price, hardware matters. You get what you pay for with frameless shower doors. Opting for the cheapest installation on the market can lead to issues down the road. If you plan to sell your home, installing beautiful glass frameless shower doors can increase the value of your property.
They Leak Water
Most of the public does not understand how frameless shower doors work. They believe that a lack of a frame will mean large gaps between the glass and the structure, leaving room for water leaks. This is not the case. Only a poorly built or badly installed door will be prone to leaks. Professional construction and installation will result in the proper amount of slope, allowing the shower to drain instead of leak outside the enclosure. A proper frameless shower will also have straight walls, a buttress, a shower dam, and other elements to prevent leakage.
Learn more facts about frameless glass shower doors by asking an expert.
If your bathroom has limited square footage, you might think you’re doomed to deal with a cramped, tight space until you have the budget for a remodel. Thanks to a few ingenious décor tips, however, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are ways to create the illusion of space without tearing down walls. Try these tips for a bathroom that feels bigger and brighter in no time.
Make the Room Light and Bright
Bright natural light and paint colors such as white or cream can make even the smallest space feel airy and spacious. Swap out dark, drab colors for soft, serene tones. Opt for neutrals, pastels, and whites for the walls and bright-colored towels and accessories. Choose “cool” colors for a bathroom that feels like a spa. Increase light by opting for transparent window dressing or installing more lights. Recessed lights can add brightness without imposing on your already limited space.
Tackle Clutter With Smart Storage
Clutter is a small bathroom’s worst enemy. Objects on countertops, on the floor, and hanging from the walls can make a small space feel messy and claustrophobic. Clear away clutter using smart storage options to create more open space. Add storage containers to the inside of cabinet doors. Organize towels and toiletries in attractive bins. Use your vertical space – install a shelf above your door to store extra items you don’t use very often. Eliminating clutter as much as possible can work wonders in a tiny bathroom.
Add a Larger Mirror
Installing a large mirror is an easy and cost-effective way to make a bathroom appear bigger. Where a wall closes a room in, a mirror reflects light and space. Replace your current mirror with a larger one that stretches across the wall. Go grand with one that reaches all the way to the ceiling for a really big impact. Large mirrors will double the impact of your lighting fixtures, and, like magic, make a small space grow.
Eliminate Visual Obstructions
Nothing boxes off a space like an opaque shower curtain or bulky shower door. Immediately create more space by trading your traditional shower for a frameless glass model. A frameless shower door is an elegant and stately way to make a small space look and feel larger. It eliminates a major visual obstruction in your bathroom, allowing the eye to see all the way to the wall instead of stopping at the curtain. A frameless door can visually push the wall back, creating much more open space and adding depth. It’s an easy change that can make a world of difference.
A bathroom remodel is an exciting prospect, but the options can be daunting. Go into any home improvement store or flip through any catalog, and you might find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of tile, trim, and vanities. To aid your new bathroom remodel, we’ve compiled our favorite trends that will be stylish for years to come.
Consider one of these to create a bathroom your friends and family will all love:
Fish Scale Tile
Fish scale tile, or mermaid tile, is aptly named. Small, half-moon tiles with pointed ends fit together just like fish scales, creating visual interest. If you’re the kind of person who always needs to feel close to the water, this might be the right option for you – each time you step into your fish scale tiled bathroom, you’ll feel like you entered an underwater oasis. Try a cerulean glazed tile against stark white tubs and fixtures for a nice contrast.
Natural Stonework
Natural, textured stonework in your bathroom will make it seem more like a spa. Add a frameless glass shower and clean fixtures for a desert-modern feel.
Custom Built-Ins for Storage
Your bathroom should be a relaxing place for you to unwind or to prepare for the new day. That’s hard to do when you don’t have enough storage space for all your toiletries. Custom built-ins allow for plenty of space to store towels, hair products, makeup, and other essentials. Make the most of your vertical space and build your cabinetry all the way up the wall. If this isn’t an option, consider an interesting piece of antique furniture.
Minimal Effort
Since your bathroom should be relaxing, ease of use and lack of fuss is the key. One of the best ways to achieve this is with a frameless shower coated in sealant. Cleanup and maintenance is a snap, your bathroom appears larger because of the glass walls, and your space will feel more like a spa. Other fixtures that work well to achieve your minimal-effort aesthetic: comfort height toilets, floating vanities, and bathroom/shower combo wet rooms.
Media Compatibility
Most people like to sing in the shower, but new accessories make it easier than ever to follow your favorite tunes. Consider installing a showerhead with a built-in waterproof speaker or even installing a small hideaway TV so you can binge watch your favorite shows while relaxing in the tub.
No matter which option you choose first, these trends will make your bathroom everyone’s favorite spot in the house. Maybe it’s time for an update of the other one, too?
Congratulations on your investment in a frameless shower! You’re now the proud owner of a spa-like oasis. Frameless showers are attractive and create an open, clean look to your bathroom. Now it’s time to take care of it and ensure it looks as good as the day you installed it.
Here is our best advice for maintaining and caring for your new frameless shower:
1. Squeegee After Showers
Using your squeegee after each shower isn’t necessary if you choose to protect your door with a sealant, but it can help minimize streaking and mineral buildup if you go without. A simple once over after every shower will keep your unit looking its best. Even if you opted for sealant protection, the occasional squeegee will help protect against possible soap buildup on your glass walls. We provide a squeegee to all of our Maryland Frameless Showers customers upon installation.
2. Try DIY
If household cleaning products aren’t your thing, take a DIY approach. Use regular household items like white vinegar, baking soda, and water to create a solution that will banish any mineral buildup. To make a solution that will extend the time between cleanings, make a simple solution of lemon oil. The oil creates a sealant that will keep scum from building up, and the lemon gives your bathroom that “just cleaned” feeling. Reapply weekly to maintain your glass’s natural sheen.
3. Choose the Right Cleaner
Caring for your glass shower doors is a little different from traditional glass cleaning. Your new frameless shower is prone to water spots, and the right cleaner will help keep it looking its best. Our products come with a sealant option, which repels water and oil based substances, keeping your glass surface looking squeaky clean. No need to squeegee after every shower – this sealant does much of the hard work for you.
When it comes time to clean your shower, don’t use abrasive ammonia-based cleaners. A soft cloth will do. Choose a gentle cleaner that contains green ingredients.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Remember, maintaining your new frameless shower system should be easy. They require minimal upkeep, so stick to natural cleansers or make your own with household ingredients. Consider the occasional squeegee to avoid mineral buildup or streaking from soap scum. That’s all you have to do – then sit back and enjoy your new frameless shower system! With the right approach, you will be able to enjoy your shower for years to come.
Have more questions about your shower? Feel free to contact us.
A steaming shower can completely erase the day’s worries and stresses and improve your health. You don’t have to visit a spa or gym steam room to gain the many health benefits of steam. With a frameless glass shower featuring an operable transom, you can relax in a cloud of steam inside the comfort of your home.
Consider updating your bathroom with a floor-to-ceiling frameless shower to gain the following benefits:
- Relaxation. Step into a hot shower to ease muscle tension, ward off a cold chill, and slip into a state of relaxation. Sit or stand as the water creates soothing, moisture-rich steam that feels
like a warm blanket.
- Skin care. Steam therapy opens your pores for easy cleaning, eliminates toxins, and stimulates blood flow. With regular use, you may notice long-term benefits. Steam sessions followed by your normal skincare routine will help you slough off dead skin cells and impurities for softer, smoother, and younger-looking skin.
- Water weight loss. You can’t count on a steam room alone to shed pounds of fat, but the heat can help you eliminate water weight and bloating. Remember to hydrate adequately before and after using your steam shower to avoid headaches and weakness from excessive dehydration.
- Sinus care. Head into your steam room during the cold, dry winter months to soothe your nasal passages and open up your sinuses. Treat colds and allergies with a daily steam session and use them to prevent recurrences. You won’t spend any more time sitting over a bowl of piping hot water when you invest in a frameless floor-to-ceiling shower.
Steam is a powerful all-natural remedy for many daily aches and pains. Enjoy steamy showers year round after hard workouts and to warm up on cold wintery days. For normal, healthy individuals, 15-20 minute sessions can help you relax and get the most out of your shower. If you have any preexisting health conditions, however, you may want to discuss your steam shower use with a physician first. Steam can exacerbate certain cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.
Investing in a Steam-Ready Shower
Add value to your space with a frameless steam shower. A floor-to-ceiling design featuring an operable transom will allow you to keep the steam in or release it. Our operable transoms come in a variety of styles and typically feature hinged clips that allow users to push the above-door window open or closed easily.
For normal showering, keep the operable transom cracked or fully open to dissipate steam. Gently push the glass in line with the shower walls to transition the space to a fully enclosed steam room. Turn your bathroom into an at-home spa you can enjoy whenever you need a few minutes of peaceful, steamy relaxation. Ask about our frameless steam shower options today.
Traditional showers often feel closed-in and dark. They are difficult to clean and can overwhelm other interior decorating choices within the room. A frameless shower, on the other hand, creates movement in the space. Many homeowners are upgrading their bathrooms with frameless showers to overhaul the look and feel of the entire space.
Consider some of the most compelling reasons to choose a frameless shower:
Appearance. Frameless showers are sleek and classic. They can really open up spaces and showcase decorative tile and accent hardware. When you walk into a bathroom featuring a frameless shower, you will likely experience an instantaneous reaction. Instead of feeling closed-off, the space naturally transitions from shower to outside areas. The strong clear glass and smart lines create a sense of luxury and spa-like tranquility. Many homeowners gravitate toward these innovative shower styles because of their appearances alone.
Light. Traditional glass showers and curtained showers often prevent light from entering the shower space. Some enclosed showers feature spotlights overhead, which can help or leave the space feeling too artificial. Frameless showers create a transparent boundary that allows all other light from the space to enter into the shower and brighten up every corner. When you stand in a frameless shower, even the smallest spaces feel large, open, and bright.
Structural integrity. Many homeowners talk to us about structural concerns with frameless showers. Although these glass enclosures do not feature a metal frame, they offer incredible durability, strength, and support. The thick, smooth-edged glass feels sturdy in your hands and offers equal or greater structural integrity when compared to traditionally framed showers.
Maintenance. Framed showers often harbor mold and germs in every crack and crevice. Maintaining the shower requires a minimum of weekly scrubbing around all of the hardware that can attract, pink, black, and green gunk. Frameless showers feature minimum hardware. Cleaning straight, clear glass is much easier than targeting the nooks and crannies of traditional showers.
Flexibility. A frameless shower can look great in any bathroom – large or small. Custom-build your shower to fit your space and needs. Choose tile and hardware to complement bathroom décor and see how your new frameless shower adds character to any decorating style. Enjoy a frameless shower in a rustic, industrial, modern, or traditional design.
Value. Frameless showers are classic. They won’t go out of style with changing fads, and professional designs can serve a home well for decades. Enjoy a better return on your bathroom investment with a frameless shower.
To imagine how a frameless glass shower would look in your space, explore our gallery. With endless customizations and crisp, clean lines, frameless showers fit well into any lifestyle. Elevate your space with a shower you’ll love stepping into day after day.
One of the best things about choosing a frameless shower for your bathroom is that they can fit virtually any design aesthetic. Whether you’re trying to create something ultra-contemporary with sleek surfaces, a minimalist design, and with utility in mind or trying to capture something rustic and traditional, a frameless shower can tie a bathroom together.
After deciding on a frameless shower, there are countless options to choose from. Of course, you’ll want your bathroom to reflect the design of the rest of your home consistently, but there is room for creativity. Consider the following tips as you imagine your perfect bathroom.
Tiling Options
Most people love tile but hate grout, mostly due to the amount of maintenance it requires. If you’re not concerned with grout maintenance, mosaic tile can create some stunning effects and completely change the atmosphere of your bathroom. If minimalist design and low-maintenance are more up your alley, then large-format tiles can produce dramatic results while requiring very little grout maintenance.
If you want the best of both worlds, consider keeping the mosaic tile to a minimum and only put it in places where it won’t accumulate much residue, such as the walls around your mirrors, or as a trim above the larger tiles closer to the ground.
Counters and Appliances
A slab countertop can be a modern touch that you can easily compliment with the right fixtures for your sink and lighting. Additionally, solid countertops or painted-back glass countertops are visually stunning while requiring very little maintenance. Frameless showers are modern and elegant, and pairing them with larger tiles, slabs, or simply using frameless glass to partially cordon off a wet room for your shower can be a great choice. You can also consider wall-mounted appliances, even the toilet, to reduce the time you’ll need to spend cleaning your bathroom.
To Paint or Not to Paint
Finally, think about the non-tiled surfaces of your bathroom. While white may be the easiest to clean (since it shows dirt and residue faster than other hues), it may not fit with the design aesthetic you have in mind. Instead, consider investing in mildew-resistant and water-resistant paint for your bathroom walls. Depending on the nature of your frameless shower and appliance choices, the right splash of paint can produce stunning results.
