For most people, the bathroom is their least favorite room in the house to clean. Cleaning bathrooms is rarely fun, but if you’re thinking about a bathroom remodeling project anytime soon, you can use the opportunity to create a bathroom and shower that are almost effortless to keep clean and beautiful.
Choose the Right Materials
One of the biggest contributors to the time you spend cleaning your bathrooms is surface material. The materials you choose for your bathroom will determine how much time you’ll need to spend cleaning. If you love tile, you need to accept the fact that you’ll have to clean the grout regularly. Additionally, the metal fixtures in your bathroom will be magnets for residue buildup.
A frameless shower is the answer to both grout and fixture problems. While frameless showers look fantastic in tiled bathrooms, they work well with large-format tiles that require far less grouting than smaller ones. If you choose clip installation for your frameless shower, you’ll have far fewer spots for residue to accumulate. You can also opt for U-channel frames for your shower, but keep in mind that you’ll have to clean the length of it regularly, and residue may build up in the hard-to-reach crevices around the channels.
Around the Shower
One of the best materials for the walls outside your shower is vinyl wall covering. Vinyl coverings are easy to install and require little maintenance – cleaning them is as easy as wiping them down with a clean sponge. Additionally, most vinyl wall coverings are textured, creating more visual interest in the bathroom and opening the door to a variety of design options for the other surfaces in the room.
Water- and mildew-resistant paint is another great choice, especially if you hate cleaning tile and grout. If you select the right paint, you can protect your bathroom, save time on cleaning, and create stunning effects.
Ultimately, how you design your bathroom is up to you, but a frameless shower and some savvy surface material choices can drastically cut down the time you’ll need to spend cleaning. Maryland Frameless Showers has options for any project, so reach out to us to see how we can create the low-maintenance bathroom of your dreams.
Frameless glass shower doors are gorgeous installations that can transform your bathroom. Take your shower from frumpy to fabulous within minimal remodeling by opting for a frameless enclosure. Don’t worry about your crystal-clear glass needing a lot of maintenance or clouding over with soap scum and discoloration over time. With the right tips and tricks, you can keep your frameless shower looking invisible with just a touch of elbow grease.
Invest in the Best Surface Protection
Be proactive about mineral deposits and water spot prevention – use Cardinal 10 Surface Protection. This treatment repels water and oil-based substances from your glass shower enclosure. During your installation, request Cardinal 10 Surface Protection for your glass. The product comes with a 10-year warranty and holds up against everything except abrasions.
It works by creating an ultra-strong bond with the glass and then it repels substances for up to 10 years, guaranteed. It’s resistant to ultraviolet degradation and mineral etching. With this treatment, you’ll never have to worry about unsightly glass or having to squeegee after every shower. You can enjoy your frameless shower with peace of mind.
Don’t Try to Get Rid of the Green Tint
Ever notice that your glass shower enclosure looks strangely green? Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. Glass naturally has a greenish tint because it contains iron. Light reflects off the iron in the glass, creating the green color. The larger the piece of glass, the darker green your edges will appear. This is because there is more iron for the light to catch. Even low-iron glass will contain minerals that create a bluish color. Again, the larger the piece, the darker blue this glass will appear. Thus, it’s normal for your large piece of frameless glass to appear discolored along its edges.
Do not try to scrub away the green or blue tint you see around the edges of your shower enclosure. This is a waste of energy and could lead to you scratching the glass. However, you can consider low-iron glass if you’re worried about the appearance. Then, focus your attention on how gorgeous your new frameless shower looks!
Partner with Expert Installers
When purchasing your glass shower enclosure, select your installer wisely. Your installation crew can give you advice as to how to keep your shower spotless, and they can set you up with Cardinal 10 or another surface protector. Experienced technicians can select the right hardware and installation type to make your frameless enclosure look as clear as possible. Come to Maryland Frameless Showers for technicians who know their stuff.
A frameless shower is a beautiful new addition to any bathroom. It gives your bathroom the illusion of more space, opening the area to a light, airy, and spa-like feel.
U-channel Installation Method
Frameless showers are frameless in the sense that you will not see an unattractive frame surrounding the enclosure’s edges as you would in a typical shower. However, frameless showers do need some kind of device to keep the panels of glass strong and in place. One such device is a U-channel, or a tiny U-shaped metal frame. Yes, it is technically a frame, but it will not compromise your desired aesthetic of a minimal shower space.
The U-channel is a metal tract that acts like a pocket for the glass panels to fit into. The finished product hardly shows the frames and offers a strong foundation for your enclosure. Plus, this type of installation is fast and easy. Modern U-channel installation methods don’t require silicone sealants between the metal and glass. Instead, clear vinyl grasps the inside of the U-channel, securing the glass. The downside to this installation method is that owners will have to clean and scrub to keep mildew from manifesting between the frame and glass.
Installation Using Clips
Clip (or “clamp”) installation uses small metal clips to hold the glass in place, attached to fixed panels on your tile floor. There is no metal tract running the length of your glass when you choose this type of installation – just small clips holding your glass effortlessly in place. Clips have earned the reputation as “fully frameless” for shower enclosures because they truly don’t use a frame. Clips create a clear, almost uninterrupted shower space. They also don’t require cleaning to prevent mold and mildew. However, clips tend to be slightly more expensive and time-consuming to install.
Choosing Your Installation Type
Both types of installation achieve the frameless shower appearance that’s so desirable today. One is not necessarily better than the other; it depends on personal preference. Consider your budget and time frame, but look at the bigger picture – do you want a small metal frame or no frame at all when you walk into your bathroom and look at your shower? Contact the experts at Maryland Frameless Showers to get more details about each installation type.
A steaming hot shower, as we’ve outlined before, is a great place to think about any number of happenings in your life – relationships, family, work, long forgotten tasks. But rarely does your mind land on the act of showering itself.
Here are a few fun facts about showering in America.
– The average shower in America lasts roughly 13 minutes, and as a country we take roughly 6.7 showers per week, with men out-showering women. Americans prefer to shower in the morning versus the night, as nearly 60% choose to rise and shine and lather and rinse.
– Showering doesn’t equal washing one’s hair, which happens on average 5.7 times per week. In fact, only three out of ten people shampoo their hair daily.
– Singing in the shower is a reflex of happiness and relaxation, but another great reason why people belt out while the water sprays? Because no one can hear them.
– Do you dry off inside or outside the shower? The most popular answer is to towel off as soon as your feet hit the bath mat outside the shower.
– Most shower owners long for a larger shower, as nearly 52% wish their shower had more space.
– A recent survey from Buzzfeed revealed that nearly seven out of ten people shower with their backs facing the showerhead, while three out of ten people like the water to hit them in the face.
– As far as a bathing order of operations goes, four out of five people wash their hair before their body.
– Over half of people turn their showerheads all the way up to get the temperature as high as possible.
– Nearly 75% of all people pee in the shower.
– Average showers can use anywhere between 25 and 75 gallons of water, which is considerably more than baths.
– Want to conserve water while you shower? Try a Navy shower, which is a method borrowed from ships where you jump in, get wet, immediately turn the water off while you scrub, and turn it back on to rinse. This practice can use up to 20 times less water than a regular shower.
Maryland Frameless Showers is a premier provider of decorative hardware and frameless showers. We work with everyone from large contractors, remodelers, customer homebuilders and homeowners around Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Contact us today to see how we can transform your bathroom.
In our opinion, there’s no better feeling than hopping in the shower to decompress after a long day. No more work, a time out from the kids — unwinding in privacy while hot water hits your skin is pure bliss.
In addition to the many reasons to modernizing your bathroom, a frameless shower is fully customizable — which means you, the homeowner, can choose a number of features to make yours unique. Here’s a little more about two stylish, yet functional, options — an operable transom and a skyline enclosure.
Operable Transom – One way to take your shower to another level is to transform it into your own personal spa. Adding an operable transom window maximizes your shower’s steam effect by fully enclosing your shower door to the ceiling. Once installed, the transom is able to be opened and closed to control the amount of steam that forms inside your shower. Rather than hot air bellowing out of your shower through a large gap, a transom covers this up and gives you full control. So if you like to disappear into a thick haze of steam, the transom is for you.
Skyline Series Enclosure – A captivating, well-engineered means of accessing your shower, the Skyline series consists of one fixed panel and one sliding panel that moves seamlessly on a rod with the help of rollers. The Skyline Series is a modern enclosure that can be installed almost anywhere, and delicately opens and closes without making a peep. This model is far superior to a standard shower track and adds a touch of elegance to your bathroom.
Maryland Frameless Showers is a premier provider of decorative hardware and frameless showers. We work with everyone from large contractors, remodelers, customer homebuilders and homeowners around Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Contact us today to see how we can transform your bathroom.
Applying elbow grease to your bathroom is a rite of passage this time of year. That’s right; spring cleaning is upon us. Mopping, dusting, disinfecting – that’s the easy, obvious stuff. But before you call it a day, make sure to remember these hidden spots if you want a truly sparkling clean bathroom.
Vent Fan Covers – Although the air might seem clean, there’s likely unhealthy dust hiding behind the cover of your exhaust fan. Remove your cover by pinching any spring loaded clasps that connect to the fan. Once the plate is removed, run water over the fan and take a toothbrush to all crevices to rid the device of dust. Be sure to take a vacuum to the fan be reattaching.
Faucet Aerators – Getting rid of gunk in your faucet takes a little more than simply running water until it’s gone. Faucets come with an aerator, which is found at the tip of the faucet and prevents splashing, creates an even stream, and conserves water. Gunk and debris can get caught in the aerator, so regularly removing and cleaning this piece can help keep it clean.
Calcified Shower Head – Hard water buildup is a common occurrence on many shower heads. When holes get clogged, they can create problems with water pressure while making it’s home to high levels of bacteria. Fill a bag with vinegar and wrap it around your shower head, securing it with a rubber band. After leaving it on for a few hours, remove the bag and scrub the remaining debris off with a toothbrush. The end result will be a free-flowing stream and a better shower experience.
Shower Grout – No bathroom feels clean without immaculate grout. There is no uniformed way to clean grout, but applying cleaning solution and water to the grout and scrubbing away is truly the finishing touch for any bathroom.
Spotless Glass Door – There’s no better way to view your newly clean shower head, tiles and grout than through the lens of a clean glass shower door. Squeegee your glass to avoid water spots and mineral damage. If you do this after every use, your shower door will remain pristine.
Maryland Frameless Showers is a premier provider of decorative hardware and frameless showers. We work with everyone from large contractors, remodelers, customer homebuilders and homeowners around Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Contact us today to see how we can transform your bathroom.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with a new bathroom in your future, but doing a bit of research before you begin can ease your mind, keep costs under control, and ultimately get you the bathroom of your dreams.
We at Maryland Frameless Showers wanted to expound a bit of advice to help you with the planning process:
1. Create a Budget – The majority of homeowners are budget conscious when planning a bathroom, so calculate what you can afford and stick to it. To figure out the best budget for you, consider how long you’ll be living in your space and how much ROI your remodel will yield – according to a 2012 U.S. News & World Report article, investing bathroom remodel returns 62% on average. Also, understand things might go awry, so plan on some financial cushion.
2. Project Length – Inviting construction chaos into your bathroom can mean you’re out of amenities (i.e. toilet, sink and shower) for a few days or weeks. This is particularly inconvenient when a home has less than 2 bathrooms, so plan accordingly!
3. You Design It! – One of the more fun parts of remodeling your bathroom is selecting your specific style. We recommend you make a statement by tiling both your floor and walls, and create a focal point in your bathroom with a frameless shower.
4. Plumbing & Ventilation – Major renovations to your bathroom, especially in older homes, often require updates to existing plumbing and ventilation systems. Exhaust fans control odor, reduce humidity and aerate harmful chemicals from your bathroom. If you plan on repositioning your sink, tub, shower or toilet, you’ll also need to plan on reconfiguring your plumbing infrastructure as well. Don’t get caught off guard!
5. Storage Capabilities – Modern bathrooms with open concepts don’t lend themselves to storage, so make sure you leave a few square feet to stow away bathroom essentials.
Maryland Frameless Showers is a premier provider of decorative hardware and frameless showers. We work with everyone from large contractors, remodelers, customer homebuilders and homeowners around Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Contact us today to see how we can transform your bathroom.
As a homeowner with a frameless shower door, you obviously have an inclination for elegance. It’s no secret that our products can be the finishing touch on your dream bathroom, as they provide a clean, transparent look that helps you showcase tiles and elegant fixtures you paid big money to install.
But what do you do when your shower glass isn’t so clean and transparent anymore? We at Maryland Frameless Showers wanted to give you the best methods to keeping your shower glass spotless.
Squeegee: Keep it Simple
One of the best selling points on a frameless shower is how easy it is to clean. Unlike shower stalls, which tend to have many crevices and require a lot of elbow grease to get the job done, the task of cleaning your glass is easily completed with a few swipes of a squeegee. Water falls off with ease and washes down the drain. 99% of the time this eliminates the need for extra cleaning. Religiously maintaining your shower with your squeegee will prevent the problems that come with streaks and hard water buildup. Don’t stray from this strategy, trust us.
But if worse comes to worst…
and you don’t have the time or patience to clean your shower glass after every use (a fine excuse if that shower is in a guest bathroom), it’s not uncommon for streaks, hard water stains, scum, and mildew to accumulate on your glass.
When you’re ready to put a little muscle to correct the problem, try popular over the counter products like CLR, Lime-Away, or Kaboom. Some people highly recommend Bar Keeper’s Friend. If you don’t feel like going to the store, a combination of white vinegar, baking soda and salt can do the trick. But make sure you use a microfiber cloth or a magic eraser so to not damage the glass.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jim Long at Maryland Frameless Showers. Jim has decades of experience helping homeowners in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia achieve their dream bathrooms.
One of the biggest issues we’ve witnessed in our years installing frameless shower doors in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area comes from issues with homeowners and contractors improperly laying bathroom tile. Here are some words of wisdom to remember as you prepare to build your dream bathroom.
Your Tiles Matter
Tile is often the baseline for most shower enclosures. The most important step in the process of tiling your bathroom is creating a level surface on your shower walls. Because glass is usually cut in a straight line, obtaining a straight edge is critical to shower door that opens seamlessly. Tiling your wall correctly the first time is a whole lot cheaper than tearing it out and re-tiling!
The Thinnest of Margins
To achieve a sleek look without putting your bathroom floor at risk of accumulating water, precisely measuring the surrounding tile is the name of the game. Our margin of error couldn’t get any slimmer. Measurements come down to literally as much as one-eighth of an inch. Being wrong in one direction or another can hinder the process and require extra time, sometimes weeks, to get the right size glass manufactured and one your shower. The worst part about that scenario means not being able to shower in your bathroom for all that time!
Carpentry 101
A great lesson to implement when working on your bathroom (or on any project in general) is to measure three times before executing an action. Tiling, woodworking, hanging blinds – no matter the task, the same principle applies. Being accurate with your measurements is of the utmost importance when getting the job done right.
To ensure improper measurements don’t happen when Maryland Frameless Showers installs your fixture and glass doors, owner Jim Long personally measures the size of your shower enclosure. For reasons we’ve discussed in this post, getting it right before putting the work in is critical to success.
Looking for the best spot in your house to do some thinking? A pensive place full of peace and quiet, where the brain can shut down for a few moments after a long and stressful day? Well, take a trip to your bathroom, turn on the hot water and get in your shower!
You heard that right. Your shower is an optimal location to find some of your best ideas. According to studies, a person has a higher propensity to develop creative thoughts and ideas when the brain is most at ease.
Think about it: you’re relaxed, distracted, and happy from the dopamine flowing in your brain. That combination can create a wheelhouse for solving one’s problems through new creativity.
Shower thinking doesn’t happen by accident, either. In science, the areas of your brain that awaken when you’re not focused are defined as the default mode network. When you passively think about things, daydream, or find your mind wandering, the default mode network is active.
Reflect on the time you spend in the shower. The water trickling down soothes you. The steam from the heat creates a cloud. It’s easy to be transported to a dream-like trance where suddenly your troubles melt away for a few moments, and your focus shifts. As the brain relaxes, you lose awareness of your surroundings.
Unlike sleep, where you enter a REM state, showering requires relatively unconscious physical activity. Lathering soap or applying shampoo to all parts of your body keeps active parts of your mind involved. So when both your default mode network the parts of your brain that need physical activity are engaged, the setting is ripe for creativity.
As you recall the day and contemplate your troubles in your shower, it’s natural for your brain to come up with unique solutions. Now the only problem is remembering to write those ideas down before they go down the drain!
(Read more about the science behind shower thoughts here and here. The details are very cool!)
And if you’re in need of a new shower, give your bathroom a modern, elegant look with a frameless shower from Maryland Frameless Showers!
