Glass shower door vs shower curtain - reality check

[Anonymous]

Need some help with real life vs stylish bathrooms. We have 2 small full baths so our family of 5 is in and out of them both. Currently they are tubs with shower curtains. We are looking at redoing one bathroom and bc it’s so small the contractor recommended a glass door so the space looks larger. My concern is that in reality we need the ability to brush teeth while someone is in the shower. I love the glass look but think I need a reality check for the way we actually live. I need to keep the shower curtain and tub right? Can I have a nice shower with a shower curtain and no tub and no glass door?

[Anonymous]

Is the shower three sided and only one side open? If yes, then a curtain is fine. You can always add a glass door later. Is the space big enough for a tiled wall next to the shower head and an open area that you walk through? Then no door/curtain at all would be needed.

[Anonymous]

We went thru some similar considerations recently. We went with shower curtain.

[Anonymous]

On a recent renovation with a very small bathroom, we ended up with a shower curtain. precisely because the shower is small. Shower curtain allows us to clean between the vanity and the shower without trying to maneuver around a sliding glass door. I really like the look of glass doors, but curtain it is.

[Anonymous]

This is about privacy? I mean it only takes a minute to brush teeth. Cant they wait?

[Anonymous]

Also, having to keep the glass clean is a bigger drag than you might think.

(I love the look, but for practical reasons, no.)

[Anonymous]

Can you keep the tub and just do a glass fixed panel on one side vs standing glass shower with swinging door. If your concern is privacy then you could do frosted glass or just keep shoes curtain.

[Anonymous]

When we had this issue, one tub became a shower that gave us room for a bigger vanity. The glass on both shower and tub is frosted for privacy.

[Anonymous]

Weird that someone would shower while someone is brushing teeth etc

[Anonymous]

We took the sliding glass doors off a bathtub because it was a pain to clean and when kids were little it made it difficult to help them in the bathtub. No desire to put it back. I don’t think they look any better on a tub.

Plus shower curtains are a relatively inexpensive way to update the decor when you want a change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is about privacy? I mean it only takes a minute to brush teeth. Cant they wait?

Seems someone is not being thorough with their brushing!

[Anonymous]

Wow, do people really think that with a family of five the bathrooms aren't constantly in use while it's time to get ready? I have two kids, and they always need to brush teeth or use the bathroom while I'm in the shower. We have three bathrooms, but one is on another level so is rarely used, and the other doesn't have kid toothbrushes.

OP, can you get frosted glass? We have a vinyl (?) shower curtain for now, but it's definitely trashy looking. Not sure what we'll replace it with when it's time to redo bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We took the sliding glass doors off a bathtub because it was a pain to clean and when kids were little it made it difficult to help them in the bathtub. No desire to put it back. I don’t think they look any better on a tub.

Plus shower curtains are a relatively inexpensive way to update the decor when you want a change.

We did the same, and later, when we renovated that bathroom, we opted for a shower curtain over a door.

Glass doors are a PITA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, do people really think that with a family of five the bathrooms aren't constantly in use while it's time to get ready? I have two kids, and they always need to brush teeth or use the bathroom while I'm in the shower. We have three bathrooms, but one is on another level so is rarely used, and the other doesn't have kid toothbrushes.

OP, can you get frosted glass? We have a vinyl (?) shower curtain for now, but it's definitely trashy looking. Not sure what we'll replace it with when it's time to redo bathrooms.

I totally agree with PP that it is not hard to imagine kids needing to brush teeth while others are showering in order to keep the bedtime or morning train going. But just in case it helps anyone... we have a family of 4 and one bath upstairs and one downstairs. I put a second set of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a hairbrush in our downstairs bathroom so that they are available in both places at any time (I keep them in a box in the cabinet so they are not visible to guests). In our case, it's especially helpful because my kids can brush teeth downstairs after eating breakfast while their dad is upstairs in the shower and I am in the kitchen making lunches. Since they are on the same floor as me, I can keep an eye on time and know if they're distracted or daydreaming and I'm not yelling up the stairs for them to hurry up.

OP, to actually answer your question, I would look at getting a shower with a nice curtain if a shower is what you want and put a glass door in later if/when it makes sense for your family. Or, if you think your family's needs will change in a just a few years, get the glass door now but use a tension rod to put a shower curtain in front of it. It might look weird for a while, but will anyone see it besides your family? And if you really wanted, you could take it down when you have overnight guests and are single-using the bathroom, anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We took the sliding glass doors off a bathtub because it was a pain to clean and when kids were little it made it difficult to help them in the bathtub. No desire to put it back. I don’t think they look any better on a tub.

Plus shower curtains are a relatively inexpensive way to update the decor when you want a change.

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