Shower Enclosure Glass Installation (Screen)

In a renovation, the old screen comes out first. Old silicone holds tight, so the fitter cuts it carefully to avoid damaging the tiles. All traces of sealant have to go, because new silicone will not bond to old silicone.

Next comes measuring. The fitter measures the width and height of the opening at several points: top, middle and bottom. A spirit level or laser shows whether the walls are plumb and whether the corner is a true right angle. In older houses and flats that is rarely the case. Measuring always happens after tiling, never before.

With made-to-measure screens, measuring matters for one simple reason: toughened glass cannot be cut or drilled once it has been toughened. Every hole for hinges and brackets has to be made at the glass works beforehand. A measuring error means ordering a new pane.

The fitting itself goes like this:

• Marking the positions of profiles, hinges and brackets
• Drilling through the tiles with a diamond or tile bit at low speed, without hammer action
• Choosing wall plugs to suit the wall behind and fixing the wall profiles or brackets
• Lifting the glass in with suction cups and aligning it vertically and horizontally
• Fitting hinges, seal strips and magnetic profiles
• Sealing the joints to the wall and the shower tray or floor with sanitary silicone

Silicone needs time to cure, usually around 24 hours according to the manufacturer. Until then, the shower should not be used.

A framed screen has the glass held in an aluminium or stainless steel frame. The frame can be adjusted to some extent, so it copes with a slightly uneven wall. It suits most ordinary bathrooms and is easier to install. The downside is that dirt and limescale settle in the profiles.

A frameless screen is just glass with minimal fittings. It looks light and makes a small bathroom feel bigger. Cleaning is simple, but it needs straight walls, precise measuring and a strong wall behind the tiles, because thicker glass is heavy.

A made-to-measure screen makes sense in a loft bathroom with a sloping ceiling, in an irregular alcove, or wherever standard sizes do not fit. It is produced from site measurements, so you wait longer for it.

Shower screens use toughened safety glass, usually 6 to 10 mm thick. If it breaks, it shatters into small blunt pieces instead of sharp shards. For the look, you can choose:

• Clear glass, which lets light through and suits small bathrooms
• Frosted or satin glass if privacy matters to you
• Sandblasted or patterned glass as a design feature
• Glass with a water-repellent coating, which helps water run off and holds less limescale

The hardware matters just as much. It has to match the door type (hinged, sliding or folding) and the weight of the glass. Adjustable hinges help even out small irregularities.

The simplest option is a fixed walk-in panel with no moving parts. Hinged doors need precisely set hinges, otherwise they start swinging open by themselves or close at an angle. Sliding doors have a more complex mechanism and take longer to adjust.

These things add the most time and cost:

• Removing an old enclosure and cleaning off old sealant
• Walls that lean, corners that are not square or floor tiles that are uneven
• Large-format or very hard tiles that are difficult to drill
• A weak wall, for example plasterboard without reinforcement where the brackets go
• A badly placed mixer or drain that has to be moved first
• Heavy glass that needs two people to lift

If the water pipes or the drain need changing, that is a plumber's job and has to happen before tiling. The screen goes in at the very end, once all other work is finished.

Poor sealing. Cheap silicone without a fungicide turns black quickly, and silicone applied to a damp or greasy surface peels away. Water then gets under the tiles and into the wall. Silicone should only go onto a clean, dry surface and be left to cure properly.

Drilling through the waterproofing. Behind the tiles in a shower there is usually a waterproofing membrane or tanking layer. Every hole breaks it, so the holes are filled with silicone before the plugs go in. In practice, leaks often come from these unsealed holes, not from the screen itself.

Fixing only into the tiles. Each bracket has to reach solid masonry or a reinforced backing. Otherwise the screen works loose over time and the door starts to stick.

Measuring before tiling. Adhesive and tiles change the opening by several millimetres. With made-to-measure glass, that is enough for it not to fit.

Seals fitted the wrong way round. The bottom strip with the flap must point into the shower. Turned the other way, it guides water out onto the floor.

A competent DIYer can fit a framed shower enclosure kit, provided there is a helper and the right tools. Leave frameless screens with heavy glass and made-to-measure panels to a professional. Always follow the manufacturer's fitting instructions.

1. Check that all parts are in the box and that the glass is undamaged, especially along the edges.
2. Remove all old silicone and degrease the surface.
3. Hold the wall profile in place, set it plumb with a spirit level and mark the holes.
4. Cover the drilling spots with masking tape and drill with a tile bit, hammer action off.
5. Fill the holes with silicone, insert the plugs and screw the profiles on.
6. Fit the glass into the profiles with your helper, and never rest a pane on its edge on the floor tiles.
7. Adjust the door so that it closes easily and sits flush.
8. Fit the seals and run silicone along the outside joints to the wall and the tray.
9. Let the silicone cure as the manufacturer states, and only then test the shower.

When the job is handed over, look the screen over carefully and try it out. Check that:

• The glass has no scratches or chipped edges
• The screen stands plumb and does not move when you push it gently
• The door opens smoothly, does not swing open by itself and closes snugly
• The silicone joints are continuous, smooth and without gaps
• The seals face the right way and run the full length
• No water escapes during a test shower once the silicone has cured
• You have received care instructions and the warranty terms

One simple habit makes the screen last longer: wipe the glass with a squeegee after showering and air the bathroom. Clean with mild products without abrasives or strong acids, which damage both the water-repellent coating and the fittings. Every now and then, check the seals and tighten any loose screws.