What glass thickness suits a frameless shower?
A fixed walk-in panel uses 8 mm toughened glass if it is no taller than 2 m and no wider than 90 cm. Taller or wider panels and doors take 10 mm, and very large formats go to 12 mm. Toughening is mandatory: if it breaks, this glass crumbles into small blunt pieces.
Thickness is decided by height, width and fixing method, not by price. 6 mm glass in a big panel vibrates and rattles, and on a door it sags on the hinges. In an Eixample flat with 3.2 m ceilings, a full-height screen is usually 10 mm with a top support or none at all, and that is settled in the design.
Do you need a door or is one fixed panel enough?
One fixed panel is enough if the shower head points away from the entrance and the shower area is at least 120 cm wide. A panel 80 to 100 cm wide covers the main splash line. A door is needed in a small bathroom, where the shower area is 80 to 90 cm and water reaches whatever is beside it.
A walk-in without a door has a cost: after a shower, water sits on the adjacent floor, which needs a fall or good waterproofing. If the bathroom is cold, steam cools quickly. A rain head is aimed at the glass, not at the walkway.
Often a panel with a small fixed return is fitted, at 90 degrees, or a pivot door if the room allows.
How do you fix the glass without a bottom profile?
There are two reliable systems: a floor channel and point fixings on the wall. In the first, the glass sits in a narrow channel cut into the screed and is sealed with silicone. In the second, two or three steel or brass clamps on the wall hold the panel, plus a stay to the ceiling or wall.
In both cases waterproofing and tiling are done with the fixing in mind: you cannot drill a finished floor without damaging the membrane. So the glass dimensions and fixing points are fixed before waterproofing, and the glass is ordered to final measurements once the tile is down. Lead time for made-to-measure toughened glass is typically one to three weeks, and it goes into the programme so you are not left with a finished bathroom and no screen.
The fixing type is discussed with the glazier before the floor is laid, not after.
Why does limescale appear within a week in Barcelona?
Because the water is hard. According to a 3Cat report, Ter water is rich in calcium and bicarbonates, while Llobregat water carries more minerals, chlorides and sodium. Composition depends on the source and the season, so use the hardness data for your building or from the supplier, not an average.
In practice a droplet dries on the glass and leaves a calcium spot. Within weeks it turns into a whitish film that no soft cloth removes. It shows most on chrome fittings, on frosted glass and on tinted glass.
That is why a design avoids deep textures, uses plain clear glass and thinks about cleaning: a squeegee on a hook, access to every corner and no horizontal ledges where water collects.
Does an anti-limescale coating on glass work?
It works, but not forever. A nano-coating with a lotus effect repels water, droplets roll off and less scale builds up. In practice the effect lasts one to three years, then it has to be renewed, and a new screen with factory treatment often has better optics.
The coating does not replace the habit of wiping the glass after a shower. A rubber squeegee for 20 seconds does more than any chemistry. If there is no time for upkeep at home, soften the water at the entry point, which is the subject of a separate article on softeners and reverse osmosis.
The coating goes on clean glass. If scale is already there, remove it with a suitable acid first, then treat. Do not use aggressive products on brass fittings.
How do you design the floor and drainage of a walk-in shower?
The shower floor falls 1 to 2 percent towards the drain, and the drain sits by the far wall or as a linear channel along it. The glass stands on the side water does not run towards. If the drain is next to the glass, water heads for the opening.
Large-format porcelain or stone needs careful fall calculations: a 120 cm tile does not sit flat on a sloped floor, so it is cut, or mosaic and small formats are used in the shower area. The glass-to-floor joint is sealed with anti-mould silicone and renewed every few years.
All of this is agreed with the designer and the tiler before tiling begins, because the shower floor dictates the glass, not the other way round.
How can BCN YARD help with the shower area?
We visit the site, measure and agree the screen type, fixing and floor fall with you before waterproofing. The glass is ordered to final measurements and its lead time goes into the programme. We work with our own crew and trusted subcontractors, one person is responsible for the site, and we speak Russian and Spanish.
After the visit we prepare an estimate where glass, fixings and waterproofing are visible separately, so you know what you are paying for.
Frequently asked questions
What glass thickness does a walk-in shower need?
A fixed panel up to 2 m high and 90 cm wide is fine in 8 mm toughened glass. If the panel is taller, wider or carries a door, use 10 mm, and very large formats are made in 12 mm. 6 mm glass in a large panel vibrates, so it is not used.
How is a shower screen fixed without a bottom profile?
The glass goes either into a narrow floor channel sealed with silicone, or onto wall clamps with a stay to the wall or ceiling. It is decided before waterproofing, because drilling a finished floor risks damaging the membrane. The glass is ordered to final measurements.
Does an anti-limescale glass coating help?
Partly: droplets roll off and less scale builds up. The effect lasts one to three years and then is renewed. Without the habit of wiping the glass after showering the benefit fades quickly, and in Barcelona's hard water it pays to add a softener where water enters the flat.
Can a shower go without a door?
It can, if the shower head points away from the entrance, the shower area is wider than 120 cm and the exit floor has a fall and waterproofing. In a small 80 to 90 cm shower, water leaves the area without a door, so a fixed panel with a door or pivot leaf is better there.