Shower Door vs Shower Curtain: Advantages And Disadvantages

The shower is an element of plumbing that has won our hearts forever. It is ideal for a small space, and where we have a large area, it complements the bathing area with the possibility of a quick refresh. When designing a bathroom with a shower, we must choose the barrier to protect against splashing water. There are two options to choose from – a shower curtain or glazing in the form of a wall or a cubicle. Some of the factors to consider are your personal service preferences, budget, and long-term plans.

When the renovation is coming to an end, and we are choosing the final details of the interior, we ask ourselves a question about the bathroom, but what should we choose a curtain or put a shower door there? Of course, this only applies to those who have a standing bathtub, shower tray, or tiled shower.

Shower Door

Shower doors provide a watertight seal and a modern, attractive appearance. Depending on your style and budget, you can choose from simple, no-frills glass panels or bespoke, decorative pieces.

Shower doors are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. The following are the most popular types:

• Sliding doors, also known as bypass doors, have two or three glass panels that glide back and forth on tracks. These take up the minor area and are ideal for showers in alcoves, corners, or bathtubs.
• Pivot doors have a single glass panel that opens to the left or right. These are suitable for isolated showers in nooks and corners.
• For freestanding corner showers, round doors that open inwards are designed.
• Neo-angle doors are intended to accommodate angular standalone showers and swing to the left or right.

You’ll also have to pick between framed and frameless shower doors. A metal frame surrounds the glass panel in traditional framed doors. Because frameless doors don’t have a structure, they provide a cleaner appearance. The glass is attached to the shower by heavy-duty hinges at the top and bottom.

Shower Curtain

The main advantages of bath / shower curtains:

• adaptation to humidity and temperature drops;
• a unique surface that is resistant to mold and mildew;
• easy-care fabric with special impregnation;
• you can easily change and modify the design of the bathroom.

Also, if you have opted for a shower or bath curtain, do not forget about the height of the cornice on which your curtain will hang. Before hanging a radius, corner, L-shaped stainless steel curtain rod for a bath (or any other), buy a curtain and start from its height. If the curtain needs to be cut, this is not scary, but it will be unpleasant if its height is not enough.

Bath or shower curtains are sold in different sizes. The most common are: 180 x 180, 180 x 200, 200 x 200, 200 x 220, 240 x 200. Sold by 1 or 2 in a package – pay attention to this when buying.

Often, along with the curtains, rings are also included. Usually, they are plastic, white, or transparent. If these do not suit you stylistically, you have to search separately. Of course, hooks in the color of the cornice look much better and more harmonious. Metal rings or stainless steel hooks can be bought or ordered along with the curtain rod. There is no difference in operation – they differ only in external design.

Of course, if you have a shower bar or a bathroom curtain rod that is very long, you cannot do it with one curtain – you will need 2 curtains, so pay attention to those models sold in pairs; it’s more profitable to buy.

The curtain hangs on the cornice does not require special care and is not afraid of external influences. Sometimes it is enough to wipe the arch for a bath or shower with dry cloth from dust, and that’s it – nothing else needs to be done with this cornice.

There is no breakage here – there is simply nothing to break. If you use a high-quality stainless steel bath cornice (when buying, pay attention to the fasteners), then it will serve you for years without requiring replacement. You only need to change the curtain from time to time.

Shower doors (sashes) are plastic or glass. The choice of material depends on you; both need care in the same way, but glass, but in my opinion, more massive and presentable. Bath doors provide reliable splash protection and are aesthetically pleasing to the interior of almost any bathroom. They can be bought as ready-made in any building supermarket or made to order if you have a non-standard bathroom or shower.

Usually, doors of this type are installed on a bath; they consist of 2 – 3 parts and open with an accordion.

Caring for them is not too easy – if you do not want to see stains and streaks after each shower, they must be wiped off. Or, when buying, give preference to the pattern on the doors in the form of droplets – it will partially hide this flaw.

Also worth noting is the quality of our water, after which there is noticeable limescale and rust. So if you don’t have heavy-duty cleaning filters, be prepared for frequent maintenance. 

Let’s take a look and find the pros and cons of both options.

The bath curtain is attached to a cornice or a bath rod (or even an arc, as it is called) of the molding model, and we have considered the advantages and disadvantages in this article. The curtain protects bathroom furniture and things from soapy foam and splashes of water and plays an important role in interior design. There are many stylish, beautiful, and functional curtains for the bathroom or shower on the market, and not necessarily a ghost from the Soviet past, where an oilcloth “something” hung in the bathroom.

High-quality shower curtains do not allow the bathroom to be flooded with water; they do not get wet or stick to the body, are securely attached to the shower bar, and are suitable for any shape of the bath – rectangular, radius, asymmetric, etc. Polyester products are in particular demand, which has water-repellent properties, and a variety of colors can satisfy any buyer.