Is shower door glass tempered, and is that the same as safety glass?

Tempered glass is one kind of safety glass; laminated is the other. Ontario's Building Code requires one of them in any shower or bathtub enclosure, and tempered is the usual choice. It's cut and drilled before heat treatment, so it can't be trimmed afterwards.

Water gets past my shower door. Is that a seal, or a new door?

Usually a seal. The bottom sweep and the strip between door and fixed panel wear out, and both are replaced on their own. Water down the wall side suggests the caulking. A new door makes sense only when the glass is etched or chipped or the frame has corroded.

Will glass doors fit an older tub with a sloped rim?

Often, yes, depending on how much flat surface the rim has. A bottom track needs a level run to sit on, and some older tubs have a rounded or steep edge. The pro checks the rim and the walls before quoting; sometimes a fixed panel works where a sliding door won't.

Are shower doors a universal size?

No. Stock doors come in a few widths that suit a standard tub alcove with plumb walls. Many Kingston bathrooms don't have those, and corner or half-wall showers never do. Custom glass is cut to the measured opening, allowing for walls that lean.

How much does a piece of shower glass cost, or a whole enclosure?

It depends on the size, the thickness and finish of the glass, the hardware, and any angled or out-of-square cuts. One replacement panel is a smaller job than a new frameless enclosure, but both are priced to the opening. Send measurements and a photo through the quote form for a real number.

Shower glass · Kingston

Glass shower doors and enclosures for Kingston bathrooms

A shower door that drips, drags or swings out of line usually needs a seal, roller or hinge, not new glass. When the enclosure is finished, or you want glass where a curtain hangs, new panels are made to measure in tempered safety glass. We connect you with an independent Kingston-area glass professional who does shower work, one of the home and business glass services we match; they measure, quote and fit it.

Hinges, seals and rollers fixed where they can be
Tempered safety glass, measured on site
Straight answers for tenants and landlords

Get a free quote 613-480-0991

Every panel in a corner enclosure is cut to the angles of its base, so none of it is a stock size.

Before replacing

What a leak, a sag or a cloudy panel usually points to

Water on the floor

The bottom sweep, or the vinyl seal between door and fixed panel, has hardened or split. Both are replaceable. Water down the wall side points to the caulking instead.

A door that sags or won't latch

Hinge screws work loose and a heavy door drops at the handle side. The hinge can usually be re-anchored and the door set square.

A sliding door that scrapes or jumps its track

Rollers wear flat and the bottom guide cracks. New ones bring back a smooth run if the track isn't bent.

Cloudy or etched glass

Hard-water film often cleans off. Once minerals have etched the surface, a new panel is the only cure.

Choosing a style

What separates a frameless enclosure from a framed one

How the glass is held decides its thickness and how true the walls must be.

Glass shelves for a shower niche are ordered as custom glass cut to size, and a vanity mirror can often be measured on the same visit.

Framed

Thinner glass held in metal on every edge. The frame hides small gaps and forgives walls that lean; the usual choice for sliders over a tub.

Semi-frameless

Metal at the walls and bottom, with an unframed door. A middle path.

Frameless

Heavy tempered panels held by clips and hinges alone. It looks lightest but asks the most of the walls, the tile and the measurement.

Tub to glass

Replacing a tub curtain or a tired slider with glass

Glass doors can usually go on the tub you have. The rim and the finished walls decide it.

Check the rim and the walls
A bottom track needs a flat, level run along the rim. Many tubs have a sloped edge, so the pro checks that first.
Finish the tile first
Glass is measured to finished surfaces, so new tile is grouted and the old slider removed before anyone measures.
Measure, order, fit
Panels are made to order and fitted on a second visit, so the measurement is most of the job.

Illustration of a tub alcove with the finished wall-to-wall width marked in red, the faucet highlighted, and a close-up of the sloped tub rim where a door track would sit — What gets checked on a tub: the width between finished walls, where the faucet sits, and whether the rim is flat enough to seal a track.

Safety glass

Why every shower panel has to be safety glass

Ontario's Building Code doesn't allow ordinary glass in a shower or bathtub enclosure: it has to be safety glass, either tempered or laminated (OBC 9.6.1.4). Tempered glass breaks into small, blunt pieces rather than shards; laminated glass holds together on a plastic layer.

Every cut and hinge hole is made before tempering, which is why a panel can't be shaved on site.

Half-wall shower

Glass on a tiled half wall

A fixed panel on the half wall and a frameless door keep spray off the floor without boxing in the room.

Ask about a panel for your shower

Older bathrooms

Older bathrooms with walls that lean

Many Kingston houses were built well before 1960, and their bathrooms have been redone more than once. Walls that lean turn a straight gap into a tapered one.

A framed enclosure takes up some of that in the wall channel; frameless glass is cut out of square to follow the wall. In the later suburbs, corner showers in ensuites sit on a moulded base, and the base sets every angle the glass follows.

What affects the quote

Size, glass and hardware: what a shower glass quote reflects

No two openings are alike, so the price follows these:

The size of the opening and the number of panels
Glass thickness, and clear, low-iron, frosted or patterned glass
Framed, semi-frameless or frameless, and the metal finish
Hinges, handles, sweeps and any towel bar through the glass
Custom angles, notches and out-of-square cuts
Access: stairs, a walk-up or an elevator booking

Measure the opening at the top, middle and bottom, and send a photo of the tub or shower base.

Get a shower glass quote

Requesting a quote from a local pro costs nothing.

Renting or letting

Shower glass in apartments and rentals

Kingston is a city of renters, and in a rental the shower door is the landlord's, so tenants, including newcomers here for a posting or a school year, should report a leak to the landlord first. In a condo, check the corporation's rules on bathroom work before booking.

Landlords can fold a split sweep or loose hinge into a turnover. The page for property managers covers booking several units at once, and the rental move-out guide lists other glass to check.

Questions

Shower glass questions

Explore your options

Pros take on shower glass across Kingston and nearby, including Downtown Kingston, University District, Bayridge & Collins Bay, Westbrook & Cataraqui North and Amherstview & Odessa.

Send the opening size and a photo of the base

Send the width at top and bottom and a photo of the tub or shower base. We'll pass it to a local pro who does shower glass; they'll quote it, or say if new seals will do.