Can You Put a Door on a Prefab Shower?

Check With the Manufacturer

• Chances are, the company that manufactured your shower also makes a door specifically designed for it. These doors will likely come in a kit, with installation instructions that take the material and structure of the shower into account. This is usually the best choice because there is no question of the walls supporting the weight of the door, or what type of fastener should be used. This is also the best option for non-standard shower shapes. If the shower was already in place, however, it may not be possible to determine the manufacturer. In that case, you are left with a few options.

Sliding Doors

• Sliding doors work well on prefab units that sound hollow when you knock on the walls. This hollow sound means that there is a space between the back of the unit and the wall, which could compromise stability if the door is attached only on the sides. Sliding doors depend on the track for stability, and the track is attached to an upper and lower surface. The walls are only used as a brace instead of as a main support. The upper surface may be a soffit or the ceiling, and the lower surface may be the floor or a tub ledge -- any of these surfaces are very stable, which allows you the option of heavier glass doors. Sliding doors are generally caulked in place with clear silicone to provide protection against leaks.

Framed Doors

• Framed doors are attached at the bottom surface and the walls, and have a regular door that opens on hinges instead of sliding. If the walls of your prefab unit are solid, they'll be able to support a framed door. Framed doors offer the advantage of no top attachment, which allows you to leave the upper part of the shower open for added ventilation. In large showers, you may not even need to caulk around the edges if the spray doesn't reach that far. Framed doors tend to look more modern than sliding doors, but the metal part of the frame may be obtrusive in some decors.

Frameless Doors

• Frameless doors are similar to framed doors in that they open on a hinge, but the frame is done away with in favor of a series of metal braces. The walls of your prefab must be very strong to support the weight of the door concentrated in a small space, so these systems generally work best on stone or high-quality acrylic units. Frameless doors are the most modern-looking of the options, but the water-tightness is questionable in many cases. Often, the braces leave a small space between the glass and the wall that can allow water to escape, so these systems are best suited to larger showers where the flow of water is not right next to the door. Some manufacturers use flatter braces that leave a space small enough to be filled with silicone, so look for this feature if your shower is small.