Shower Enclosures, Mirror Walls & Door Glass Dallas

How the Frameless Shower Enclosure Changed the Glass Industry

30 years ago someone had a great idea; using a piece of ½” tempered glass as a door to a walk-in shower stall with no aluminum framing, just a polished sheet of glass, two custom built hinges and a handle. They were called bathroom shower enclosures, frameless shower doors, frameless shower enclosures, glass shower enclosures, seamless shower enclosures or just shower enclosures. Word spread quickly about bathroom shower enclosures and the glass industry would never be the same.
In those days the small glass companies did most of the fabrication and polishing in-house and by hand. To drill the necessary holes, cut the notches required for the hinges, and hand polish the perimeter edges could take an accomplished fabricator eight or more hours for one piece of glass. Once a piece of glass had been fabricated, it was sent out to the tempering house where heating and cooling to specific temperatures over set times turns normal glass into safety glass. Tempered glass is stronger, but if broken it crumbles into marble sized chips.

Designs began to evolve and change as architects and designers became aware of this great new idea. New designs included open floor plans, multiple shower heads, and limestone, granite and marble were used for wall and floor tiles. Ceramic tile size, color and textures also contributed to what we now call today’s bathrooms.

Many new types of products became available over the next few years such as spring-loaded, self-centering hinges. Multiple finishes to match faucets with towel bars have become available as volumes increased. Today, we have access to over 100 types of styles, colors of hinges, handles and many of the brackets necessary to build frameless shower enclosures.

Designers began to draw 90○ enclosures, 180○ inline doors and panels, tub deck or pony walls, and return panels so that now we use 3 to 8 different pieces of glass to build some ½" Frameless Shower Enclosures. Many designs call for floor to ceiling glass using operable or stationary transoms. 3/8" glass is used for 90% of all Frameless Shower Doors and Frameless Shower Enclosures. Some designers and architects will specify 1/2" glass and occasionally we get requests for 3/4" glass.

3/8" tempered glass weighs 5.6lbs per square foot, and 1/2" tempered glass weighs 6.81lbs per square foot. The most cost effective hinge sets will handle 80lbs or 14.25 square feet using 3/8" glass, or 12 square feet using ½" glass. Other more expensive hinges will properly handle the weight for doors up to 125lbs. Due to the weight, hardware must be custom built for 3/4" glass, and that may take 8-12 weeks to receive.

To keep your glass free from mineral deposits requires regular and thorough cleaning. Once shower glass has a buildup, cleaning is almost impossible. The good news for people who don’t do regular deep cleaning is a product called Shower Guard Glass®. This helps eliminate the mineral and soap scum buildup and allows for easier removal.

Your bath concept is limitless with ALLTEX Shower Enclosures. Our shower enclosure designs can suit any shower area. We can enhance your bath with a practical and elegant design, or transform it into an oasis of luxury. If you need to simply replace an old shower curtain with a high quality affordable bathroom shower enclosure or create a masterpiece…ALLTEX can do it. We use only the finest quality glass and hardware available. All of our designs are created with your needs and desires in mind to ensure the best value and enduring style. We will assist you in creating your own design or you can choose from one of many featured designs in our beautiful shower enclosures showroom. We pride ourselves on elegant glass shower enclosures design, precision engineering, and beautifully finished framed and frameless shower enclosures. Our bathroom shower enclosures may include custom buttress and transom panels, mitered glass joints, raked panels or other special design features. We also have sliding shower doors enclosures available in several series lines.

For your safety, all shower glass and custom shower glass is tempered. Doors swing both inward and outward for convenient entrance and exit. The graceful, clean lines of the frameless glass shower doors design maximize the sense of space in your bathroom. Go ahead – express yourself!

Today we have many glass options. Krystal® Glass includes Krystal Rain, Krystal Storm, Krystal Glacier, Krystal Serenity and Krystal Textured Flutex. Other popular frameless shower enclosures glass includes Starphire (low iron) or super clear glass. German Antique is one of the most expensive of all shower glass at $165.00 per square foot. Newer products include 3/8" Bubbles, 3/8" Paint, 3/8" Coral and ½" Azurelite (blue) glass. We offer a full line of specialty glass, and can provide unique etched glass for a truly custom bathroom shower enclosure.

Glass Specifications:

• Standard Height for Framed and Semi-framed doors: 70-3/8"
• Standard Height for Framed and Semi-framed with buttress panel: 72"
• Tempered Safety Glass: 3/16", ¼", 3/8" or ½"
• Stationary Panels: Tempered Safety Glass ¼", 3/8",  or ½"
  • Available width: up to 6 feet
• Door: Tempered Safety Glass 3/8" and ½"
  • Available width: up to 26"

Glass Options:

1. Standard: Clear
2. Color Options: Bronze, Gray, or Azurelite
3. Custom: Bubbles, Coral, Rain (6 patterns), German Antique, Paint, or Sateen, Obscure, or Etched

Our hardware comes from the premiere hardware supplier in the country. The most popular hardware choices are the Geneva Series and the Pinnacle Series hinges, and the standard 6" back to back handle. These several items total about 50% of the sales for bathroom shower enclosures hardware. Many items have to be special ordered and in some cases it takes 2 to 4 weeks to acquire these items.

Hardware Finishes:

• Brilliant Chrome or Gold
• Satin Gold
• Brushed Nickel
• Oil Rubbed Bronze, Brushed Bronze
• Satin Chrome
• White and Antique
• Custom Plating: Gold, Polished Nickel, or Pewter
  • Colors: Powder coated colors to match bathroom décor  

"Measure Twice – Cut Once”

The most critical aspect of all bathroom shower enclosures is measuring with pinpoint accuracy. Bad measurements will affect the quality of the job. In some cases one or more pieces may have to be remade, delaying the project. While measuring, discuss all details such as the position and size bathroom shower doors. Height of panels, glass options such as clear tempered, Sateen, Bubbles, Coral, Starphire, whether or not you want Shower Guard Glass® or other glass types, are all to be considered when designing.

Our other services include:
Your cabinet door glass and shelving needs. Cabinet door glass inserts in your cabinet doors and glass shelving are growing trends in home building and reconstruction today. It is a great opportunity to use one of the many specialty glasses available. This is a wonderful way to bring your home up to date and give it a fresh look.

Your source for mirrors. We will hang mirrors in any room in your house. We provide and install mirror walls, above the counter mirrors, floating mirrors, and replacement mirrors in your frames. We have different thicknesses, beveled mirrors, beveled mirror strips, and custom or pattern cut mirrors. There are several methods for installing mirrors and our crews are experts at all methods. Mirrors can also add an illusion of size. They will complete any room and brighten your home.

Your glass table tops. Many people like to protect their wood furniture with glass tabletops. We have these produced through one of our suppliers. They come in several different thicknesses, annealed, or tempered, custom cut or patterns, and with three different styles of edgework depending on the shape. Styles are beveled, seamed, pencil edge, and flat polish. Flat polish is the most beautiful and commonly used. Edgework gives your tabletop an attractive and finished look.

ALLTEX is proud to be a part of an industry that is fast approaching one billion dollars a year. We hope that this information has been helpful and are looking forward to serving you every shower and glass need.

We are in the DFW area and we are your bathroom mirrors Dallas, frameless shower doors Dallas, shower glass designs Dallas and shower tub doors Dallas supplier for all things related to enhancing your shower and tub experience.

Our offerings are broad, with bathroom shower doors, custom shower glass, frameless glass shower doors, glass shower enclosures, seamless shower enclosures, sliding shower doors, tub shower enclosure and steam shower doors, to name a few.

We ask that you take the time to review our offerings on this website and call us if there are any questions that we might answer for you. And be sure to tell your friends, relatives and co-workers to search for shower glass designs Dallas when they want to see both stock and custom designs for that unique, one-of-a-kind look. We also offer a line of sliding shower doors and custom shower glass along with cabinet door glass for that extra nice touch.