Sliding bath screens: glass, plastic

The bathroom is one of the smallest rooms in a house or apartment, but its equipment and arrangement is very difficult. The room has difficult operating conditions and a large number of communications, equipment that makes its use more comfortable. For example, in order not to worry about water getting on the floor while taking a shower, install sliding bath screens.

Types and varieties

Sliding bath screens are a convenient way to protect your bathtub from splashing water while taking a shower. The cheapest option is fabric (textile) or polyethylene curtains on a special cornice. This is the most budget solution, but it does not provide a 100% splash protection guarantee. Some of the water still ends up on the floor.

More expensive – plastic sliding curtains for the bathroom. They are more expensive, but guarantee protection against moisture. Most often they are made of translucent plastic, so that when they are installed, the illumination remains sufficient. In rare cases, when using opaque plastic, fixtures must be placed directly above the bath.

The most presentable, but also the most expensive option is glass sliding curtains for the bath. They are made of special glass reinforced with film. Glasses can be transparent, tinted, patterned, they can be sandblasted, painted with stained glass paints, you can find / order with photo printing.

Door suspension systems

There are several mounting systems for sliding bath screens. They are used for both plastic and glass modifications. These are frame and frameless models. A greater degree of tightness is provided by frame models – there are practically no gaps through which water can flow. But they are easy to install only if the walls of the bathroom are strictly vertical, since the slightest distortion leads to leaks when the doors are closed.

Frameless sliding curtains are the upper bearing bar along which the rollers move. Curtain sections are attached to the rollers. These systems are characterized by a small number of sections – two, sometimes three. On the sides and bottom there is only a sealing profile that holds the sections in position and does not allow water to spill outside the shower stall. The sections move in the same plane parallel to each other, which allows them to be installed even in the smallest bathrooms or showers.

There is another way to attach bath curtains – in the form of a book. In this case, the rod sections are folded in pairs to one side, very reminiscent of children’s books. In this case, there are also guides (one or two), but more space is required.

The frame system usually consists of two guides – upper and lower, along which the rollers move. Sealing profiles are installed from the sides. This system is more reliable – the load is distributed over a larger number of rollers and they wear out more slowly. Sections in such curtains are also most often two or three, but there may be more. Most often, a large number of narrow sections are usually used for curtains on semicircular corner baths. Others simply cannot be installed there.

There is another system, but it is not sliding, but folding – an accordion. This type of hanger is usually used on plastic bath screens. There are also two guides – upper and lower, holders are installed in the center of each section, which are filled into these guides. The sections are interconnected by some kind of elastic material. When opened, they rotate around their axis, folding in the form of an accordion.

Features of care

Due to frequent contact with tap water, lime scale, soap residues, and other contaminants form on the surface of the bath screens. In the case of glass curtains, this problem is solved in the same way as when washing tiles: with special tile cleaners or folk remedies. Limescale is removed with the help of the following means:

• Table vinegar, diluted with water.
• A solution of citric acid.
  

Soap deposits are removed with ordinary baking soda, you can add it to the dishwashing detergent, then apply this composition to the glass with a sponge, wait a while and rinse.

When washing sliding curtains for a bathroom made of plastic, the composition must be selected more carefully: not all plastics can withstand acidic environments. When choosing a ready-made detergent composition, make sure that the product is compatible with plastics.

Do-it-yourself installation of a frame curtain

Frame sliding curtains for the bathroom are installed if the walls in the room are even: the distance at the level of the side of the bathroom and at the level of the upper crossbar of the curtain must match. Then the doors will open / close easily, they will fit snugly against one another, without letting water through.

Typically, a frame blind consists of a frame on which rod sections are already fixed, as well as a side mounting profile. The lower rail of the sliding bath screen is installed directly on the bathtub rim, the side profile is set in the center of the rim. The order of work is as follows:

• We install the side profile vertically. They usually have three holes (maybe more). The profiles are set with the lower end along the side of the bathtub, set vertically upwards, controlling the direction with the building level. Having exposed the profile, through the holes mark the installation locations of the fasteners. Profiles are usually fastened to dowels. If the bathroom walls are tiled, before drilling a hole in the wall, take a ceramic drill and make holes in the tile. Then, changing the drill to another (for concrete or brick, depending on the material of the wall), make a hole to the desired depth, hammer the plastic part of the dowel into it. To ensure tightness, silicone sealant is applied to the back of the profile (preferably sanitary, with antifungal additives). Having installed the profiles, fix them with dowel-nails.
  

• There is usually no profile on the second side; the frame itself is attached directly. It also has three holes. All actions are similar, only this time you have to expose not the profile, but the entire frame. We align it, mark holes, drill, install dowels. Next, you need to apply sealant to the side and bottom. It is more convenient to apply on the side to the wall, since during installation you will have to hold on to the frame with your hands.
• We install the frame in place, tucking its right edge into the installed profile. We apply silicone to the lower part, combine the holes in the frame with those that were made on the wall, and fix it with dowel-nails.
  

• Last – fix the frame to the installed profile. To do this, there are two factory holes in which we install self-tapping screws. This completes the installation of the sliding frame curtain for the bathroom. It remains only to install plastic plugs that cover the mounting points of the fasteners.

To make it easier to care for the sliding curtain in the bathroom, it is advisable to seal the gap that forms at the junction of the frame to the wall with a sealant. You can use silicone, but polyurethane is better. Gently fill the gap, immediately wiping off the excess.