By Mike Foti

You want to spend more time enjoying your home and bathrooms than cleaning them. If you’d like to stop bending down to clean those messy shower rails and film off the shower doors then a glass block walk in shower might be the right solution. Glass blocks are easy to clean, low-maintenance, highly durable and come in a wide variety of styles. In addition a glass block shower can be installed on a solid surface tile, marble or granite base or a pre-formed acrylic base – so they can be designed to fit in any home or commercial application.

Benefits of glass block showers and walls include:

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Looks – provides a cool, clean contemporary look. Many designers are now combining the contemporary look of the glass block in traditional interior designed bathrooms – creating a more eclectic design approach.

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Easy To Clean – Several glass block patterns are designed to minimize spotting and residue in a shower applications. Consider patterns like Icescapes and Decora from Pittsburgh Corning or Wave from Mulia. Glass block clean easily with just soap and water.

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Durable – Glass Block is sturdy and mortared together unlike some flimsy shower wall systems that are only caulked to the walls.

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Light Transmitting – Opening up a shower with glass block will often create a brighter space on the interior of the shower – making it safer and more open.

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Privacy – Unlike clear shower wall systems glass block can obscure views creating increased privacy.

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Design Flexibility and Color Glass Block options- Computer aided design programs are available to design glass block walls into spaces. In addition there are now colored glass blocks, glass block with designer patterns, glass block with beveled edges – the options have expanded vastly over the last 5 years.

Glass Block Walk in Showers on a Tile, Marble, Granite or Solid Surface Base

Glass blocks can be installed onto a solid surface tile, marble, corion, or granite base to match virtually any bathroom dimension. With the use of specialized layout cards the glass block base can be designed to fit the shape you’d like. The base and tile walls are then built by a tile or general contractor. Once this is completed the glass blocks walls can be installed on top of your base. Most of the bases have a 4 to 5 inch curb – although these showers can be designed without a curb so those with special needs can roll into the shower as well. The glass block walls are either installed on the job site (one by one) or in some cases can be prefabricated with a specialized system called Vinyl Stack which can save labor costs in the field and often improves the finished quality of the installation.

Preformed Glass Block Walk In Shower Systems

One preformed glass block walk in shower system measures 72′ x 51′ and is easy for you and your builder/remodeling/glass block installation contractor to design with because it comes in 7 different colors and pre-formed acrylic base. This system has grown over 40% the last 5 years according to Pittsburgh Corning, the manufacturer of the product. Because you walk into this shower system through a curved wall you can eliminate cleaning the bottom of a shower door ever again. The acrylic material is durable and easy to clean as well.

Other popular uses of glass blocks include windows above soaking or Jacuzzi tubs in master bathrooms, windows in garages and walk-in closets to let in light while maintaining privacy, basement windows, and above tub surrounds in children’s bathrooms. Glass block is used to increase privacy, improve security, create a modern look, and increase light transmission from room to room.

About the Author: Mike Foti

President, Columbus Glass Block, Cleveland Glass Block, Mid America Glass 614-252-5888 mfotigb@aol.com columbusglassblock.com/shower-wall.aspx

(glass block shower and wall)

columbusglassblock.com/products-designer-and-color.aspx

(colored glass blocks)

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