The bold and striking contrast of the wildly popular matte black finish in a bathroom environment has left a lasting impression with interior designers and homeowners who are looking to add eye-catching drama to their bathroom with a customizable, versatile shower door.
Although frameless showers are still the best sellers, framed grid showers are bucking the all-glass, less metal trend. Grids are actually going in the exact opposite direction with more metal and less glass.
There are several types of grid showers. True Divided Light showers are available but they are a higher price point and require a lot of cleaning. The trend is towards creating the illusion of a TDL shower like Coastal Shower Door’s Gridscape which is a known as a Full Divided Light (FDL) shower. It is a more affordable product, being that the mullions are only on the exterior of the unit with one unobstructed piece of glass on the interior. It is also much easier for homeowners to clean.
FDL grids are arguably the most beautiful and elegant grid shower style. The profiles have depth. You can see and touch the channels and frames.
Even though full divided light grids are installed on the outside of the shower, they still require maintenance. The outside of the shower still needs to be cleaned periodically and washing/drying 10-20 individual panels of glass + frames on a regular basis isn’t for everyone.
For homeowners who want the grid style without the extra work, Simulated-Divided Light (SDL) may be the solution. Simulated-Divided Light grid showers use a technology known as ceramic frit that permanently fires an extremely durable black, oil rubbed bronze or other colored glaze directly into the surface of the glass. The coating is fused to the glass so it won’t chip or flake and it can be squeegeed like a normal shower. Simulated grids create a stunning, bold design feature without the hassle of extra maintenance.
Binswanger Glass is an authorized dealer of the industry’s top shower manufacturers including Coastal Shower Doors, Agalite, DreamLine, Arizona Shower Door, Southeastern, CRL and more. Made in America and available in an endless number of styles, budgets and configurations, drop by your local Binswanger location for more information.