Shower curtain, sliding glass door, or pivoting half door for bath tub? archived

I think since this is a fairly large expense and a personal preference, for a house listing, I'd simply buy a nice white hotel-collection shower curtain and keep it clean and simple.

Agree with conandrob. The glass doors over our tub shower were the most expensive part of our bathroom renovation, and not everyone prefers them.

Love my shower doors, until I have to clean them...

^^Agree. I prefer a shower curtain.

Why are they a pain to clean? I'm thinking of getting one, but sure don't like to clean. How often do you have to clean them?

@knowlton, here in South Orange with our hard water they are a royal pain to clean. You could get in the habit of using a squeegee after each shower to help minimize the stains.

Yikes, I think I'm way too lazy to do that, but I've heard it's the way to keep it clean.

I love our shower doors because they keep water from escaping out onto the floor. And in our un-renovated mid-century bathroom that's a must, because any amount of water larger than a few drops shows up very quickly on the dining room ceiling. But the doors do look like crap (even though they're only about 10 years old) due to the hard water, despite regular cleaning.

its not something you will get a return on, so if you are doimg it with the thought its an improvement that will help sell a house, i wouldnt go for it
I love shower curtains as i can wash and replace easily

Shower curtain. I have a heavy fabric one that keeps the water from getting through but since it is fabric tossing it in the washing machine to keep it looking good isn't hard. When we did the bathroom husband wanted glass doors but I said (from experience) that they were a pain in the butt to clean and since I was stuck with the job it was my decision. To save on space (one of the arguments for using doors) we have a curtain rod that bends outward so the curtain doesn't billow in.

Agree with the above - keep the shower curtain if you're selling. I have 2 little kids & the thought of giving them a bath while navigating a glass door wouldn't appeal. It wouldn't nix a sale for me, but wouldn't be a bonus & more than likely your potential buyers would be families. But re-grout, re-paint in fresh colors so it looks wonderfully clean, change out fixtures in the sink if they're funky...etc. Best of luck.

I definitely prefer a curtain. Doors look fancy but I don't like the extra cleaning and bathing a child could be a challenge.

Previous owners of our house installed sliding glass in the tub in one bathroom and the half door/ pivot in the oversized shower in the other bathroom. I loathe both!! Makes it so hard to bathe squirmy toddlers in the tub, and I am terrified that a push too hard on the pivot door will result in shattered glass everywhere (which happened to a friend a couple weeks ago).

Replacing in both bathrooms is high on the (long) list of renovations we are slowly making progress on. So: another vote for the shower curtain!!

I love shower curtains as a way to effect a nice change of decor in the bathroom, especially if the bathroom is very neutral in other ways. But I agree with Conandrob that a white hotel shower curtain is the best bet when putting the house on the market. I hate glass doors and always have. Whether it's hard water or soap scum, they are a huge PITA to keep clean.

To prevent water from getting on the floor, use a shower curtain AND a shower liner. I got a cool liner from bed bath and beyond...it has mesh compartments you can use to store light items (razors, looafah, pumice, shower caps). http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/mesh-pockets-shower-curtain/1011988105

I agree with Esiders, but my liner was a map of the world. My son came down and asked if i knew there was a Franz Joseph Land and who was he. He then how to go and look it up. I wish I had gotten the vocabulary curtain, too.

I loved having clear glass shower doors in a house where the tile lining the shower stall was impeccable and pretty. For a bathroom that is not beautiful, a shower curtain. I got a curved tension rod at BBB that I love because it makes the shower area roomier without taking up any room. A hookless shower curtain with a sheer top and snap-in lining lets lots of light in without revealing the sorry state of the window in the shower.

ls a realtor telling you to do all these things?? Putting glass doors in when you plan to sell is like throwing away money. Your best bet is to have a well respected stager come and give you some tips on what you need to do and an estimate for their work. I had a list of things we needed to do and then the stager did all the cosmetic things (including a new shower curtain).

j_r said:

I loved having clear glass shower doors in a house where the tile lining the shower stall was impeccable and pretty. For a bathroom that is not beautiful, a shower curtain. I got a curved tension rod at BBB that I love because it makes the shower area roomier without taking up any room. A hookless shower curtain with a sheer top and snap-in lining lets lots of light in without revealing the sorry state of the window in the shower.

That looks like the one we have, but ours is not a tension rod. We also have the hooks where the curtain can be taken off without having to open or unsnap anything, makes taking it off and tossing it in the wash easier. I think I purchased the hooks at The Vermont Country Store, but it was years ago so I'm not 100% certain of that.

That's actually not my shower curtain (or me!) -- there is one with metal grommets and slits that eliminates the need for hooks entirely. The outer layer is waffle fabric, and the liner (which snaps out) is whatever synthetic that liner fabric is.

I'm definitely in the camp that says just stay with a shower curtain.

Glass doors of any kind over a tub are a big turnoff to me. While I wouldn't reject a house because of them, as a buyer my mind is constantly adding up all the things I'd want to change--who wants to add an item to that list when the easiest solution is just to get a fresh, new shower curtain. And, definitely a plain one.

I looked at the website and I can't find my curtain hooks there, so I might not have purchased them at The Vermont County Store. It was years ago, so who knows.

Glass doors look better, but only when cleaned properly and regularly. Even in my neat-freak friend's houses I've seen hard water stains, they are a fact of life. And as someone pointed out, bathing a toddler or a pet brings a whole new level of frustration to your life.

I don't remember having any real difficulty bathing my kid in a tub with shower doors... and I'm short and have back problems.