Shower doors · Markham
Glass shower doors: reseal, realign or replace
A drip past the bottom sweep, a door that no longer meets the jamb, glass that stays cloudy after cleaning: many shower door problems are parts, not glass. When the door itself is worn or dated, a new one can often fit the existing opening without touching the tile. We connect you with a local glass professional who fits shower doors and will look at yours before recommending anything. Planning a new layout? See custom and walk-in enclosures, or browse all glass services.
- Seals, sweeps and hinges replaced on their own
- New doors fitted to the existing opening
- Photo-first quotes from local pros
What's going wrong
Leaks, sagging doors and cloudy glass: what can be fixed
A photo of the whole door, plus the hinge side and bottom corner, usually shows a pro which of these you have.
Water on the bathroom floor
Usually a worn sweep, a shrunken vertical seal or a hardened drip rail. These strips are sized to the glass and can be replaced without new glass.
A door that sags or won't close
Loose hinges let the door drop and rub the curb. Resetting or replacing them is often enough. A chipped edge on tempered glass is different: replace that panel.
Glass that stays cloudy
Hard-water film often lifts with a descaler. Haze that survives a proper clean may be etching, which no cleaner reverses.
Door styles
Framed, semi-frameless or frameless
A framed door has metal on every edge. It holds water well and forgives walls that aren't square. Semi-frameless keeps metal around the fixed panel only; the door itself has no frame.
Frameless uses thicker tempered glass held by hinges and clamps, with clear seals between panels. It shows more tile and leaves fewer ledges for film, but needs solid wall backing and careful fitting. The pro can confirm whether your walls and curb are true enough for it.
Your options
Original-era bathrooms: swap the door alone or the whole enclosure
A large share of Markham's housing was built between the early 1980s and the mid-2000s, so many bathrooms may still have their builder's shower glass, especially in 1980s areas like Milliken Mills. Three sensible ways to update it:
Replace the worn parts
New sweeps, seals, hinges or pivots, for a door that looks fine but works poorly.
Replace the door in the same opening
Fixed panels and curb stay; a new framed or frameless door is made for the opening.
Replace the whole enclosure
Frame and glass come out together. This is the better route if the metal has pitted or the walls are being retiled.
How it opens
Sliding, hinged and pivot doors
In a tight bathroom, how the door opens matters more than its look.
Sliding
Two panels bypass on a track, so nothing swings into the room. Usual over a tub; worn rollers can be replaced.
Hinged
Opens outward on hinges fixed to the wall or a fixed panel, so the swing has to clear the vanity and toilet.
Pivot
Turns on top and bottom pins. Common on older neo-angle corners; the pivots can usually be replaced.
Door swap
A framed door replaced with frameless glass
With sound tile and a level curb, a new door can go in without disturbing the walls.
Ask about a door swapSafety glass
Safety glass is required for shower enclosures
Ontario's Building Code requires safety glass, not ordinary glass, in any shower or bathtub enclosure. For shower doors that usually means tempered glass, the kind that fails in small, dull-edged fragments rather than long shards. See the safety glazing text and check the current edition.
Because tempering locks the glass to its final size, every panel is measured on site and ordered to fit. The custom glass page compares glass types.
What affects the quote
What shapes the price of shower glass
Shower openings are rarely a stock size, so the quote follows your layout and choices:
- Just the door, or the door plus fixed panels
- Framed, semi-frameless or frameless, and glass thickness
- Glass finish: clear, low-iron, patterned or frosted
- Hardware style and finish
- Removing the old enclosure; curb and wall condition
With photos and approximate opening sizes, a pro can give a first answer before measuring.
Glass and care
Glass finishes and keeping them clear
Clear glass shows the tile; frosted or patterned glass hides spots and adds privacy in a shared ensuite. Low-iron glass loses the green edge tint, and a factory coating helps water sheet off.
Hard-water film sits on the surface and usually lifts with a descaler and a non-scratch pad. Etching is the glass itself pitted by years of deposits; if haze survives a proper clean, only a new panel fixes it. A daily squeegee prevents both. If the vanity mirror is the same age, a mirror cut to the wall can be quoted at the same time.
New tile?
Measuring after a tile job
Retiling changes the opening, so don't order glass from the old door's size. The pro measures once tile and grout are done, checking walls for plumb and the curb for level. Until then any price is an estimate; mention the tiling in your request.
Questions
Shower door questions
Explore your options
More glass for the bathroom and beyond
Local pros take on shower glass in houses across Markham and next door, including Milliken Mills, Berczy Village, Box Grove, Thornhill and Richmond Hill.
Send a photo of the shower
Include the whole door, the hinge side and rough opening sizes. We pass it to a local pro who fits shower glass and gets back to you. If new seals will do, they'll say so.