Partially Frosted Shower Enclosure

Master bedroom

Frameless Shower Cubicle

We were required to install a frameless shower enclosure in an open plan bedroom instead of a traditional bathroom. The client requested to make it partially frosted to get more privacy. Therefore, I should mention that the frosted shower enclosure has some limitations, and the closer you stand to the glass surface, the better you can see the silhouettes. Although the shower tray was quite large, 1200 x 1200 in size, sandblasted does not give complete privacy with such a size.

An alternative to glass sandblasting is acid etching or laminating with the chance of using bespoke printed interlayers. Acid-etching is a technique of chemically etched surface of the glass. Acid makes the surface slightly rough, which better diffuses light. The acid-etched glass surface is not so rough as sandblasted. Usually, acid-etched glass sheets are supplied right from the factory, so that’s why typically such type is fully frosted and not partial. It is also possible to get a partial cover or various patterns with acid-etching, but few companies do that.

You can also get a frosted or coloured glass with the laminating method, where an interlayer (film) is glued between two glass panels. Unfortunately, it is better not to use laminated glass in frameless shower enclosures due to possible delaminating when the edge of the glass is unprotected, so we dismissed this option. Instead, we only use laminated glass in the showers with our black grid style shower screens and other framed versions where the edge is fully sealed and protected from moisture.