From bold monochromatic style to vintage decor, interior design trends keep on changing. However, sleek elegance and minimalism never go out of fashion. Frameless shower doors have always been a part of the trending home aesthetics. They add elegance and give an instant posh look to the interior.
Frameless shower doors lack metal hardware and framing. Therefore, plastic seals and sweeps are attached to the bottom of the shower doors. These seals prevent the water from leaking out of the shower cabins.
However, shower door seals wear out with time due to constant exposure to water and lather. Hence, frameless shower door seal need to replace from time to time. Luckily, you can replace the shower door seal by yourself without any professional assistance. All you need to do is follow some instructions then you are good to replace the worn-out shower door seal on your own.
How often do Shower Door Seals Need to Be Replaced?
Shower door seals are generally made of rubber or vinyl. These materials are durable and typically need replacement after a few years. However, if you have hard water in the shower, the seals may deteriorate much faster. Therefore, it’s recommended to replace the seals every 1-2 years.
How to Buy the Right Size of Shower Door Bottom Seal?
You can replace shower doors quite easily if you have the right replacement parts in hand. In order to buy the right seals, measure the dimensions of the glass carefully.
The thickness of glass in shower doors usually ranges from 0.375 to 0.5 inches. If you have a standard shower door, you will get the replacement seal strip without much hassle. However, if you have a custom-made shower door, you need to measure the depth (the space between the door and the floor) and glass thickness before ordering the sweep. Read this guide to know how to DIY install a frameless shower door.
Quick Tip
For a custom-built shower door, you can ditch the measurements step. Remove the old seal strip and take it with you while purchasing a new one.
How to replace the Shower Door Bottom Seal?
If the seal is in good shape but discolored, try cleaning it. However, if the water is running down the shower door so, it is time to replace the bottom seal.
Required Tools
- Replacement seal strip
- Utility knife or scissors
- Cleaning Rag
- Needle-nose pliers
- Ammonia-based glass cleaner
Replacing a Standard Shower Door Bottom Seal
- First, open the shower door fully and inspect the bottom of the door to determine the seal attachment method. In standard shower doors, the seal strips are usually just slid into the bottom of the door. Therefore, it’s pretty easy to remove them (especially when the seal strips have become brittle).
- Just hold the seal and pull it out of the door. Note that one side of the bottom seal strip will have a drip edge or lip, so install the seal by facing the drip edge inside the shower.
Note: You might need to apply extra pressure if the mineral deposits are holding the seals in place. Carefully grab the seal strip with needle-nose pliers and pull it out of the door.
- Wipe the bottom of the door with a damp cleaning rag to remove any dirt or mineral deposits. Use ammonia-based glass cleaner to get rid of mildew and soap residues. Wipe the bottom with a dry rag.
- Now, take the replacement seal strip and align it along the bottom of the shower door. Install the strip by pressing one end of it onto the bottom of the door. Then start working your way towards the other end of the door bottom. Make sure that the seal is tight and in place.
- Once you have installed the seal, slowly close the shower door to ensure that the seal is working fine. If the seal is rubbing too hard on the floor, push the seal upwards to set it in the right position.
The bottom seal strip is replaced and your shower door is as good as new.
Quick Tip: Looking to buy a sliding shower door of your need? Click here to get the quality product all according to your requirements.
Replacing Channel Style Bottom Seals from Shower Door
Channel style seals are held in place with the metal drip. The shower doors have metal rails at the bottom that hold the seal strips. To replace the channel style seals, follow the instructions given below.
For channel style seals, remove the metal rail first. The drip rail is typically attached to the door with small screws. Unscrew the tacks to access the seal strip.
- Pull the old seal strip out of the rail channel using pliers.
- Clean the bottom of the door. Use a glass cleaner to remove dirt and soap deposits.
- Take the replacement seal strip. Cut a slightly longer length of the strip using a craft knife.
- Position the seal at one edge of the door bottom. Snap the seal onto the bottom of the door and screw it to the metal rail.
- Use a utility knife to cut the excess length of the seal strip to match the door size.
- Check your shower door for any water leakage by opening and closing it.
With that, you have replaced the shower door bottom seal strip successfully.
Some Final Words!
There are many different types of shower sweeps and seals. Regardless of the type of seal, the process of replacing the shower door bottom seal is typically the same. Use this guide to replace your shower door bottom seal. Clean the seals regularly to make them last longer.
Let us know if you face any trouble changing the seals. We will find some easy ways out for you and help you fix the issues.
