My contractor put in an entire new shower for me, including the walls, fixtures, tile, etc. There is a glass shower door between two tiled half walls (and then glass going from the half walls on up). The glass is frameless except for where the glass meets the tops of the half walls. When the walls, tiling etc. were completed and it was time to measure for the glass, it was discovered that the sides of the half walls (between which the glass door was to go) were not plumb. The shower door contractor said that he could cut the door so that it fit the walls. Four doors later, he has given up, saying it is impossible to cut glass that precisely. The result is that there are spaces between the door and the walls, about 1/8 inch wide, and 6-7 inches long, about 1 foot from the base. There is some leakage to the outside of the shower. The contractor says my options are to live with it or rip out the entire shower and start over (which of course is a huge financial problem for the contractor). I also am really sick at the idea of giving up my bathroom for what would probably be weeks. I'm really interested in knowing if there are other options. Is it in fact possible to cut the glass more precisely? Is there a way to straighten the surface of the walls without ripping out the whole thing? I know there is a thin rubber/plastic seal that can be applied, but in this case there is insufficient space along the rest of the door, so the partial seal is very obvious. I would really appreciate your help. Thanks.

Caulk and trim are the carpenters 2 best friends. I can't say if glass can be cut precisely enough. The gap could be filled with caulk, perhaps the clear silicone to reduce showing. There is a wide variety of trim strips meant to fill gaps. Perhaps the contractor could find some plastic ones meant for panels and remove the glass and slip it into the groove in a trim strip. Then glue it to the wall with waterproof glue.

This is a fairly common problem in any house. Apparently, framers don't care if walls are plumb or not these days. In this case, your contractor should have known to make sure the opening was square and plum since there is no forgiveness with the type of situation you are describing. But I'm sure you both already know that!

My advice to you is to lose the idea of an untrimmed glass door and get some aluminum (or other "U" channel that will fit tightly around the glass. "Picture frame" the door ( and possibly install same channel on top of other glass walls in the room-use your own discretion as far as aesthetics). Usually this type of U channel that I'm describing will cover at least a half inch on the face of the glass. Using a clear caulk with microbial protection, lay a nice bead inside each piece of channel. Start with the two sides--press the channel onto the edge of the glass and pull the channel out slightly at top or bottom to take up the excess space on the sides of the door. This will throw the angles off slightly at the corners as they will no longer be true 45's. Using a scrap piece of channel cut a 44 degree or 46 degree angle and try it. Keep nibbling until you get it tight. When you find the true angle, cut your top and bottom pieces to length using those angles at each corner.

Good luck!

As a contractor I would simply fix your problem the right way... you paid for what you wanted once... I would not settle for less.
Mike

Kudos to the glass man for giving it 4 tries. It's the contractors problem. He should know that doors and windows have to be square and plumb. This is true of any door and is especially true when glass is invloved. Glass can be cut precisely, it just can't be planned or sanded to fit. Not without extraordianry effort. The contractor screw up and now he wants someone else to fix it. He will have to remove some of the tile and correct the framing but he won't have to tear it all out and start over. He's just maximizing the problem hoping that you won't want to be inconvienced that much. You might not want to give up the shower for a few more days, but if you don't you will regret it forever. Insist that he fix it and do it promptly. It's his error, he did the rough framing and the finish work and he certianly should have known what was required. If he didn't, he will the next time.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

Kudos to the glass man for giving it 4 tries. It's the contractor It's his error, he did the rough framing and the finish work and he certianly should have known what was required. If he didn't, he will the next time.

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Yes in deed. My thoughts as well.
Mike

Unless you can live with slight imperfections do to the walls not being square and plum, there is no option but to go happy half way and use caulk and waterproof shim materials. Glass doors are cut exact but manufacturers do allow limited screw mounting adjustments to a degree for common problems you are experiencing. If however these adjustment limitations are breached, odds are the walls are way out of plum and that's a question of truly unprofessional workmanship.

I agree that your contractor should sort the problem out.

However, if your door opening is wide enough, there may be a solution. See attached. Our shower is very similar.