Replacing Shower Seals
– Do It Yourself
Frameless glass shower enclosures are becoming increasingly popular in home bathrooms, but they do require special care to keep them looking their best for as long as possible.
Even with careful maintenance, limescale and soap residue can be difficult to avoid entirely. On shower seals, these deposits — combined with other factors such as UV exposure — cause the plastic profiles to become brittle and stiff over time, which means they no longer provide an effective watertight seal. Using the wrong cleaning products can also cause damage: aggressive or chlorine-based cleaners, abrasive pads, and solvents all attack the seal material.
Shower seal profiles consist of rigid PVC where they grip the glass and flexible PVC along the sealing lip. They are typically transparent so they blend seamlessly with the appearance of a glass shower enclosure. Replacing these profiles is a straightforward task and makes for an easy do-it-yourself project around the home.
Which Shower Seal Do I Need?
Shower seals are divided into two types depending on their position: horizontal and vertical profiles.
Horizontal profiles are fitted to the bottom edge of the shower door glass on frameless glass enclosures and act as a splash guard.
Because of the way they are used, these seals are often referred to as a sweep seal (i.e. one that sweeps along the floor).
For curved shower enclosures, specially pre-curved sealing strips are available. For glass 6 mm thick or more, the profiles cannot be bent to the required curve by hand.
Vertical profiles — also known as wiper seals, centre seals, or wall seals — are used between individual glass panels within a shower enclosure or as a seal against the wall. Because shower doors need a small gap to open and close freely, whether against the wall (in which case they are called wall seals) or against another glass panel, this gap must be sealed to prevent water from escaping.
Centre and wall seals either have a slightly curved lip that presses against the adjacent glass panel, or a hollow chamber that compresses when the door is closed to form an effective watertight seal.
A special type of seal is the strike seal, which — as the name suggests — acts as a stop for the shower door. The corner strike profile, for example, is used when the door closes at a right angle to the fixed glass panel.
Door seal profiles with a magnetic insert are often referred to as magnetic closing strips and are generally sold as a set (comprising two strips with opposite polarity). The designations 90°, 135°, and 180° refer to the angle at which the shower doors meet. Magnetic closing strips are popular due to their strong closing action, though they are more expensive than centre seals and strike profiles.
How Do I Replace My Shower Seal?
Replacing your shower seal is a simple process: as the seals are typically just clipped on, they can be gently pulled off by hand. The new seal strip can then be cut to the correct length using a fine-toothed saw, a mitre shears, or a stanley knife. Before fitting the new profile, thoroughly clean the glass panels — ideally using a cleaning product designed specifically for frameless glass shower enclosures. Once the glass is clean, carefully press the new seal onto the glass edge. If it does not slide on easily, it helps to lightly dampen the glass with a small amount of clean water. Do not use hard or limescale-containing water!
What Else Should You Keep in Mind?
The shower seals available in our shop — premium profiles by REHAU — are compatible with virtually all standard frameless glass shower enclosures with panels of 4–5 mm or 6–8 mm glass thickness, which covers almost every shower system currently on the market.
You can easily find the right shower seal for your enclosure using our profile configurator.
You can measure the glass thickness of your shower panel using a calliper gauge. If you don't have one to hand, a standard tape measure will usually do the job.
If you are unsure whether one of our solutions is right for your shower enclosure, please do not hesitate to get in touch by telephone or email. We are always happy to help!
The team at duschdichtungsprofile.de