What Is a Doorless Shower? Advantages and Disadvantages

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By Blake Lockwood | Curated by Blake Lockwood | Reviewed by Blake Lockwood

Blake Lockwood, the seasoned interior designer behind Decor Snob, has made a name for himself with over 30 years of industry experience. As a member of esteemed associations such as the NCIDQ, CIDA, NAAB, and CCIDC, he upholds high standards in his work.  His content is always people-first, reliable, and engaging.

Modish Compact Doorless Shower

A doorless shower is a shower without a door or a shower curtain, it is completely open. Doorless showers are alternatively known as a walk-in shower, Roman shower, or a roll-in shower.

A shower might seem like a silly thing to be concerned about, but when doorless showers on Pinterest are looking so elegant and beautiful, we can’t help but want our own to look like that. Now, you might be asking yourself “how can I achieve this look?” Well, let us tell you what a doorless shower is and why you might need to invest in one.

As said in the name, a doorless shower is a shower without a door or a shower curtain; instead, it is completely open. Sometimes, doorless showers are alternatively known as a walk-in shower, Roman shower, or a roll-in shower.

Read Also: 36 Doorless Walk-In Shower Ideas and Designs for a Stunning Bathroom

What Are the Advantages of Having a Doorless Shower?

You don’t feel trapped

Thankfully, doorless showers usually are more open and spacious than your average shower with a door or curtain. You don’t feel enclosed into space, and it might even possibly make your bathroom look much bigger.

They look luxurious

Doorless showers make a shower room look more expensive; they have a unique look that makes them seem more valuable. If you want your house to look luxurious, then a doorless shower might be right for you.

You can use the extra space

Depending on how you want the design of your bathroom to be, you can use it as a shower and a walkway, with no door, it is easy to use it as a walkway. If you are limited for space, it can be an added bonus.

They are easy to maintain

Showers without doors will save you lots of cleaning hassle. They are easy to wipe down and less surface space to clean. According to The Spruce, shower glass is one of the most cleaning intensive features of a bathroom because any soap scum or mineral deposits show right away.

They are easily accessible and great for people with disabilities

With a standard shower, there is usually a step, or if you have a shower bath, you will have to step into it. For those who have accessibility issues, this can be tough, so doorless showers are great for accessibility.

 

What Are the Disadvantages of Having a Doorless Shower?

Water can spray out of the shower

You might find that the water doesn’t stay in your shower, possibly could spray against your walls or could creep out of the shower. This might result in water damage which can cost a lot of money to fix.

There is no privacy

Depending on whether your shower room is on display, such as connected to your bedroom, you might find that you don’t have much privacy that you would with a curtain or a door

They feel colder

A door or curtain usually traps the steam from the hot water, whereas when you don’t have a door or curtain, this won’t be the case and might make your shower feel much colder.

They are more expensive than a standard shower

If you aren’t looking to spend a massive amount of money, a doorless shower might not be the right option for you. The design and construction costs can be expensive; this is because a doorless shower needs to be customized for each bathroom compared to standard showers. If you want to read more about this, McClurg provides further details.

The open steam and water droplets can damage the whole bathroom

Usually, the steam and water droplets are enclosed when you have a standard shower with a door or curtain, but once you have a doorless shower, this means the steam and water droplets could damage the whole bathroom. To prevent this from happening, you might want to pick products designed specifically for bathrooms such as rock, porcelain/glass, metal, etc.

 

What Should You Know About Doorless Showers?

Build a Doorless Shower in the corner of the bathroom

My friends at Don Pedro Brooklyn suggest that you should build your doorless shower from the corner of the room. The reason for this is because you have the two walls which are already there to use to your advantage.

Choose non-slippery flooring

For your safety, you want to pick a flooring that will prevent you from slipping over and hurting yourself. Some types of non-slip flooring I would recommend are ceramic/porcelain tile or vinyl flooring. These are the safest non-slip floorings that are perfect for a doorless shower.

Put the drain in a strategic position

Usually, the best place to put the drain, would be in the center of the shower and make sure the floor is inclining towards the drain.

Use half wall or glass to keep the water from escaping

The last thing you want is for the water to go everywhere in your bathroom, it’s not practical and will damage your bathroom. Ideally building a half wall or putting in a piece of glass will stop this from happening.

Read more about Doorless Showers:

Photo: Studio Clark + Co

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