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A sliding shower door runs on rollers along a round top rail and slides past a fixed panel to open. Two sliding layouts are priced online: a fixed panel with a sliding door, and the same run with a return panel. Three others are priced by hand. A sliding door is never called left or right hand: we describe it by the direction it slides to open.
Which sliding layouts can I order?
| Layout | How it is sold |
|---|---|
| Fixed panel and sliding door | Priced online, sold provisionally |
| Sliding door with a return panel | Priced online, sold provisionally |
| Sliding door between two fixed panels | Priced by hand |
| Two sliding doors with two fixed panels | Priced by hand |
| Corner entry with two sliding doors | Priced by hand |
Provisional means some of the sizes the configurator works out from your opening are estimates. Each one is labelled "(provisional)", you tick to accept that at checkout, and our team confirms the specification before any glass is cut. For a layout priced by hand, choose it in the configurator and we send you a price.
How does a sliding door work?
The door hangs from rollers fixed through the glass and runs along a 25.4 mm round tube rail across the top. A guide at the bottom keeps it in line. The door runs in front of the fixed glass, so the two panes sit on different lines.
The figures the configurator uses come from the hardware maker's own drawings:
- When closed, the door overlaps the fixed glass by 30 mm, so there is no gap to see through.
- The door glass is the full height less 10 mm, to leave room for the bottom guide.
- A fixed panel standing in a U-channel is the full height less 3 mm.
- The door glass runs 38 mm in front of the fixed glass.
- A return panel is the return depth less 55 mm.
You enter the opening, not the glass, and the configurator works out each pane. Do not take these deductions off yourself, or they come off twice.
How is the slide direction described?
By the way the door slides to open. The option reads, for example, "Door slides to the right to open (fixed panel on the right)". The door slides past the fixed panel, so the fixed panel is on the side the door slides to. You will not see LH or RH on a sliding layout. Our door hand guide explains how hinged doors are described instead.
Do sliding enclosures take wall brackets?
No. Our 700 mm rule, which adds two wall brackets to wider fixed panels, does not apply to any sliding enclosure. Sliding doors also do not take the three hinged-door seals. The fixed panels are held by their U-channel and the top rail. See hinges, channels and seals.
How do I order a sliding enclosure?
Step 1: Check the space the door slides into
The door slides in front of the fixed panel, so anything fixed to that panel's face, such as a shelf or a towel rail, gets in its way.
Step 2: Choose the layout and the slide direction
Open the shower configurator, pick the sliding layout and the side the door slides to.
Step 3: Measure the opening
Measure from the tray lip, take three widths and two heights, and enter the smallest width and the smaller height.
Step 4: Choose the glass and finish
Pick the glass, the thickness and the hardware finish.
Step 5: Accept the provisional sizes and check the drawing
Check each pane on the drawing, then tick to confirm the drawing and accept any provisional sizes at checkout.
Can I use a sliding door instead of a hinged one?
Often, yes. A sliding door needs no swing space, which helps in a narrow bathroom where a hinged door would hit the basin or toilet. A hinged door gives a wider way in for the same opening, because nothing overlaps. Compare both in the configurator, and read hinged shower doors for the other side.
Where to go next
- Design your enclosure: open the shower configurator
- Shower screens and enclosures
- Hinged shower doors
- Shower trays and sealing
Questions we get asked
Why is my sliding enclosure marked provisional?
Some pane sizes are worked out from estimates. Our team confirms the specification before anything is cut, and you still buy online.
Is my sliding door left or right hand?
Neither. We describe it by the direction it slides to open, such as door slides to the left.
Can I order two doors that part in the middle online?
Not yet. That layout, the door between two fixed panels and the corner entry are priced by hand. Choose them in the configurator and we send a price.
Does a slider need the hinged door seals?
No. The three seals are for hinged doors. A sliding door closes over the fixed glass with its 30 mm overlap.
Contact the team with your order reference and the step you need help with, or search all help topics.