Frameless enclosures
Hinged and fixed panels on minimal hardware, where the glass is meant to disappear.
Glass & Partitions
Frameless Shower Enclosures
Toughened frameless enclosures templated to the bathroom as it actually is — because tiled walls are rarely plumb and shower floors are deliberately not level, and a catalogue enclosure assumes both.
- 8mm & 10mm toughened
- Templated to the room
- Sealed to the actual fall
Who this work is for
- Homeowners
- Villa and apartment fit-out
- Hotel operators
- Interior designers
Frameless Shower Enclosures — project photograph required
Real Al Makan photography goes here. No stock imagery is used on this site.
In practice
Why an off-the-shelf enclosure leaks in a real bathroom
A catalogue enclosure is manufactured to a perfect rectangle. A finished bathroom almost never is. Tiled walls typically run 5–15mm out of plumb over a 2m height, corners are rarely a true 90 degrees, and the floor deliberately falls towards the drain. Force a rigid rectangular enclosure into that and something has to give: either a tapering gap opens at one jamb and water tracks straight through it, or the glass is forced into a stressed position that eventually finds its weakest point.
Templating solves it. We measure the plumb of each wall at several heights, the fall of the floor across the threshold, and the actual corner angle, then cut the glass and the profiles to that shape. Wall channels absorb a few millimetres of out-of-plumb; beyond that the glass itself is cut on a slight taper so the visible vertical edge stays vertical while the channel follows the wall.
The second thing that decides whether an enclosure leaks is the direction of the fall and the position of the seals. Water does not respect design intent — it runs downhill and it wicks along horizontal joints. A hinged door should open outwards over a floor that falls back into the tray, the bottom seal should be sized to the actual gap rather than a nominal one, and the vertical seal on the hinge side needs to be the type that stays compressed rather than one that relaxes after six months of hot water.
On glass, 8mm toughened is the practical standard and 10mm is worth it for large frameless panels and walk-in screens, where the extra stiffness removes the visible flex that makes an enclosure feel cheap. A hydrophobic surface treatment genuinely helps in hard-water areas — it does not eliminate cleaning, but it stops limescale bonding to the glass, which is what makes untreated shower screens look permanently cloudy after about a year.
Tiled walls run 5–15mm out of plumb over two metres. A catalogue enclosure assumes zero.
Where it is used
Frameless Shower Enclosures — typical applications
The situations this work most often solves. If yours is not listed, it is still worth asking.
Walk-in wet rooms
Single fixed panels with a discreet support bar, for open shower areas with no door.
Sliding enclosures
Top-hung or bottom-roller systems where there is no swing space in front of the shower.
Corner and quadrant
Two-sided enclosures templated to the real corner angle rather than an assumed 90 degrees.
Bath screens
Fixed or hinged panels over a bath, with the seal detailed to the bath lip.
Hotel and apartment fit-out
Repeat units templated per room type, because even identical rooms are rarely identical.
Design possibilities
Options you can choose from
Finishes, configurations and specification choices available on this work. Samples can be provided before anything is committed.
Configuration
Single fixed panel, hinged door, door plus return panel, corner entry, or sliding — chosen for the room, not the catalogue.
Glass
Clear, low-iron for maximum clarity, tinted grey or bronze, frosted, or fluted and reeded for privacy with light.
Hardware finish
Polished chrome, brushed nickel, matt black, brushed gold or bronze on hinges, bars and handles.
Hinge type
Wall-to-glass, glass-to-glass, or floor-mounted pivots for a completely minimal look.
Handles
Knobs, back-to-back pulls, ladder handles, or towel-rail handles that double as a rail.
Surface treatment
Optional hydrophobic coating that stops limescale bonding in hard-water areas.
Why it matters
What you get
-
Templated, not assumed
Cut to the plumb, the fall and the real corner angle of your bathroom.
-
Toughened throughout
Safety glass only — a wet room is the last place for anything that breaks into shards.
-
Stays clear longer
Optional coatings stop limescale bonding to the surface in hard-water areas.
-
Tested with water
We run the shower before we call it finished, because that is the only real test.
Technical
Specification notes
- Glass
- 8mm toughened as standard; 10mm for large frameless panels and walk-in screens where stiffness matters.
- Hardware
- Wall-to-glass and glass-to-glass hinges, support bars and sliding track sets in a range of finishes.
- Seals
- Magnetic closing strips, bottom drip seals and vertical seals sized to the measured gap.
- Fixing
- Wall channels or discrete brackets, fixed into tile and substrate with the correct anchors for the wall build-up.
- Coatings
- Optional hydrophobic surface treatment resisting limescale bonding.
- Edgework
- Flat polished edges on all exposed edges; cut-outs machined before toughening.
Final specification is confirmed at survey, against the actual opening, exposure and use.
How we do it
Our process for frameless shower enclosures
The steps specific to this work — not a generic checklist.
- 01
Template the bathroom
Plumb measured at multiple heights, floor fall checked, and the real corner angle recorded.
- 02
Confirm the swing and the fall
We check the door opens over a floor that falls back into the tray, not out into the room.
- 03
Choose glass, hardware and finish
Thickness, hinge type, seal type and finish selected against the layout and how the room is used.
- 04
Fabricate and toughen
Panels cut, tapered where needed, edge-polished, machined and then toughened.
- 05
Install and run the shower
Fitted, sealed and actually tested with water before we hand it over.
Get a price for frameless shower enclosures
Send drawings, dimensions or a photograph of the space. For anything beyond a straightforward replacement we will arrange a survey, because measuring it ourselves is the only way to quote a price that will not move.
Questions
Frameless Shower Enclosures — frequently asked
No, it is normal, and it is exactly why we template. Small deviations are absorbed by the wall channel; larger ones mean the glass is cut on a slight taper so the visible edge still reads as vertical.
Frameless looks better and cleans more easily because there are fewer places for water to sit. Semi-frameless costs less and is more forgiving of out-of-square walls. In a badly out-of-plumb bathroom, semi-frameless is sometimes the more sensible answer and we will say so.
In hard-water areas, yes. It does not remove the need to clean, but it stops limescale bonding to the glass — which is what makes untreated shower screens look permanently cloudy after about a year.
Sometimes — it depends on the hardware. Send photographs of the hinges and the panel edges and we will tell you whether the existing fittings can be reused or whether replacing the enclosure is better value.
Usually the vertical seal has relaxed, or the door swings over a floor that falls the wrong way. Both are fixable. Send a photograph and we will tell you which it is.
Related work
Often needed alongside this
Anti-Fog Mirror Works
Anti-fog and LED bathroom mirrors, gym and wardrobe mirrors, and decorative mirror walls.
Explore service
Tempered / Toughened Glass
Toughened safety glass cut, drilled and edge-worked to size, supplied loose or installed.
Explore service
Glass Swing Doors
Frameless toughened swing doors on floor springs, patch fittings or glass hinges.
Explore service
Sandblast Glass
Sandblasted and acid-etched glass for privacy, manifestation, branding and decorative panels.
Explore service
Get in touch
Tell us about the job
Drawings, dimensions or just a photo of the space — whatever you have is enough to start.
- Call us +971 56 436 9675
- WhatsApp +971 56 436 9675
- Email almakan.uae@gmail.com
- Workshop & office Ajman Industrial Area 1, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Opening hours Open daily · 08:00 AM – 11:59 PM