MARK CENTERLINE OF GLASS
The
first thing you always want to do when you get started is
take a good look at your shower. Open to the Install sheet
that you have which shows all the glass sizes and clearances
and centerline measurements. Now we can layout for the mini
brackets. |
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MARK FOR MINI BRACKETS
Once you get the centerline marked(the same
centerline you used to order the glass) you can measure over
for your brackets. We usually mark over about 4 -6 inches
from the sides of the panel so that it looks symmetrical and
is sturdy. The right X in the picture is the centerline and
the left X is 4 inches over and in the same line. That will
be our first mini-bracket hole. |
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DRILL HOLES
Now you can drill your first hole. Use the 1/4"
drill bit provided or similar. Keep the bit cool by squirting
water on it with the squirt bottle that we provide. Try and
keep the drill perpendicular to the plane you are drilling.
This is a solid base and the screws are only one inch so we
drilled about 1 1/2 inches. If you have tile, try and drill
just enough to get your plastic anchor in and then the screw
might hit wood. |
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INSTALL ANCHORS
Use the plastic anchors that come in your kit.
Install one and tap it in with a mallet. These will seem like
a tight fit. That is good.
Between now and screwing down your bracket is when possible tile breakage can occur. It is not common,
but it may happen, so be careful not to swing the mallet
too hard. |
INSTALL CURB MINI BRACKETS
Now we can install the bracket. The mini
brackets have 2 holes. Use the center hole to start. If
you notice your hole is off a little or need to make an adjustment
you can use the offset hole. We like to put a little silicone
under the bracket to help keep water out of the hole and out
from under the bracket. |
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CLEAR PLASTIC SETTING BLOCKS
Now insert a setting block that
we provide. Look at your layout drawings and you will see
clearances underneath your glass. The mini bracket has a 1/16
base so if it says that your clearances are 3/16 you can add
a 1/8 setting block. We provide different size setting blocks
incase you need to rock the glass up or down on one side.
You can also cut the blocks and stack them if you need to. |
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WALL MOUNTED MINI BRACKET
At this point you can install the wall bracket
and the other bottom bracket. You can layout however many
brackets you want. We usually try to put 2 on the bottom and
one on the wall. The one on the wall should be lined up with
the hinges, so measure 8 inches down from where the top of
the glass will be and you can make a mark for that one. If
you hold a level on the centerline mark and plumb the level,
you can make a pencil line for the mini-bracket. You could
also use a laser to get a plumb line. Another technique you
can use to mark these lines is to set some wood shims on the
curb and hold the glass in place. use a small level to make
the glass plumb. Then you can run a pencil line using the
glass as a straight edge. This way it reduces the chance of
messing up the measurements, but adds a little more handling
of the glass. |
SET PANEL IN OPENING
Now install your shower door
side panel. You need 2 people. One person to lift the glass
and one person to help guide the bottom of the glass into
the brackets. Try and keep two hands on the glass at all
times. Don't let the glass hit anything hard and make sure
to communicate with your installing partner. Set the glass
in an inch or 2 from the wall and then careful slide the
glass over making sure that the bottom setting blocks don't
slide out with it and make sure not to push the glass to
hard into the wall. You can set a wood shim that is provided
in between the glass and the vertical wall just in case
the glass starts to move too quickly.
The panel is almost done now and we are going to move on
to the door. From this point you are just doing a basic
single door install and then a little silicone at the end.
You are about 1/3 of the way done ! |
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BEGIN DOOR INSTALLATION
The first thing to do for the shower
door install is to clean the area where you are gong to clamp
on the hinges. We use acetone or denatured alcohol and a rag
or paper towel. Get it squeaky clean because the hinge clamps
and rubber gaskets are doing all the holding of the glass. |
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PUT HINGES ON GLASS
Open the hinges that came with your order. There will be two clamping screws.
Make sure to use the correct screw tips. The clamping screws
are a #3 phillips usually and the wall mount screws use #2
phillips tip. You don't want to strip any screws. Using the
correct gaskets (thick ones for 3/8 glass and thin ones for
1/2" usually, but please check. The gasket specs change
per hinge) There should be a piece of paper in with the hinge that has the gasket specs. Go ahead and clamp on the hinge hand tight with a screwdriver making sure to put the clamping
screws on the inside of the shower. |
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SET DOOR IN OPENING
Set wood shims on the curb that should measure
7/16 when you stack them together. You want 7/16 clearance
under the glass door for the vinyl
bottom sweep. Now with the help your your partner you
can set the door in place. Be careful because you will have
two glass edges very close to one another at this point.
Adjust the shims until you get the door where you need it.
Try and center the door in the opening but most important
is to get the hinges on the wall and then we can take some
measurements before we mark the holes. |
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MARK HOLES
Using a tape measure check the
reveal of the glass. Meaning: check the distance from the
edge of the glass to the outside of your curb. Nudge and
bump the glass carefully until the glass door lines up with
the vertical edge of the fixed panel. The reveal should
be consistent around the entire shower. If everything looks
plumb and square you can mark the hinge holes on the wall
with a marker or pencil. |
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DRILL, ANCHOR, INSTALL DOOR
See INSTALLING SINLGE DOOR
Once the holes are marked, pull
the shower door out and check your marks. I like to go over
the marks with a small X so i can see if I'm wandering as I
drill. Drill holes at each mark with the 1/4" tile drill
bit and insert the same red anchors, both of which are provided
in our installation package. Clean up any anchors that are
sticking out with a razor blade(careful). Then set the door
back in place on the same wood shims and line up the hinges
with the holes in the wall. Screw down the hinges, doing your
best not to strip the screws. Push hard enough to keep the
tip in the screw. We use impact drivers like the one shown.
Good ones are between 200-300 dollars. We also have one from
home depot that is nice and was 80 dollars. But any drill
will work and you could even do it by hand if you have enormous
forearms. |
We also provide the 6 inch screw tip shown so you don't scratch
your hinge. Also try and keep the drill off the face of the
glass because the vibration can leave a mark on the glass
if you are resting the drill on the glass while you install
screws.. |
INSTALL HANDLE
Take the handle apart. It should come with an allen wrench. You need that
and a screw driver. The handle is basically some washers, a shoulder bolt, and the two sides
of the handle. Put the washers together through the glass
with the shoulder bolt. Thread on the one side of the handle that has the threaded hole. Tighten that down with a screwdriver
and #3 tip. Then slip on the other side of the handle and tighten down the small allen set screws. |
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BOTTOM VINYL
Now you can slip on the bottom
vinyl. It will be a tight fit so start at the hinge side
and push up, working your way across the vinyl. Once it is
pushed all the way up should should have the vinyl just barely
brushing your curb. If you notice a larger gap on one side
you can pull down on the vinyl a little to compensate for
that. |
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SIDE VINYL
If you have vinyl,
start by cleaning anywhere you are going to install vinyl with acetone or denatured alcohol. Then you can either apply
the tape to the vinyl or right to the glass and then apply the vinyl.
The picture to the right is an L-shaped vinyl(SDTL) and will
act as a door jamb for an out swing shower door. The vinyl
will run the full length of the glass. You may want to notch
the bottom sweep a little on the edge if you notice it rubbing
on the L-Vinyl. You will see what I'm talking about when you
operate door with the vinyl installed. |
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SILICONE EDGES
Next we will silicone. The first thing you
want to do is mask off the area that you are going to silicone.
Mask the glass and tile with blue tape. Using the silicone
that we provide, run a bead inside and outside of the shower.
Make sure to get enough in there. If you run it too fast you
can get air bubbles. Normal silicone takes a few minutes to
get tacky, but you want to move fairly quickly. |
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SILICONE MINI BRACKET
Firmly run your finger along the inside and outside of the shower. Two people
can run their fingers along the silicone simultaneously
so they don't push the silicone back and forth and instead
create a smooth bead.
Peel the tape and cleanup any excess with your finger and
a razor blade. Try not to get any on the glass. Also try
not to touch the silicone too much. Most likely, the more
you touch it the worse it will look. Finally run a small
amount of silicone around the perimeter of the mini brackets
to keep any water from seeping in anywhere. |
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Congratulations!
You just completed your frameless
shower door.. Just wait 24 hours for the silicone to completely
cure and then you can take a shower.
Notes: If you need vinyl in between the door and wall you
can use the bulb seal(SDTB) and the double
face tape. Remember to clean the glass surface before applying
the tape.
If your door seems to be going in to far or not closing enough,
the hinges have a 5 degree offset that you can set. If you
notice that the hinge is slipping after a few days Here
is a Fix
We have several different types of vinyl so if you finish
installing and you find out your gaps are a little bigger
than expected, we have a vinyl that can seal it up. Just give
us a call (toll free 866-370-0006)or shoot
us an e-mail. Also
if you start installing and run into a problem fell free to
call in and ask us for some advice.
All of the parts that come in the installation pack are available
on our online store. Lots of our hardware comes from CR
Laurence company and if you find anything on their web site
that you want we can order it for you. Just get the part number
and give us a call or e-mail us.
SILICONING THE CORNER This shower has no corner to silicone, but most do. |
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and
Hours:
M-F: 8 to 4:30 and Sat: By appointment only
1.
SHOWER DOORS
To the Right is a 
