Closing a shower door doesn’t mean that the water from your shower will stay within the shower. Without a properly installed shower door seal, you can easily flood your bathroom floor as you shower, leaving a soggy mess to clean up afterward.
Before you find yourself standing in a pool of water outside your shower door, make sure that you have properly installed a shower door seal.
Step 1: Gather Materials
You will need a few materials before getting started.
- Shower door seal replacement kit (for the bottom, side, or both)
- Knife or scissors
- Cloth or towel
- Shower cleaner
Gather your materials before getting started. This will make for a quick and easy installation.
Your shower door may need a side seal only to prevent water leakeage, or it may need a bottom seal with a drip rail. The drip rail helps keep the water that hits the shower door inside the shower and away from your bathroom floor.
The Butecare 2-Pack Frameless Shower Door Bottom Seal is a bottom seal for the shower door that comes in a pack of two, giving you the option to install on two shower doors or have an extra one on hand to use when needed.
Another option is the Aulett Shower Door Bottom Seal with Drip Seal. Both shower door seal replacements are installed on the bottom of the glass shower door to ensure that the water from the shower stays within the shower and does not leak onto the bathroom floor.
If you are installing a seal on the side of the shower door, use a side shower seal like the Loyoca h-Type Shower Door Side Seal. The side seal will seal the shower door on the side of the door that opens and closes. Therefore, when the shower door is closed, the side seal will keep the water inside the shower on the side of the shower that opens and closes.
Step 2: Remove the Previous Seal (if applicable)
If you are installing a shower door seal on a new shower door, then this step will not apply to you, and you can move on to step three. However, many of you are likely here because you are replacing the worn-out seal on your current shower door.
To remove the previous ineffective seal, you will need to carefully remove it from the shower door. Depending on the method in which the original seal was installed, you will either have to remove a seal that was glued onto the door or slid onto the door.
If removing a seal that was glued on, the seal will likely leave an adhesive residue behind. You will want to clean this area so that the new shower door seal will have a clean, dry surface to adhere to.
If removing a seal that was slid onto the door, you will simply pull the seal off of the door, making sure that you clean the area before installing the new shower door seal.
This is when your clean cloth/towel will be used. Oftentimes, lime, calcium, and rust will build up on the surfaces and in the corners of showers, including the shower door and shower door seal. To clean any buildup that has accumulated on the shower door, use an effective shower cleaner that will break through these buildups.
Lime-A-Way Bathroom Cleaner removes lime, calcium, and rust buildup on shower doors, seals, and walls that occurs after years of extensive water exposure. The cleaner requires little scrubbing, as the buildup is removed within seconds from being applied. Simply spray, set, and wipe off.
Step 3: Install the Shower Door Seal
Once the shower door is clean and dry, it is now time to install the shower door seal. The shower door seal should easily slide onto the bottom and/or the side of the shower door. Make sure the shower door is clean and dry before sliding on the shower door seal.
To install the shower door, begin at one end of the shower door, whether the bottom or the side of the shower door and slide the seal onto the shower door. Once the seal has been pressed into place, continue working the remainder of the shower door seal onto the shower door by pressing it and sliding it onto the shower door. Do this until the entire shower door seal has been securely pressed onto the entire length of the shower door bottom or side of the shower door.
Step 4: Trim Off the Excess
If you are unable to find a shower door seal replacement kit to match the exact size of your shower door, don’t worry. This is where your knife or scissors will come in to play.
Once the shower door seal has been securely installed to the side or the shower door bottom, you can trim off any of the excess seals by using a knife or a pair of scissors. The material is easy to cut through so that you can make these shower door seals fit most any size shower door.
Step 5: Test
To make sure you have properly installed the shower door seal(s) and to be sure you have the perfect fit, you should perform two tests.
First, perform a simple “open and close” test. Open and close the shower door a few times to make sure the door opens and closes with no issues. The door should not get stuck or resist when opening or closing. Should any issue arise when opening or closing the door, you may need to further push the seal onto the door or trim off the additional excess seal. This should fix any issue your shower door has when opening and closing.
Second, perform a water test by turning the water on in the shower with the door closed. If the seals are installed properly, they should work flawlessly by keeping all water inside the shower and off of your bathroom floor.
Conclusion
Properly installing a shower door seal is simple and easy when you have the right materials and know what to expect. If you find your old shower door seals are ineffective, you can easily replace them by installing new shower door seals by following our simple and detailed guide.
