Three options, one decision that affects your bathroom for 15 years
Glass shower screen, shower curtain or open walk-in shower? It’s one of the questions we get asked most at Bathscape, and there’s no universal answer. It depends on your bathroom, your budget, your tolerance for maintenance and, let’s be honest, whether you have kids who turn the shower into a water park every night.
What we can give you is data. Numbers. Technical comparisons based on what we see daily in bathroom renovations in Valencia, Castellon and Alicante. Because opinions are plentiful; what’s lacking are figures.
So let’s get straight to it. Option by option, data point by data point, and at the end a comparison table of 15 criteria so you can make an informed decision.
Option 1: Glass shower screen
Types of screen
Fixed panel: A single sheet of glass anchored to the wall and/or ceiling, with no door. Access is via the open side. It’s the most minimalist option and the one that looks best visually in designer bathrooms.
- Standard widths: 70-120 cm
- Requires a minimum 50 cm access space
- Watertightness: Good on the glass side, limited on the open access
Sliding screen: Two or more glass panels that slide on upper and lower rails. Doesn’t encroach on space when opening. Ideal for narrow bathrooms where a hinged door won’t fit.
- Standard widths: 100-170 cm (for bathtub or large tray)
- Requires lower rail (limescale buildup, more maintenance)
- Watertightness: Very good (seals around the entire perimeter)
Hinged screen (pivot): A single panel that opens like a door. Completely clears the entrance. Allows full access to the tray for cleaning.
- Standard widths: 70-100 cm per panel
- Needs free swing space (minimum panel width + 10 cm)
- Watertightness: Excellent (magnetic seal on closure)
Folding screen: Panels that fold in an accordion pattern. Combines accessibility and space-saving. Mechanically more complex.
The glass: thickness and treatments
Glass in bathroom screens is always tempered (safety glass). If it breaks, it fragments into small pieces without sharp edges (like a car windscreen). Never, ever install a screen made of non-tempered glass. The results of annealed glass breaking in the shower are… best not to think about.
Thickness:
| Thickness | Use | Weight per m² | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | Glass curtains (alternative to textile curtain) | 10 kg/m² | Fragile, vibrates when touched |
| 6 mm | Budget screens, small fixed panels | 15 kg/m² | Acceptable for domestic use |
| 8 mm | Recommended standard for residential use | 20 kg/m² | Solid, premium feel |
| 10 mm | High-end screens, hotels, large walk-ins | 25 kg/m² | Very solid, luxury finish |
Our recommendation: 8 mm as a minimum for any screen you’ll use daily for 15+ years. The price difference compared to 6 mm is 15-25%, but the difference in perceived quality and durability is enormous.
Surface treatments:
- EasyClean / Anti-limescale: Hydrophobic coating that makes water slide off instead of forming droplets. Reduces limescale buildup by 70-80%. Extra cost: €30-60 per screen. Worth it 100%. In Valencia, with water hardness of 35-45 °fH (French degrees), limescale is the number one enemy of shower screens. Without anti-limescale treatment, you’ll need to clean the screen every 2-3 days to keep it transparent.
- Anti-fingerprint: Reduces finger marks. Useful if you have children.
- Screen-printed/frosted: For privacy. Partial (central band) or full.
To see screens in the context of complete designs, visit our walk-in shower designs section.
Maintenance
Glass screens require regular maintenance. The real data:
- Weekly cleaning: Use a squeegee after each shower (20 seconds) + clean with anti-limescale product once/week (5 minutes). With EasyClean treatment, frequency drops to every 10-15 days.
- Rubber seals: Replace every 3-5 years (€5-15 per set, 15 minutes of work).
- Rollers (sliding screens): Replace every 5-8 years if they start squeaking (€20-40 + 30 min of work).
- Glass lifespan: Indefinite. Tempered glass doesn’t degrade. What degrades are the profiles, seals and mechanisms.
Glass screen prices (installed in Valencia)
| Type | Price range (materials + installation) |
|---|---|
| 6 mm fixed panel, 80 cm | €180-350 |
| 8 mm fixed panel, 80 cm, anti-limescale | €280-500 |
| 2-panel sliding 6 mm, 120 cm | €350-600 |
| 2-panel sliding 8 mm, 120 cm, anti-limescale | €500-850 |
| Hinged 8 mm, 80 cm, anti-limescale | €400-700 |
| Walk-in fixed panel 10 mm, 100 cm, anti-limescale | €550-950 |
Option 2: Shower curtain
Yes, the curtain. The option everyone undervalues and which has its passionate advocates. Let’s analyse it with the same rigour.
Materials
Polyester (the most common): Durable, machine washable, quick-drying. It’s the curtain you’ll find in 80% of homes that use shower curtains.
- Price: €10-40 (rail included in many packs)
- Lifespan: 1-3 years before it looks old or yellowed
- Washable: Yes, at 40-60 °C
PEVA/EVA (PVC-free): Phthalate- and chlorine-free plastic. More eco-friendly than PVC vinyl, waterproof, economical.
- Price: €5-20
- Lifespan: 6-18 months
- Odour: Minimal (unlike PVC which smells “new” for weeks)
Fabric with waterproof coating: Cotton or linen curtains with an inner waterproofing layer. Premium aesthetic.
- Price: €25-70
- Lifespan: 2-4 years
- Maintenance: Machine washable, but the coating degrades with washes
Vinyl/PVC: The classic material. Cheap, waterproof, not very aesthetic.
- Price: €3-15
- Lifespan: 6-12 months
- Problem: Contains phthalates and PVC (not recommended for health and environmental reasons)
Hygiene: the uncomfortable data
Let’s get to the part nobody likes. A study published by NSF International on household bacteria found that shower curtains are one of the 10 most contaminated objects in the home, with significant levels of:
- Bacteria: Serratia marcescens (the “pink” that appears at the base of the curtain), Pseudomonas, mixed biofilm.
- Mould: Aspergillus, Cladosporium, especially at the lower seams.
The reason is obvious: the curtain gets wet, doesn’t dry completely, and offers a textile surface perfect for microbiological colonisation.
Mitigation: Wash the curtain in the machine every 2 weeks at 60 °C. Replace every 12-18 months. Maintain active ventilation in the bathroom. If your bathroom has no window, check our guide on mechanical ventilation for windowless bathrooms.
Genuine advantages of the curtain
It’s not all bacteria. The curtain has legitimate advantages:
- Cost: €10-40 vs €300-900 for a screen. If your budget is tight, the curtain lets you allocate that money to other renovation elements. In our analysis of the real cost of a bathroom renovation we break down where each euro has the most impact.
- Accessibility: A curtain has no physical barriers. For people with reduced mobility, it can be more practical than a screen with a narrow door. Check our article on assistive technology in the bathroom.
- Aesthetic versatility: Changing curtains = changing the look. €20 and 5 minutes.
- Zero mechanical maintenance: No rubber seals, rollers, aluminium profiles to clean.
- Ideal for rental properties: No tile drilling. Tension rail, curtain and done.
Prices
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tension rail (no drilling) | €10-25 |
| Fixed rail (with drilling) | €15-40 |
| Standard polyester curtain | €10-30 |
| Premium curtain (fabric+waterproof) | €30-70 |
| Total | €20-110 |
Option 3: Open shower (walk-in / doorless)
The open shower is the most visually impactful design option. No screen, no curtain. A shower space that flows into the rest of the bathroom separated, at most, by a half-height fixed glass panel.
Technical requirements (this is where it gets complicated)
The open shower isn’t for every bathroom. It has strict dimensional and technical requirements.
Minimum dimensions:
- Width of shower space: Minimum 90 cm (recommended 100-120 cm). Below 90 cm, water splashes out inevitably.
- Depth from wall to open edge: Minimum 120 cm (recommended 140-160 cm). This depth is what prevents water from leaving the shower area.
- Minimum shower surface: 1.2 m² (90 x 140 cm). Recommended: 1.5-2 m².
Real data: We’ve measured the splash radius of a 25 cm diameter rain showerhead at 2.10 m height with 2 bar pressure. 95% of the water falls within a 50 cm radius of the showerhead centre. But the remaining 5% (body splash-back, hand movement, hair) can reach 80-100 cm. That’s why the 120 cm minimum depth is essential.
Floor slope: An open shower floor needs a 1.5-2% slope towards the drain across the entire wet surface. In a shower with a screen, the screen contains the water and the slope only needs to reach the drain. In an open shower, the slope must contain water within the area without physical barriers.
Drain: Linear channel minimum 60 cm long (better 80-100 cm) with a flow rate of 0.6-0.8 l/s. A point drain doesn’t evacuate fast enough for an open shower with a high-flow showerhead. Waterproofing is absolutely critical.
Heating: The open shower area doesn’t retain steam like an enclosed cabin. The perceived temperature is 3-5 °C lower than in a screened shower. During Valencia’s winter (10-14 °C outside, 18-20 °C inside without bathroom heating), this is noticeable. Solution: electric underfloor heating and/or a wall heater in the shower area.
Who the open shower is for
The open shower works when:
- The bathroom is at least 7-8 m² (to dedicate 1.5-2 m² to the shower zone without compressing the rest)
- Aesthetics is an absolute priority
- The user is an adult with a calm shower routine (not a family with three kids)
- There’s good ventilation (steam expands throughout the entire bathroom without barriers)
- The budget allows professional waterproofing of the entire wet zone
The open shower does NOT work when:
- The bathroom is less than 5 m²
- There are young children (water splashes out without control)
- There’s no mechanical ventilation or large window
- The budget is tight (waterproofing an open shower costs 2-3 times more than a conventional one)
Take a look at our projects section to see open showers executed in real client bathrooms.
Open shower prices (installed)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Linear drain channel (80 cm, stainless steel) | €150-350 |
| Reinforced waterproofing (4-6 m²) | €300-600 |
| Floor slope (levelling with mortar) | €150-250 |
| 8 mm fixed glass panel, 80-100 cm (optional) | €280-500 |
| Specific labour | €200-400 |
| Total | €1,080-2,100 |
More expensive than a conventional screen, but the visual result is incomparable.
The definitive comparison table
| Criterion | Glass screen | Curtain | Walk-in shower |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation cost | €280-950 | €20-110 | €1,080-2,100 |
| Watertightness | Excellent (95-99%) | Good (85-90%) | Variable (75-90%) |
| Weekly maintenance | 10-15 min | 5 min | 5-10 min |
| Lifespan | 15-25 years | 1-3 years | Indefinite (structure) |
| 10-year maintenance cost | €50-100 (seals, rollers) | €200-400 (replace 4-7 times) | €30-60 (sealants) |
| Hygiene | High | Medium-low | High |
| Ease of cleaning | Medium (limescale on glass) | Low (machine wash) | High (no vertical surfaces) |
| Aesthetic impact | High | Low-medium | Very high |
| Accessibility | Medium (depends on type) | High | Very high |
| Minimum space required | 70 cm width | 70 cm width | 90 cm width x 120 cm depth |
| Heat retention | High | Medium | Low |
| Noise | Low | Curtain movement | None |
| Child-friendly | Yes (with caution) | Yes | Not recommended |
| Suitable for rental | Not ideal (permanent installation) | Ideal | No (requires renovation) |
| Added property value | High | None | Very high |
Our recommendation by profile
Tight budget + rental property: Quality polyester curtain (€25-40) with tension rail. No complications, no holes, easy to replace. And allocate the money saved to a good anti-slip shower tray.
Family with children + standard bathroom (4-6 m²): 8 mm sliding screen with anti-limescale treatment. Watertightness is the priority when three people shower every night and the fourth is 4 years old and loves to splash. The slider doesn’t encroach on space and modern rails are easy to clean.
Couple without children + large bathroom (7+ m²) + comfortable budget: Walk-in shower with 10 mm fixed panel. It’s the option with the highest visual impact and adds the most value to the property (data point: bathrooms with walk-in showers are valued 8-12% higher in property valuations according to data from portals like Idealista and Fotocasa; more data in our article on bathroom renovation ROI).
Elderly person or with reduced mobility: Step-free open shower (flush tray) + grab bar + thermostatic mixer with anti-scald. The absence of physical barriers (screen, curtain, tray edge) is a real safety factor.
To configure your ideal option and see how it looks in your bathroom, try our BathBuilder. And if you want to compare budgets for different configurations, the comparison tool lets you pit options side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Can you switch from a curtain to a screen without construction work?
Yes, if the shower tray or bathtub is in good condition. The screen is anchored to the wall with plugs and to the tray profile with silicone. No need to change tiles or plumbing. Installation takes 1-2 hours. Cost: just the screen + installation (€80-150 labour).
Does a fixed panel splash more than one with a door?
It depends on the showerhead position. If the showerhead points towards the open side of the screen, yes, it will splash. The solution is to place the showerhead on the wall opposite the open access, so water falls towards the wall with glass, not towards the gap. In the designs we show on our website we always plan showerhead position to minimise splashing.
Can tempered glass break?
It can, but it’s extremely difficult under normal use. Tempered glass withstands impacts 4-5 times greater than annealed glass. Spontaneous breakage exists but is extremely rare (0.001% according to European manufacturer data) and is caused by nickel sulphide inclusions in the manufacturing process. If you’re concerned, you can opt for tempered + laminated glass (an inner film that holds pieces together if it breaks), though this increases the price by 40-60%.
How long does screen installation take?
A fixed panel: 1-2 hours. A sliding screen: 2-3 hours. A hinged screen: 2-3 hours. If tile drilling is needed, add 30 minutes for drilling with a tungsten carbide bit without cracking the tile. Always installed by a professional: a poorly anchored 25 kg glass screen is a real risk.
Does a walk-in shower cool down the bathroom?
Steam from a shower at 38-42 °C in an open space disperses throughout the entire bathroom instead of concentrating in a cubicle. The perceived temperature inside the shower is lower (3-5 °C less than in an enclosed cabin). Solutions: ceiling-mounted rain showerhead (water covers more body surface), underfloor heating turned on 15 min before showering and/or radiant wall heater (electric towel rail or infrared panel). In Valencia, winter is mild (rarely below 10 °C outside), so underfloor heating alone is usually more than enough.
Can you have a glass screen and curtain at the same time?
Technically yes, but it doesn’t make much sense. The only exception is a bathtub with a partial fixed screen (covers 2/3 of the bathtub) + curtain on the remaining third for total watertightness. It’s a functional solution but aesthetically questionable. If you need total watertightness, better a screen that covers the full width.
