There are several types of shower seals available in the market, they include translucent PVC, and magnetic strips. Shower seals are designed to deflect water from penetrating between the glass.
With constant use, shower seals lose their ability to deflect the water and absorb the shock of opening and closing a shower door and they must eventually be replaced. In this article, we will show you how to choose the right shower glass seal in 5 steps.
Step 1: Measure Your Shower Glass Thickness
This is an essential first step to getting the right seal that will fit your shower door. This is because if your shower glass is 6mm thick then an 8mm seal will not be suitable, as it will be too loose. If your shower glass is 6mm thick, then you will need to buy a 6mm thick shower seal.
You can measure your glass thickness with a taping measure or a ruler. The most common shower glass thickness sizes in New Zealand are 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm.
Step 2: Measure the Length of Your Shower Door Glass
You will need to know how long the seal you’ll buy will need to be, for that reason you must measure the length of your shower door glass. Use a soft metric tape to measure curved glass, for these types of seals where it is a bit harder to measure, we recommend you add a bit to the length you measured since you can cut the excess, but you cannot make the seal longer.
Step 3: Check what Type of Shower Seal
These are the most common types of shower seals:
- Full Door Seal
- Magnetic Seal
- Under/Bottom Door Seal
Magnetic seals are mostly made out of translucent PVC but have a magnetic strip inserted in them, which allows for a tight and waterproof seal connection. Magnetic shower door seals are usually used on curved shower enclosures. Under/bottom door seals as the name suggests, are placed under the shower glass door and are the most common out of the three.
Different Types of Seals
Other Shapes of Seals
Step 4: Remove Old Seal and Clean the Area
We recommend shower door seals be replaced every 2 years. However, if your shower door seal is damaged, cracked, or brittle then it is time to replace your shower door seal.
After you have decided which seal is the best option for you, then you will need to remove the old seal by gently pulling it out with your hands. Once this is done, make sure you clean the area of the glass shower where the seal was placed and dry it thoroughly, as you want to prepare the area for the new seal to be placed in.
Step 5: Install Your Shower Door Seal
Check that your shower door seal will fit correctly by measuring it and cutting the bottom seal to the right length. Tip: On top of measuring it, place the shower seal on the door and then mark where you’d like to cut the seal. Depending on the type and thickness of the seal you might be able to cut it with a pair of scissors or you might need a craft knife. Scrape off any debris at the end of your recently cut seal, making the end as smooth as possible. Insert the shower door seal onto your shower glass door.
Step 6: Care and Maintenance of Your Shower Door Seal
After extensive use, a glass shower door seal can have a lot of gunk and grow mould and mildew if not cleaned regularly. We recommend you clean your seals once a week, by using a toothbrush with warm water and soap to get into all the corners and hard areas to reach. Always read your manufacturer’s instructions on how to care for your shower door seal so you can extend its lifespan.
If you have a got a Newline Shower that needs to have your shower seal replaced, then you can check our spare parts range here. If you haven’t got a Newline shower, then many generic seals will work too – just make sure to check the shape and measurements before you purchase.
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