The shower is much more than just a place to get clean – it’s your personal sanctuary, a place where the therapeutic effects of hot water and steam can cleanse both body and mind. It’s often the first place you go after waking, or the last place before rest – and as such, it’s deserving of some careful design consideration.
A solid bronze shower enclosure is the antithesis of mass-market design that’s seen shower enclosures become progressively more modern and minimal over the years. In historic or reproduction period properties where frameless glass and crisp chrome would feel stark and inauthentic, a bronze shower enclosure delivers welcome character, warmth and detail.
But what should you look for in a bronze shower enclosure? What design features are available? How long will a bronze shower enclosure last – and how should you look after one? Let’s answer some of these common questions about bespoke bronze shower doors and enclosures.
Why choose a bronze shower enclosure?
Without doubt, the main reason architects, designers and homeowners choose custom bronze shower enclosures is the visual aesthetics. Renaissance bronze shower enclosures are designed to order, so each one is unique to the space it inhabits both in terms of configuration and finish.
Custom design
Our clients can choose from a range of door profiles depending on the look they’re trying to achieve, as well as a variety of different finishes, from raw, unlacquered bronze that will naturally age to a rich patina, through to our factory patina finishes that allow the final color of the bronze to be closely controlled. Bronze shower enclosures are increasingly being chosen by clients looking to achieve a vintage or industrial look in their bathroom spaces.
Unlike steel or aluminum, which have a silvery white color and can give the appearance of being cold, bronze has golden yellow tones that cast warm reflections and make the metal seem as if it would be warm to the touch. In a bathroom, this has the effect of making the space less austere.
Because bronze naturally ages to a distinctive patina, there’s a greater variety of light and shade across the surface. Areas that are touched and cleaned more often – such as the edges of the door frame, and the handles – will become burnished to a golden shine, while recesses and reveals will naturally darken and recede, giving incredible depth and character to your bronze shower enclosure.
What are the key features of a bronze shower enclosure?
Generally speaking, bronze shower enclosures have the same features as any shower enclosure.
They can have various arrangements of side panels depending on where they’re located in a space, and can even be totally freestanding. They can have single or double doors – or no doors at all, for walk-in wetroom showers. They can be partial height, allowing steam to escape at the top of the enclosure, or they can be full height, extending right to the ceiling to create a luxurious steam shower.
However, it’s worth considering the following key features when commissioning a custom solid bronze shower enclosure:
Doors & hinges
What kind of door will suit your bronze shower enclosure best? For large, walk-in steam shower arrangements, a single door might look disproportionately small, where a set of double doors might be more appropriate. You should also consider how the doors will open and close – if space is limited, a sliding door is a good option, since hinged doors require more clearance for opening and closing.
Muntin bars
Muntin bars are the horizontal and vertical bars traditionally found on period and factory-style windows. Genuine muntin bars are a structural part of the frame, dividing each panel into individual segments called ‘true divided lites’, each one individually glazed.
Faux Muntin Bars
While the vast majority of our window frames are true divided lites (TDL), our Mooi shower enclosures are simulated divided lites (SDL). We use a single piece of tempered glass for strength, and apply a grid of faux muntin bars to the surface using Dow 995 structural silicone, which further enhances the strength of the glass without adding unnecessary weight. Grids are usually applied to both sides of the glass, but it’s possible to leave the reverse plain for easier cleaning if requested.
Steam windows
Bronze shower enclosures used to create deluxe steam showers are typically fitted with steam windows. These are small, functioning hopper-style windows located high up on the enclosure and designed to allow steam to escape. They are fitted with solid bronze hinges that keep the steam window open for as long as required.
What type of glass is used for bronze shower enclosures?
As with all our glazing at Renaissance GSB, the glass for our shower doors is custom produced to the client’s specifications. Typically, we use single pane, Guardian glass that is tempered as standard to make it stronger and ensure that if it does break, it will remain safe. We can and do, however, provide a range of different glazing specifications, including different glass thicknesses and frosted or privacy glass if required.
We wet glaze all of our enclosure systems at our factory in San Antonio. Wet-glazed shower enclosures have a number of advantages over dry-glazed, as follows:
- Wet-glazed shower doors are stronger because the structural silicone sealant we use forms crosslinked bonds between the glass and the bronze itself.
- Wet glazing allows us to use thinner glass with no loss of structural integrity
- Wet glazed shower doors last longer and are less likely to leak because structural silicone can’t shrink or perish, even when exposed to water and cleaning agents
Caring for bronze shower doors
Bronze shower doors require a minimal amount of care and cleaning to stay looking beautiful for many years.
Bronze is a naturally anti-microbial and corrosion-resistant material, which makes it a great choice for bathrooms where warm, wet conditions are ideal for mould, mildew and rust to develop. At Renaissance, we make all our components from solid bronze as well as the enclosures themselves, so there’s no risk that moving parts will rust or corrode.
A note on patina
If you choose an unlacquered bronze finish, it will develop a patina over time. Water spots and fingerprints will leave marks that eventually darken and merge to create a rich, variegated brown color on the surface of the bronze. If you want your bronze shower door to stay golden and shiny, it will need to be lacquered.
If you choose a factory patina finish such as our charcoal color, the patina will already be almost fully formed and does not require any special cleaning or polishing – in fact, this can damage the finish.
How should I clean my bronze shower doors?
Basic cleaning is all that’s required to maintain your bronze shower enclosure. As with any shower, the glass will require regular cleaning to remove water spots, soap residue and other general dirt and grime. Pay special attention to the channel where the glass is inserted into the frame, ensuring dirt does not build up here.
The enclosure frame can be cleaned using a gentle detergent and a soft cloth to remove any dirt. You should not use glass cleaners containing vinegar (acetic acid), abrasive cleaners like Soft Scrub or metal polish on your bronze shower doors as this can damage or even remove the natural patina finish.
Got questions?
If you’d like to find out more about our design process for custom bronze shower enclosures, or if you have questions about looking after an existing bronze shower enclosure, get in touch!