Published · Clear Vision Glass & Glazing
Shower screen quotes vary more than almost anything else in a bathroom renovation, and the reason is rarely the glass itself. Two quotes for the same opening can differ by a factor of two because they are quietly describing different products, different hardware and different amounts of site work. Here is what actually drives the number.
The three styles, and what separates them
A framed screen has aluminium around every edge of every panel. It is the most affordable option, the most watertight, and the most forgiving of walls that are out of square — which is why it still makes complete sense over a bath, in a rental, or in an older bathroom where nothing is true. Modern framed systems are far slimmer than the ones people picture from the nineties.
A semi-frameless screen keeps a slim frame on the fixed panels and runs a frameless door. You get most of the frameless look, most of the tolerance for imperfect walls, and a price sitting comfortably between the other two. For the majority of family bathrooms this is the sensible answer, and it is what we install most often.
A frameless screen is 10mm toughened glass with minimal hardware and no frame. It is the cleanest result and it is genuinely more expensive — typically around double a comparable framed screen. The extra cost is not margin; it is thicker glass, considerably more expensive hinges and brackets, and an installation with far less tolerance for error.
The five things that move the price
- Glass thickness — 6mm in framed screens versus 10mm in frameless. Ten millimetre glass costs substantially more per square metre and is much heavier to handle.
- Hardware finish — chrome is the baseline. Matte black, brushed nickel, gunmetal and brushed gold all carry a premium, sometimes a surprising one.
- The number of panels and hinges — a single fixed panel with a door is cheap. A three-sided walk-in with a return panel and a glass-to-glass hinge is not.
- Easy-clean coating — a factory-applied hydrophobic treatment. Worth it in harder water areas, and we will tell you when it is not needed.
- Site condition — out-of-square walls, insufficient substrate behind tiles for frameless hinge fixings, or a floor that falls the wrong way all add work before the glass goes in.
Where cheap quotes hide the difference
If one quote is dramatically below the others, look for three things. First, glass thickness — a 'frameless-look' screen in 8mm is not the same product as 10mm. Second, hardware quality: budget hinges on a heavy frameless door will sag within a couple of years and the door will start to catch. Third, whether removal and disposal of the old screen is included, because it is real labour and it is easy to leave off a quote.
The other thing worth asking is whether the quote is based on a site measure or on numbers you supplied over the phone. Toughened glass cannot be cut or drilled after toughening. If the measure is wrong, the panel is scrap and someone pays for it — which is why we measure on site every time.
When frameless is not the right call
Frameless hardware transfers real load into the wall, so it needs sound substrate behind the tiles — not just plasterboard. In an older bathroom where the walls are noticeably out of true, frameless also shows every gap, because there is no frame to hide behind. Semi-frameless in that situation gives a better-looking result for less money.
It is also worth being honest about cleaning. Frameless has fewer places for grime to sit, which is a genuine advantage. But a large expanse of clear 10mm glass shows every water mark, so if nobody in the house is going to squeegee it, the practical difference is smaller than the showroom suggests.
How long it takes
Allow one to two weeks from measure to install. The glass is cut and drilled, then toughened, and toughening is a factory process that cannot be rushed or reversed. Installation itself is usually a few hours. If your bathroom is mid-renovation, the screen should be measured after the tiling is finished — measuring off bare studs or unset tiles is how screens end up not fitting.
Want this looked at?
We’re glaziers based in Pakenham servicing Cardinia Shire and the City of Casey. Free quotes, and for most jobs a photo is enough to get a price.
