Pivot Shower Doors | West Palm Beach, FL

How a pivot door works

Instead of hinges down one side, a pivot door has two pins: one at the top of the glass, set into a header bar or the ceiling, and one at the bottom, set into the curb or the floor. The door turns on the line between them. Because the weight goes straight down through the bottom pivot, the wall beside the door carries little or none of it.

The pivot point can sit at the very edge of the door or be offset a few inches in from it. An offset pivot means part of the door swings into the shower as the rest swings out, which shortens the clearance the door needs in the bathroom.

Where a pivot beats a hinge

The wall cannot take a hinge. Hinges on a heavy glass door need solid backing behind the tile. Where there is none, or where the wall is glass block or a half wall, a pivot carries the door from the floor instead.
The door needs to swing in and out. Pivot hardware can allow both, which helps where space outside the shower is tight.
The opening has no side panel. A door that fills an opening between two walls on its own is a natural pivot layout.
Replacing an existing framed pivot door, which is common on older stall showers. The new door can be framed again or frameless.

Where the wall is sound and there is a fixed panel to hang from, a hinged frameless door is usually simpler. If the bathroom is too small for any door to swing, a sliding door needs no clearance at all.

Framed or frameless

A framed pivot door is the economical version: thinner glass in a metal surround, with the pivot built into the frame. A frameless pivot door uses heavy tempered glass with pivot hardware clamped to its top and bottom edges, and looks like any other frameless door when it is closed. The choice comes down to budget, the rest of the enclosure, and how the bathroom is finished.

What we check at the measure

Whether the curb or floor can take the bottom pivot without cracking tile
What the top pivot fixes into — a header bar, a glass panel or the ceiling
How far the walls run out of plumb, which decides the door gap
Which way the door should swing, and where the water will run

Everything is measured before the glass is made, because tempered glass cannot be altered afterwards.

Common questions

What is the difference between a pivot door and a hinged door?

A hinged door hangs from hinges fixed to the wall or to a fixed glass panel down one edge. A pivot door turns on two pins, one at the top and one at the bottom, set into the floor or curb and into a header or the ceiling. The weight goes down through the bottom pivot instead of sideways into the wall, which is what makes a pivot useful where a wall cannot carry a heavy door.

Can a pivot shower door open both ways?

Many can. A pivot door can be set to swing outward only, or both in and out, depending on the hardware and the layout. Outward opening is the usual recommendation for a shower, so the door cannot be blocked by someone who has fallen inside.

Are pivot doors framed or frameless?

Both exist. Framed pivot doors are a common, economical choice on older shower stalls; frameless pivot doors use heavy glass with the pivot hardware clamped to the top and bottom edges. We fit either, and help you choose on the walls, the opening and the look you want.

Do pivot doors need more maintenance?

Not more, but different. The bottom pivot sits where water collects, so it should be kept clean, and the pivot hardware can wear over years of use. Worn pivots are a repair, not a reason to replace the door.

Pivot shower doors in West Palm Beach