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A boxed shower door kit from a home improvement store costs less upfront, and you can take it home the same day. A custom frameless door is measured for your shower and made to fit it. Both will keep water in the shower. The differences show up in how it fits, how it looks, and how it holds up over the years.
Here’s what actually changes between the two.
| Store-bought kit | Custom frameless door | |
|---|---|---|
| Sizing | Standard sizes, adjustable within a range | Made to your exact opening, to 1/16 of an inch |
| Out-of-level walls | Frame hides gaps | Glass is built to follow your walls |
| Glass | Usually thinner, limited options | Thick tempered glass in clear, low-iron, frosted, textured or tinted |
| Hardware | A few standard finishes | Many finishes, matched to your fixtures |
| Frame | Often relies on metal frames and tracks | No frame, or a minimal one |
| Installation | DIY or a handyman | Measured and installed by glass pros |
| Look | Standard | Custom, built for your bathroom |
| Upfront cost | Lower | Higher |
Almost no shower opening is perfectly square. Walls lean, tile adds thickness, and curbs slope. A kit is made in standard sizes, so it depends on a metal frame or adjustable channel to cover the gaps. That’s why so many kit doors end up with a thick strip of metal or a line of caulk down one side.
A custom door starts with measurements taken in your bathroom. Because tempered glass can’t be cut after it’s made, we measure down to 1/16 of an inch and build the glass to match your walls. The result is tight, even gaps with no oversized frame.
Kits usually come with one glass option and a small choice of finishes. With a custom door you choose the glass (clear, low-iron, frosted, textured or tinted) and the hardware finish. You can match your faucet and fixtures instead of settling for whatever’s in the box. See our guide to the best glass types for custom shower doors.
Kits are designed for DIY or handyman installs. That works fine in a simple, square opening. Heavier frameless glass is different: the hinges have to be anchored into solid backing, and the panels have to be set level so the door closes and seals properly. That’s a job for a glass installer.
The kit wins on day one. A custom frameless door costs more upfront. Most of ours run $1,500 to $4,500, installed. But frames and tracks are where soap scum, mildew and hard water build up, and in humid South Florida bathrooms that’s where kits tend to wear out first. A frameless door has fewer places for grime to collect, and it adds to the look and value of the bathroom. See our frameless shower door cost guide for what goes into the price.
Yes. We install frameless hinged and sliding doors on tubs as well as walk-in showers.
About two weeks from final measurements. Fabrication takes 7 to 10 business days, and most standard installs take 2 to 4 hours.
Often it matters most in a small bathroom, because clear frameless glass makes the space feel bigger. Read our guide on frameless shower doors for small bathrooms.
Thinking about a custom door? Call CFG at 561-989-8373 or visit our showroom at 6345 N Federal Highway in Boca Raton for a free estimate.