How to Install a Glass Bath Screen
Mount and seal a hinged tempered glass bath screen onto tiled bathroom walls over a tub for a clean, watertight shower enclosure.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Cordless drill
- ✓ Tile/masonry drill bit (6mm)
- ✓ Spirit level (minimum 600mm)
- ✓ Silicone caulking gun
- ✓ Screwdriver (Phillips #2)
- ✓ Pencil
- ✓ Measuring tape
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Glass bath screen kit with wall profile
- ✓ Plastic wall plugs (matched to bit)
- ✓ Stainless steel fixing screws
- ✓ Masking tape
- ✓ Sanitary mildew-resistant silicone sealant
- ✓ Bottom rubber/plastic drip seal
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Use a digital pipe/cable detector to check behind tiles before drilling.
- • Never place the corners of tempered glass directly onto hard tile or stone; rest glass only on cardboard or soft timber.
- • Wear safety glasses while drilling into ceramic or porcelain tiles.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Position and Plumb the Wall Profile
Place the aluminium wall channel vertically against the wall, aligned with the inner edge of the bath rim. Hold a spirit level against the channel face and adjust until the bubble is centered. Mark the mounting hole positions onto the wall with a pencil through the pre-drilled channel slots.
- • Wall channel standing flat against tile with spirit level bubble dead-center.
- • Clear pencil marks visible on the tile corresponding to channel screw holes.
- • Placing the profile too close to the outside edge of the bath rim, causing water leaks.
- • Relying on the wall corner for plumb instead of using a spirit level.
Drill Mounting Holes into the Tile
Cover the marked spots with masking tape if not done already. Set the cordless drill to rotary mode (hammer action turned OFF) using a masonry or tile drill bit. Drill slowly through the tile glaze, then engage gentle pressure once through the ceramic layer to reach full wall plug depth.
- • Clean, circular holes drilled cleanly through tile without cracked edges.
- • Masking tape removed around neat hole perimeters.
- • Using hammer mode on brittle tiles, causing tile cracking or shattering.
- • Drilling at an angle rather than perpendicular to the wall.
Insert Wall Plugs and Secure the Wall Profile
Push plastic wall plugs into each drilled hole until they sit completely flush with the tile face. Run a thin bead of silicone down the rear channel face if specified by the manufacturer, then hold the profile in place. Drive the stainless steel screws securely into the plugs using a manual screwdriver to avoid overtightening.
- • Wall plugs seated flush with tile surface without protruding rims.
- • Wall profile firmly fixed to wall with no wobble or gaps along the rear edge.
- • Overtightening screws with a power driver, stripping the wall plug.
- • Leaving wall plugs protruding, preventing the profile from sitting flat.
Fit the Bottom Water Deflector Seal
Slide the clear plastic/rubber water seal onto the bottom edge of the glass panel. Ensure the flexible deflector flap points toward the inside of the bath so running water drains inward. Push the seal firmly upward until it is seated uniformly along the entire length of the lower glass edge.
- • Bottom seal fully engaged along the glass bottom with no sagging sections.
- • Deflector flap facing inward toward the tub interior.
- • Installing the deflector flap facing outward, which directs shower spray onto the bathroom floor.
- • Stretching the seal during installation, causing it to curl off later.
Hang Glass Screen and Fix to Wall Profile
Carefully lift the glass panel and slot its hinge spine into the secured wall channel. Adjust the panel horizontally until the bottom seal sits parallel with a light contact against the bath rim. Drill pilot holes through the pre-drilled channel holes into the hinge frame, then secure with the provided fixing screws and screw caps.
- • Glass screen swings smoothly without dragging heavily or catching on the bath rim.
- • Fixing screws driven home into the channel with decorative plastic caps snapped on.
- • Setting the screen too low so the rubber seal drags hard and binds when opening.
- • Setting the screen too high, creating an air gap under the rubber seal.
Apply Exterior Silicone Seal
Wipe the outer joint between the wall channel and tile, as well as the channel base and bath rim, completely clean and dry. Apply a continuous, smooth bead of sanitary silicone along the OUTSIDE vertical edge of the wall profile and outer base. Smooth the bead with a silicone profiling tool or gloved finger.
- • Uniform, continuous bead of silicone along the external wall profile joint.
- • Inside joint left completely unsealed to allow trapped water to drain back into tub.
- • Sealing the inside vertical edge, which traps water inside the profile and causes mildew and corrosion.
- • Using standard silicone instead of anti-fungal sanitary grade sealant.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Mitre 10 New Zealand — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Tile/masonry drill bit? Diamond-tipped hole saw bit (for hard porcelain tiles)
- No Silicone profiling tool? A gloved finger dipped in soapy water