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Shower Enclosure Systems
Framed Shower Enclosures — Full Aluminium Perimeter, Best Containment
The frame is doing engineering work — and thinner glass is a consequence of it, not a compromise.
A framed enclosure has an aluminium profile around every panel. The frame carries the load, absorbs the unevenness in the opening and seals the edges, which is why framed takes the widest tolerance, contains the most water, and is specified with lighter glass than any other configuration. It is the right answer more often than it is given credit for.
What the Frame Buys Request a Quote
What Is a Framed Shower Enclosure?
In a framed system, every panel sits inside an aluminium profile that runs its full perimeter. The glass edge is enclosed rather than exposed, the joints between panels are closed with profile rather than silicone, and the bottom of the opening is finished with a threshold.
That profile is structural. It changes what the glass has to do, how much unevenness the enclosure can absorb, and how much water stays inside.
Like the other two configurations on this axis, framed does not decide how you get in. The opening — hinged, sliding or no door — is a separate decision made on the same enclosure.
What the Frame Buys
Four jobs, and each one is a reason to specify framed rather than a reason to apologise for it.
It carries the load
The glass does not have to stand on its own. That is why 6 mm or 8 mm is structurally adequate behind a frame — the thinner glass is a consequence of the frame doing its job, not a cost cut.
It absorbs tolerance
Unevenness in the opening is taken up along the whole perimeter instead of being displayed at a silicone joint. This is why framed works in openings the other two cannot.
It contains water
A sealed perimeter plus a threshold has fewer ways for water to leave than a silicone joint. Framed contains more water than semi-frameless, which contains more than frameless.
It protects the edges
Panel edges live inside a profile rather than being exposed. That matters for handling, for transport, and for the knocks that come with volume installation.
Water Containment: Where Framed Wins Outright
This is the section that most often decides the specification, and it is the one where framed beats the alternatives on merit rather than on price.
Water leaves an enclosure through its joints. A frameless enclosure seals those joints with silicone and has no threshold to speak of — clean to look at, but the joints are the only barrier. A semi-frameless one closes some joints with profile and leaves others to silicone. A framed one closes all of them, and adds a threshold at the bottom.
Sealed perimeter
Every joint is closed with profile and gasket rather than a bead of silicone that has to be applied perfectly on site.
Threshold at the base
A physical upstand at the bottom of the opening, with a drainage path that leads water back inside rather than out across the floor.
Door seals
Framed doors take a full-length magnetic or fin seal. They close against a frame rather than against another panel, which is simply an easier thing to seal.
Tolerates door misalignment
A door that is not quite perfectly aligned still closes against a frame and still seals. On a frameless door, the same misalignment is a gap.
Where this decides the specification. Gyms and changing facilities, student accommodation, holiday lets, care settings, and any scheme where a wet floor is a liability rather than an inconvenience. In those projects framed is not the budget choice — it is the correct one, and specifying frameless because it photographs better is a decision the operator will pay for.
Tolerance: The Openings Framed Can Take
Working backwards from the other two configurations is the clearest way to put it.
| Frame level | How much unevenness it absorbs | What happens when the opening is out |
|---|
| Frameless | Almost none | Tapered gaps at the wall, filled with silicone and visible from the room |
| Semi-frameless | At the framed sections only | Absorbed where there is profile, still visible on the unframed sections |
| Framed | Along the whole perimeter | Taken up by the profile — largely invisible |
Put plainly: if the opening is out of square, out of plumb, or the floor is not level, framed is the configuration that will still look right. The other two will show it.
There is a limit, and it is worth stating. A frame absorbs millimetres, not centimetres. An opening that is badly out still needs building work before any enclosure goes in. What framed removes is the need for the opening to be perfect.
Glass Thickness for Framed
Framed enclosures are supplied in 6 mm and 8 mm tempered glass. Both are lighter than the glass used in the other two configurations, and that is the point rather than the compromise.
6 mm
The standard specification for framed. The profile carries the panel, so this is structurally adequate for normal panel sizes and door widths.
8 mm
Specified for larger panels, taller doors, or where the scheme wants a heavier feel. Still lighter to handle than the glass in a frameless enclosure.
Thickness is set by panel size, whether the panel is fixed or forms part of a moving door, how it is supported, the hardware specified, and the safety-glazing requirements of the destination market. It is confirmed against your drawings rather than chosen from a list.
The practical advantage of lighter glass is not just cost. It is easier to handle, easier to install, puts less load on the fixings, and makes upper-floor and tight-access projects straightforward. For a development with forty identical bathrooms, that converts into real programme time.
Profiles: Depth, Finish and Drainage
Framed has the largest visible metal area of the three configurations, which makes the profile a design decision in a way it is not elsewhere.
Depth and sightline
A deeper profile is stiffer and takes more tolerance; a slimmer one is quieter visually. On a framed enclosure this trade-off is visible, so it is worth deciding deliberately.
Finish
The finish should match the hardware so the assembly reads as one object rather than two materials that nearly agree.
Drainage path
The bottom track is designed to lead water back inside rather than letting it sit or escape. It is the component behind the containment claim, and the one to look at closely when comparing systems.
Gaskets and seals
The flexible parts that do the actual sealing. They are wearing components in a wet area and should be treated as serviceable, not permanent.
When Framed Is the Right Choice
Five legitimate reasons, and cost is only one of them — and not the most common one in our experience.
- The opening is difficult. Out of square, out of plumb, or a floor that is not level. Framed absorbs what the other two would display.
- Water containment is the priority. A wet floor is a slip hazard, a maintenance problem, or a damage claim to the room below. Framed contains the most.
- The scheme is hard-use or high-turnover. Gyms, student accommodation, rentals, care settings. Enclosed edges and a sealed door take that better than exposed glass edges do.
- Volume and install speed. Lighter panels, more tolerance, and fewer site adjustments. On a forty-unit development this is worth more than the material saving.
- Budget is the binding constraint. A legitimate reason, and the one everybody assumes is the only one. Framed does cost less — mainly because of the glass, the hardware count and the install time — but it is the fourth or fifth reason on this list, not the first.
When Framed Is the Wrong Choice
- Visual simplicity is the brief. A frame is a visible line around every panel. If the design depends on there being none, framed cannot deliver it — frameless is the answer and everything else is a compromise.
- The opening is genuinely accurate. New build, fully re-lined, plumb and square. In that case the frame is buying tolerance the project does not need.
- The scheme is a premium showroom or a spa where the uninterrupted sightline is part of what is being sold.
- Existing tiles or stone are the feature and the enclosure is meant to disappear in front of them. A frame interrupts that in a way a silicone joint does not.
- Access will not take a framed assembly. Framed sections are bulky rather than heavy, and a narrow stair can be more of a problem for a long profile than for a heavy panel.
Framed and the Door
How much metal you see and how you get in are two decisions. Framed answers the first.
The most common pairing. The door closes against a frame, so it seals better and tolerates more misalignment than an unframed door.
The default for volume schemes — apartments, hotels, student accommodation. Panels run in a track and the whole assembly is tolerant and quick to install.
Less common, and worth noting why: a walk-in has no door to seal, so it gives up the containment that is framed’s main advantage. Usually frameless or semi-frameless is the better walk-in.
See all six configurations →
Hardware for Framed
With a full frame carrying the structure, hardware is doing less structural work than it does on frameless — which means the finish and the wearing parts matter more than the load rating.
Hinges and pivots
Carry the door within the frame. Lighter duty than frameless hinges, because the frame takes the load. See hinged doors.
Rollers and tracks
The moving parts on a sliding door, and the components with the most defined service life. Worth asking about replacement access.
Handles and knobs
Visible, and the part most often specified in a finish that does not quite match the profile.
Magnetic and fin seals
What actually keeps water in at the door. Serviceable, and the part to check when a specification is being compared on price.
Thresholds
The upstand at the base, with its drainage path. The single component most responsible for framed’s containment advantage.
Finishes
Matte black, brushed brass, brushed nickel, gunmetal and polished chrome — matched across profiles and fittings. View finishes →
Glass Types for Framed
Framed suits every decorative glass in the range, and the frame changes the calculus on two of them.
Frosted and etched
The most common pairing with framed. Privacy at 6 or 8 mm without the cost of moving to heavier glass. Frosted · Etched
Tinted
Grey or bronze at 6 or 8 mm, with the profile finished to match or to contrast deliberately. View tinted →
Fluted and reeded
Texture reads well in a framed panel, and the frame means the pattern does not have to be carried at 10 mm. Fluted · Reeded
Printed and back painted
Where a scheme needs branding or a solid colour. Printed · Back painted
One note on low-iron. Because the edge sits inside a profile, the green edge of standard clear glass is hidden — so low-iron buys less on a framed enclosure than it does on a frameless one. That is worth knowing before spending the premium.
Browse the full decorative glass range →
Processing & Fabrication
Panels are fabricated to drawing and supplied tempered as safety glass, dimensioned to the clearances of the profiles they sit in.
Cutting
Cut to size and shape, dimensioned to the internal clearance of the profiles rather than to the finished opening.
Edge Work
Edges are enclosed by the profile, so a standard seamed or lightly polished edge is normally sufficient — a genuine saving against frameless.
Drilling
CNC-drilled holes for hinges, handles and fixings, set against the actual fitting.
Notches & Cut-outs
CNC notches for pivots, tracks, wall connections and services.
Glass Processing
Decorative processing applied where the glass type allows, in the sequence that type requires.
Tempering
Tempered as safety glass. Requirements for the destination market are agreed before production. [[CONFIRM: which standards can be supported and for which markets — use the identical wording as the other pages]]
Applications
Apartments
The default for multi-unit developments — tolerant, quick to install, and consistent across every unit. View apartments →
Commercial
Gyms, changing facilities and washrooms, where containment and durability decide the specification. View commercial →
Hotels & Hospitality
Standard room tiers, and any scheme where housekeeping turnover and water containment matter more than the photograph. View hospitality →
Residential
Family bathrooms, rentals, and renovations where the existing opening is not going to be made perfect. View residential →
Spa & Wellness
High-humidity environments where the sealed perimeter and drainage path do real work. View spa applications →
Technical Specifications
| Configuration | Framed — full aluminium perimeter on every panel |
| Glass thickness | 6 mm / 8 mm — set by panel size, whether fixed or moving, support method, hardware and market requirements, confirmed against drawings |
| Glass type | Clear, low-iron, or any decorative glass in the range, subject to the processing sequence each type requires |
| Glass processing | Tempered as safety glass; laminated construction available where specified or required |
| Profiles | Aluminium — perimeter sections, wall posts, head and base tracks, with gaskets and drainage path. [[CONFIRM: profile finish range and method]] |
| Edge work | Seamed or lightly polished — the edge is enclosed by the profile, so a full polish is normally unnecessary |
| Water containment | Highest of the three frame levels — sealed perimeter, threshold with drainage path, full-length door seals |
| Joints | Closed with profile and gasket rather than silicone |
| Opening | Hinged, sliding or walk-in — specified separately |
| Tolerance | Highest of the three frame levels — absorbs unevenness along the whole perimeter |
| Hardware | Stainless steel hinges, rollers, handles and seals, finished to match the profiles |
| Hardware finishes | Matte black · brushed brass · brushed nickel · gunmetal · polished chrome, matched across profiles and fittings. View finishes → |
| Safety glazing | Applicable requirements for the destination market agreed before production. [[CONFIRM: which standards can be supported and for which markets — use the identical wording as the other pages]] |
| Packaging | Export packaging configured for glass panels, profiles and hardware |
Request glass samples →
How to Specify a Framed Enclosure
- Say what matters most. Containment, tolerance, durability, budget or install speed. It changes which profile, which thickness and which seals we recommend.
- Choose the opening. Hinged, sliding or walk-in — this sets the hardware and the hole pattern.
- Decide the profile finish deliberately. On framed, the visible metal area is large, so the finish is a design decision rather than a default.
- Finalise the drawing. Panels are drilled, notched and tempered to drawing. Nothing can be re-cut afterwards.
Request Framed Shower Enclosures
Tell us the opening and what matters most about it — containment, tolerance, durability, budget or install speed. That answer shapes the recommendation more than any other single thing.
Name
Business email
Company
What matters most
Please select…
Water containment
Tolerance — the opening is difficult
Durability in hard use
Install speed across many units
Budget
Not decided — please advise
The single answer that shapes the recommendation most.
Opening
Please select…
Hinged door
Sliding door
Pivot door
No door — walk-in
Not decided — please advise
Framed sets how much metal you see. This sets how you get in.
Glass thickness
Please select…
6 mm
8 mm
Advise me
Glass type
Please select…
Clear
Low-iron
Fluted
Reeded
Textured
Frosted
Etched
Printed
Tinted
Back painted
Reflective
Not decided — please advise
Hardware finish
Please select…
Matte black
Brushed brass
Brushed nickel / stainless
Gunmetal
Polished chrome
Other finish
Not decided — please advise
On framed, the profile finish should match — worth deciding together.
Quantity
Destination country
Drawing upload (optional)
DWG, DXF, PDF, SKP, JPG or PNG. Opening dimensions, ceiling height and a rough sketch are enough to start.
Project notesRequest a Quote
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Not Sure Framed Is Right?
Send the opening dimensions and tell us what matters most about the enclosure. We will say which frame level suits it — including, where that is the answer, that a different configuration would serve you better.
Discuss Your Project See All Six Configurations
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