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We purchased a small house that was built in the 80's, and the master bathroom has a shower equipped with sliding glass doors. All of the hardware seemed to be in fair condition at time of purchase, though I'll admit I didn't thoroughly inspect it.

A couple of weeks ago, while showering, one of the doors exploded. When I inspected the damage, it appeared one of the aluminum pins holding the track in the door had failed. I believe that this might have caused the tempered glass door to fall an inch or so onto the track, shattering it. Research into this problem seems to lend credibility to this being a rather common occurrence.

The other door, and the framing is still in great condition. Therefore, I'd like to not have to purchase a complete assembly. Unfortunately, I cannot find any markings on the door or framing that indicate who manufactured the door or any model numbers.

I took the dimensions for the door down to Home Depot, hoping to find if they sold just a single replacement door, but the department specialist said they did not. His advice was to buy a complete new assembly with framing, as he believed it would be near impossible to match the door.

I was wondering if anyone else who has gone through this issue, or something similar, has any advice on how I might be able to just get a single door replaced, rather than buying an entire shower door assembly kit. I still have the hardware from the door that broke, and have the measurements from the remaining glass door.

Are there shops that do this kind of custom work? If so, what am I looking for? Would the cost be less than buying an entire new assembly (roughly $300).

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    tempered glass standard sizes: google.com/… If you're good with your hands you can probably do the replacement yourself. If not, go to a local glass store or a decent hardware store. The glass store'll do the repair for you, probably order the sheet as well. The hardware store will at least point you to the old guy who does this sort of work out of his basement. As you found out, a big box store is not part of the solution here.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 19:55
  • If you don't need a glass door, you could take the rest of it down and use a shower curtain. They aren't as likely to explode. They are also easier to clean.
    – Jason Hutchinson
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 21:04

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Check the yellow pages for custom glass shops. They can make or custom order the tempered glass and may have common sizes in stock. I replaced a large door a few years ago for on the order of $100 IIRC. Many will do free estimates, and know the market well enough to tell you if you're wasting your time.

It may also be worth looking at some older, pre-Home Depot hardware/home improvement stores in your area as well. You'd be surprised how static some of these product lines are, and many manufactures do in fact support their products with parts.

It's probably a long shot, time vs. money and all. But the help at the box stores typically have no clue, so I wouldn't base much on their opinion.

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  • Do you know if custom glass companies like this charge for assessments? For example, sending someone out to get the measurements they need.
    – crush
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 17:00
  • Can't hurt to call and ask. I know some will for new installs of glass shower doors and enclosures, but I'm not sure about a single panel like that. When I had my single panel replacement made, I went down to them with my measurements & hardware.
    – CoAstroGeek
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 17:06
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Even if you found the manufacturer of the door, they would not sell a part to a retail customer. Such things are made in batches and change every season, so the door model you have is probably long gone. In fact, the company is probably long gone.

To make the door custom would probably cost way more than $300.

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Any reputable glass company can take care of this! Most shower door parts are always available.

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