Glass Tile Shower Ideas (Colors & Designs)
Sprucing up your shower can be exciting, especially since you can style the area however you want. One of the most stunning and luxurious materials you can choose is glass tiles.
Known for their elegant aesthetics, glass tiles are popular for homeowners because of this aspect. Its usage dates back hundreds of years ago when they were often installed in areas with high moisture levels, like kitchens and bathrooms. This is why this trend is still popular today, and homeowners love seeing these stylish reflective tiles in their bathrooms.
Glass tiles are non-porous, so moisture is not an issue you’d have to worry about if you choose this material for your shower area. They also feature an airy, sparkling look that makes a room clean and more spacious.
With your shower, you want something that can make you feel comfortable and, at the same time, offer stylish surroundings. It is the private area where you can feel at ease, and showering surrounded by these gleaming surfaces feels somehow exposed and empowering at the same time. This is what makes this material a good option for your shower upgrade.
If you’ve set your eyes on glass bathroom tiles and want to use them to upgrade the shower, you should consider the different types to help choose the best one for your home.
Types Of Glass Shower Tiles
With glass tiles, the most common and basic type is a clear, smooth, and non-color tile that screams elegance and cleanliness. This look is often seen in luxurious kitchens and bathrooms.
The major downside is that everything you use behind the application is visible, so it takes a professional to install them in your home.
While this clear transparent type is common, it also varies by size, color, and design.
Modern Glass
A modern glossy shower features unique and elegant aesthetics that differ greatly from others based on your chosen patterns and designs.
Some of the tile patterns and styles to consider are the following:
• Bubbled, etched, or frosted clear glass tile: Features an icy and cool look made possible by using a laser cutter, acid solution, or sandblasting.
• Recycled glass wall tile: Usually made from recycled bottles, this kind of modern tile is eco-friendly but stunning at the same time. Most commonly installed in swimming pools, kitchens, and bathrooms, these modern tiles, when used in showers, deliver the following advantages to make the most of.
Benefits of a Modern Tile Shower Design:
• Wide selection of patterns to choose from (Different technologies are used to create these patterns and designs.)
• Mostly delivers elegance and unique aesthetics.
• Highly versatile.
• Clean and inviting ambiance/feel.
Glass Subway Tile
A glass subway tile shower can take you back to the original New York underground transportation system in an elegant way. These tiles are created by melting glass into large rectangular molds. These glass subway tiles are often used in bathrooms and shower areas, particularly on the first half of the walls.
Benefits of Glass Subway Tiles:
• Delivers historically accurate pattern
• Usually comes in large rectangular tiles
• Easier and faster to install compared to other types
Glass Mosaic Tile
Besides the subway style, mosaic is another style that looks fantastic on shower walls. Mosaic tiles have small squares in different colors based on the color palette of the specific tile. Some of the color schemes you can consider are the following:
• Light-colored mosaic tile (Amethyst and aquamarine)
• Earth-toned mosaic tile (Copper and warm amber)
• Cool-colored mosaic tile (Blues and browns)
A mosaic tile enclosure features a very attractive design that can easily stand out, so this is a great option for you if you’re looking for that. Here are other advantages you can experience with this type of shower.
Benefits of Glass Mosaic Showers:
• Features a quirky aesthetic with sparking gems
• Comes in a variety of color schemes
• Usually comes in a sheet form
• Delivers like an artistic masterpiece on a canvas.
Glass Wall Tile And Glass Door
A tile shower with a see through door can be good if your shower is small and crowded. Adding a see-through door can make the shower look more spacious, making it a great option for small floor plans.
Benefits of Tile Showers with Glass Doors:
• Adds elegance to a tiled shower
• Makes the shower appear bigger and more spacious than it is
• The doors can be framed or frameless
The downside with these doors is that installation takes a more meticulous approach. You need to know the exact shower sizes to make this door work in your bathroom.
Glass Accent
A tile shower accent can be a good addition to your bathroom and dedicate a specific portion of the area to stand out. Since the reflective tiles are naturally elegant and stunning, using them as materials for accent is an easy choice.
Benefits of Glass Tile Accent Walls:
• Makes an excellent material for bathroom accent walls
• Customization of accent walls since the tiles are offered in various sizes and colors
• Resistant to moisture to no issues about damages from water exposure
Glass Designs & Finishes
Glass tiles are offered in many designs, not just classic, non-clear, transparent ones. The tiles showcase different colors, patterns, and a wide assortment of textures you can consider.
Yes, the tile designs do not just come with smooth surfaces. You have the option of choosing a glossy or matte finish. But these are not your only options since they come in different patterns.
With many designs to choose from, though, which one is the best option for your shower? This will be up to you since you must consider factors like your budget, allotted space for your shower, and the style you want your shower to have.
Glass Colors
These tiles come in various color options, and the best thing about the material is that it easily reflects light and plays with light and colors in a way that other materials can’t. You can choose colors other than the classic transparent, non-color tile. From there, you can choose one specific color for an entire color palette and scheme, especially if there’s a pattern on the surface.
White
White is a classic and safe color, even with reflective glossy tiles. Some of the white designs you can choose from are frosty tiles, making the shower look cool and icy. You can also choose a mother-of-pearl sheen for the surface, turning them white.
Blue
Blue is a naturally cool shade that many bathrooms and showers carry. It adds a refreshing look to the area and can make you feel calmer and more comfortable, which is what a shower should do in the first place.
You can choose solid blue tile that will somehow cover and hide the inside of the shower area, or you can choose transparent blue panels for a bit of a reflection and view.
Green
Green is an excellent choice if you’re into nature and neutral colors. With a green tiled enclosure, you’ll feel closer to nature. You can choose a muted version of this color, like sage, or transparent green, for your shower walls.
Adding greens inside the bathroom will add to the ambiance and vibe of nature you have going for this shower color.
Black
Black is a loud and dramatic color, and applying that to elegant tiles will seem like a cherry on top. The color also adds luxury to the already sophisticated enclosure; if you want to feel like you’re inside the shower of a 5-star hotel, this can be a great choice.
A black tile shower can add value to your home, with homeowners wanting to experience that luxurious feel of being in the said shower.
Glass Materials
Besides designs and colors, different materials can be used. They also come in different sizes, so you may want to consider them as you choose the designs you can use for your shower.
These materials also come in a variety of shapes, including the following:
• Traditional Squared (With Decorative Edge Pieces)
• Vintage Round Tiles
• Quirky Octagonal Mosaic Tiles
• Long And Slender (picket or fingerstyle)
The most popular and common tiles are square, measuring 4 x 4 inches. The long, slender tiles are popularly installed in luxurious hotels and spas. See our gallery of tile shapes for more ideas.
Sea Glass
Sea glass are small pieces of glass usually found on beaches of seas and banks of large rivers. The material is formed, and its aesthetics result from its constant tumbling in the waves for a long time. It can either be natural or artificial, depending on how the material is formed.
Natural sea glass comes from discarded glasses like tableware and bottles. They are thrown, smacked, and weathered by salt, sand, and other elements, removing the sharp edges.
Artificial sea glass is created inside a factory or workshop and is cut up from sheets (recycled bottles) and placed on a rock tumbler or acid bath to smooth the edges. The material is available in many colors.
These materials, whether natural or manufactured, have stunning aesthetics. Some other advantages you can benefit from include the following:
Benefits of Sea Glass Tile:
• An interesting source of the material
• Offered in both natural and artificial versions
• Comes in a variety of colors
• Out-of-this-world appearance and aesthetics
Large Format Glass
Large format glass tiles are created by melting silica sand, soda ash, and raw limestone materials and pouring them into molds with their respective patterns, shapes, and dimensions. Most of the quirkiest patterns come in large sheets like subway tiles. See more pictures of showers with large format tiles here.
Here are some advantages you are sure to enjoy with large-format tile showers.
Benefits of Large Format Glass Tiles:
• Faster to install since the tiles are large
• Can accommodate different patterns and designs
• May be available in different colors, along with designs
• Delivers an uncluttered look that is perfect for minimalists
Glass Blocks
Glass blocks or bricks are other tiles used as tiles and can be installed in the shower area. In contrast with the large sheets, these blocks are small and can come in bricks and mini squares. The basic tile comes in a 4 x 4 inch square shape, but blocks are smaller, so they might require much more meticulous installation.
Putting the mini squares in frames with a block tile shower will look wonderful in your bathroom. These tiles can come in different varieties, including styles and patterns like the smokey or frosted look.
Benefits of Glass Blocks:
• Unique, stunning, and quirky aesthetics
• Easier and faster replacements and repairs
• Come in different textures, colors, and designs
Pros And Cons of Glass Shower Tile
When deciding whether these tiles will be ideal for your shower, weighing the pros and cons is the best move to take.
Pros:
Glass tiles for showers are popular for a reason, and here are some noteworthy advantages you can pinpoint.
• Aesthetically and visually appealing: These tiles have elegant aesthetics and can be a wonderful addition to your bathroom, whatever style and ambiance you want to integrate into the shower area. With different colors, forms, and textures, your creativity is limited in your shower style.
• Surprisingly durable: While they seem fragile, they’re a material as durable as ceramic tile and can last for a long time when properly cared for. These tiles don’t easily break under pressure.
• Makes the shower area look bigger and more spacious: Since these tiles easily reflect light, the right positioning can make the space look bigger, the same effect that a mirror has.
• Low maintenance: The surfaces can easily be cleaned, so you won’t need to spend too much on shower maintenance.
• Resistant to staining and moisture: Since it is nonporous, the tiles are resistant to moisture and staining, removing the challenges you may encounter with other materials.
Cons:
Looking at the other side of the coin, these shower tiles also have some disadvantages you need to know about, including the following:
• Slippery surface: The surface tends to be slippery once wet, so be cautious when it is.
• Difficult to install: Installation of these tiles requires meticulous touch, especially since some can break when handled wrongly.
• Easily scratched: While durable in their own right, they can easily be scratched, which is the material’s major problem.
• Relatively expensive: These materials are significantly more expensive compared to other materials like ceramic tiles.
• Can’t hide imperfections: Since the surface is reflective, you can easily see scratches, bumps, and other imperfections on it.
Glass Tiled Shower Problems
Choosing glass tiles for your shower means that there are probable challenges you might encounter along the way, including the following:
• Tendency to crack with intense pressure
• Can be slippery once it gets wet
• Meticulous installation is required and may need a professional for it
• Maybe over your budget
• Easily scratches which are difficult to hide
Best Mortar For Glass
You can use many mortar options for the tiles in your shower, and it’s only in your prerogative to choose the one you want to use. If you need a recommendation, one of the best options is the white premium grade with non-sag properties and a modified thin-set. It can easily be used for mosaics.
Here are the popular types of mortar used for glass tile:
- White thin-set mortar
- Polymer modified thin set
- Ttile thin-set mortar
Can I Use Glass On a Shower Floor
Yes, you can use glass tile on the shower floor, provided the tiles are textured and not polished. While they may be durable enough to accommodate your weight, the issue lies in the tendency of these types of floor tiles to be slippery once wet. This is where a floor surface with texture comes into place as a safety precaution.
Cleaning Tiles Made From Glass
Cleaning your shower’s tiles is easy, and maintenance is relatively low. A simple soap, water, and vinegar solution are enough to clean the build-up dirt and residue on the surfaces. Here are simple steps to follow in cleaning your glass tiles.
1. Make the soap, vinegar, and water solution in equal parts
2. Spray the solution on the surface for at least 10 minutes
3. Scrub the tiles using a microfiber cloth or a soft brush
4. Thoroughly rinse with clean water
5. Wipe with a dry cloth or towel
See more related content in our article about granite shower walls on this page.
