Pivot Shower Doors

A pivot shower door swings open on a hinge, usually offset to one side, rather than sliding along a track. You get a wide opening to step through and no bottom rail to scrub limescale out of. The price of that is swing room: a pivot door suits a recess or alcove with clear floor space for the door to open into, so check nothing (basin, toilet, radiator) sits in its arc before you buy.

The Litchfield Glide pivot doors picked out below come in 760mm, 800mm and 900mm, in chrome, brushed brass or matt black, with 6mm toughened safety glass and a lifetime guarantee, and each one takes an optional side panel if your shower sits in a corner. The chrome 760mm is listed for reversible left or right-hand installation, so its hinge can go on whichever side suits your room. For the others, check the handing and which way the door opens on the product page before you order. If you are short on swing room, a sliding shower door is worth a look instead, and the full shower doors range covers the other door types.

What to look for in a pivot shower door

A pivot door is the simplest way to close off a recess shower. It hangs on a hinge and swings open to give you a clear opening, with no bottom track to trap dirt the way a sliding door’s does. The catch is swing room: the door needs space to open without clouting the basin or the loo, so measure the clear floor area around the shower before anything else. After that it comes down to size, handing, finish and whether you need a side panel.

Get the size right. A pivot door is sold to fit an opening of a set width, so match it to the recess, not to the shower tray on its own. Measure the recess at the top, middle and bottom, because walls are rarely plumb, and work to the smallest figure. Then read the fitting range rather than just the headline size, because the two are not always the same: the Litchfield Glide Chrome Pivot Shower Door 760mm at £169 has an adjustable fitting range of 710mm to 750mm, so it is made for a gap a little under its nominal width and suits a tighter alcove. For a wider recess, the Litchfield Glide Chrome Pivot Shower Door 900mm at £179 is the widest chrome door in this guide. Check the fitting range on each product page before you order.

Which way it opens. This is the bit people forget. A pivot door swings on its hinge, so it needs clear space in its arc, and the handing matters as much as the width. The Glide chrome 760mm is listed for reversible left or right-hand installation, so you can put the hinge on whichever side your layout needs. For any other door, check the handing and the opening direction on the product page rather than assuming. If the floor space around your shower is genuinely tight, a sliding door will save you barking your shins.

Finish: chrome, brushed brass or matt black. Finish is about matching your taps and your tray waste. It does not change how the door works, and across the doors in this guide it does not change the price either: the 760mm and 800mm doors are £169 and the 900mm doors are £179, whichever finish you pick. Chrome is the safe all-rounder that sits happily next to almost anything. Brushed brass is the warmer look, and the Litchfield Glide Brushed Brass Pivot Shower Door 900mm at £179 is the one to pair with brass or gold taps. Matt black suits a more industrial scheme: the Litchfield Glide Black Pivot Shower Door 800mm at £169 sits alongside the rest of our black shower doors and enclosures if you want to match the whole look.

Do you need a side panel? A pivot door on its own closes off a recess with walls on three sides. If your shower sits in a corner with only two walls, you need a side panel to box in the open side and make a full enclosure. Every Glide door in this guide is listed with optional side panels in 700mm, 800mm and 900mm, and some list 760mm and 1000mm as well, including the Litchfield Glide Brushed Brass Pivot Shower Door 800mm at £169. Order the panel with the door rather than as an afterthought.

Glass and guarantee. Every Glide door in this guide uses 6mm toughened safety glass with easy-clean surfaces, and the chrome 760mm specifically lists an easy-clean coating on the glass. Easy-clean is not no-clean, so keep a squeegee handy. Each door is also backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Quick answers

What is a pivot shower door? A shower door that hangs on a hinge and swings open, rather than sliding along a track. The hinge is usually offset to one side, so the door pivots open to give you a wide opening to step through. With no bottom rail there is less to clean than on a sliding door, but the door does need clear space to swing.

Do pivot shower doors open inward or outward? It depends on the door, so check the opening direction on the product page before you order. Handing is worth checking too: the Glide chrome 760mm, for instance, is listed for reversible left or right-hand installation, so its hinge can go on either side. Whichever way your door swings, measure the clear space in its arc before you buy.

What size pivot shower door do I need? Measure the width of the recess opening at the top, middle and bottom, and work to the smallest of the three so the door fits the narrowest point. The Glide doors in this guide come in 760mm, 800mm and 900mm, but go by the fitting range rather than the headline size: the chrome 760mm, for example, fits an opening of 710mm to 750mm. Check the fitting range on the product page before you order.

Can I get a pivot shower door with a side panel? Yes. If your shower is in a corner with only two walls, you add a side panel to close off the open side. Every Glide door in this guide lists optional side panels in 700mm, 800mm and 900mm, and some add 760mm and 1000mm too, so order the door and panel together. A pivot door on its own only suits a recess with walls on three sides.

Is there a brushed brass pivot shower door? Yes. The Litchfield Glide Brushed Brass Pivot Shower Door 900mm is £179, and there is an 800mm version at £169. Either one pairs well with brass or gold taps. If matt black or chrome suits your scheme better, the Glide range covers those too.

Are pivot or sliding shower doors better? Neither is better outright: it comes down to floor space. A pivot door needs room to swing, so it suits a recess with clear space for the door to open into and gives you the widest opening. A sliding shower door opens along a track and needs no swing room, so it wins in a tight bathroom or where the door would otherwise hit a basin or toilet. The trade-off with sliders is the bottom track, which is one more thing to keep clean.