Is it time to remove your shower doors to create more room? For my family, it was to create more access for mom and dad during bath time. It can seem like an overwhelming task, but in fact it is very quick and easy! I will walk you through the step-by-step process on how to remove shower doors!

How to remove shower doors

First remove the bracket, holding the doors in place. Then stand in the tub and lift the innermost door towards you and up. Once the rollers pop out of the track the door will come right out. Repeat the same process with the second door. Then you can remove the frame.

Tools you will need

• Drill or screwdriver
• Utility knife and or metal scraper
• Razor blade
• Needle nose pliers
• Rubbing alcohol
• Silicone caulk
• Painters tape
• Plastic scraper
• Drill bit
• Porcelain chip fix

Step 1: Remove the bracket holding doors in place

Every shower door set up will be a little different. With that being said, all doors will have some kind of bracket holding them in place. It is crucial to remove this bracket first. In my case, the bracket was held on with three small screws. So I was able to use a drill to remove the bracket.

Another set up, includes a small plastic bracket with ridges that the shower door grooves slide in. If your shower has this DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. You must remove the caulk that is holding the bracket in place (on the tub) prior to removing bracket. Use a razor blade or metal scrapper. If using a razor blade, be very careful not to scratch or chip the porcelain tub.

Step 2: Remove the glass doors from the frame

Once the bracket is removed from the doors, you should notice that the doors move freely from the bottom. To remove the doors, you MUST BE STANDING INSIDE THE TUB. Grab the innermost door from the bottom. Then pull in (towards you) and lift up, in order to pop the rollers off the track. Once the wheels are free, the door will come off and you can set it aside. Most shower doors are made of tempered glass which is fairly strong. Be very careful removing them and setting them aside – if they hit anything sharp they can shatter.

Now, do the same exact thing for the second door. Stand in the tub, pull in and lift up to remove the rollers from the track. Then place the door off to the side and out of the way. Now that the doors have been removed you can now remove the frame that is attached to the tub and walls.

Step 3: Remove the frame

Start with the top. Some frames at the top will pop right off. Examine to see if there is any caulk that seems to be holding the top in place. If not, it should slide right up. If there is caulk be sure to scrape it all to help jar it loose. Then remove any screws that may be holding the top in place. Once this has all been done, slide the top bracket off and set this aside.

Next, remove the sides. The sides will certainly have caulk on one or both edges holding them in place. Use your razor blade or scraper to cut the caulk. Choose your tool carefully and base the decision on the material the frame is attached to. You may not want to use a razor blade if it is on porcelain as this easily chips/scratches. Subsequently if it is tile, a razor blade will likely not be an issue as tile is much more resilient.

Once the caulk has been loosened, now remove the screws. Depending on the set up, some screws may be covered with rubber stoppers. If this is the case just remove the stoppers with a pair of needle nose pliers.

Now that all the screw covers have been removed, simply remove the screws using a drill or screwdriver. Once all the screws have been removed, the frame should come right down. It may get stuck in some areas. If that is the case, use the razor blade or scrapper to get the last bit of caulk. Now repeat this process on the other side.

Next, you will remove the bottom. It is very important to be careful during this step. Most tubs are made of porcelain and will scratch very easily. It will make your life a lot easier to limit the scratching (as it can be difficult to repair). Use the scraper to remove as much of the caulk as possible. The bottom will be caulked on both sides. Once the caulk is removed/scraped the bottom should come right off.

Step 4: Remove the excess caulk

After removing the frame there will be caulk left behind. Use a scraper, razor blade, or old credit card to remove this. I used a razor blade and scraper on the sides because it was tile. For the tub, I used an old credit card to limit scratching of the porcelain. I found holding the scraper/razor at a 45 degree angle to work best.

Use caution when scraping around the grout between the tiles and if there are tile accent pieces. TAKE THIS STEP VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY.

Of note, you will not get all the residue up in this step. The goal is to get as much up as you can without damaging any surfaces.

Step 5: Use caulk remover to clean up the residue

Use some sort of caulk remover to get the hard to remove spots. I used some rubbing alcohol that worked pretty well. There are a number of specialty caulk removers out there that to choose from. Wipe the area with the caulk remover and a rag then let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then go back and scrape the area with the tool you used in step 4. I found it much more difficult to remove the caulk from the tub, as the caulk came off the tiles pretty easy. Make sure to get the adhesive in the grout and hard to scrape areas. After this step the surfaces should be pretty smooth and most if not all the caulk/residue should be gone.

Step 6: Fill in the screw holes

Before filling in the screw holes with caulk, you have to remove the anchors that were used for the screws. If there are no anchors present, then lucky you, jump right to the caulking portion. I found the best way to remove the anchors is by using a drill bit. Make sure the drill bit you choose is smaller then the screw hole already there. When using a drill bit most of the anchors will fall down the backside of the wall. But some may stick far enough out you can grab them with the needle nose pliers. Both methods are equally effective.

Once all the anchors are removed it is time to fill the holes in. You can either use special made plugs or silicone caulk that matches the color of your tile. I choose to use caulk. First, you have to tape around the holes. Leave a small space on the tile exposed so that the caulk will adhere.

After all the holes are taped fill them in with caulk. Then use a plastic scraper to remove the excess caulk. Let them dry for at least an hour. Then check to see if they need another application. I found on some holes the caulk had sunk in, so I did another application of caulk. Once it is dry to the touch, and the holes are completely filled, remove the tape.

Once the tape is removed, carefully use a razor blade to remove the excess caulk thats on the tile. If caulk is not smooth, you can go over the hole with some fine sandpaper (I used 220 grit).

Step 7: Fix any scratches on the tub

After all the holes smooth, lets assess the tub. If there are any scratches on the tub now is the time to fix those. Most hardware stores have some sort of porcelain repair kit. I used one from Home Depot called “The Original Super Glue.” Follow the instructions on the kit you use for best practice. It is important to make sure the surface is clean prior to using.

Now it is time to admire your finished product.

Step 8: Store or get rid of the glass shower doors

I am sure that storing glass shower doors is pretty difficult, which is why we decided to get rid of ours. My wife had the idea to try and sell them on Facebook marketplace (I thought no one would every buy them). I was wrong, we sold them for $100, which we thought was a win.

Conclusion

Here is how to remove shower doors:

• Remove bracket holding doors in place
• Remove the glass doors from the frame
• Remove the frame
• Remove excess caulk
• Use caulk remover to clean up residue
• Fill in screw holes
• Fix any scratches on the tub
• Find a place to store or sell the glass doors and frame

I hope this helps make your project easy.

Were you able to remove your shower doors and frame? If so, let us know in the comments section below.