Door & Fixed Panel

A door paired with a fixed panel is the most versatile layout we sell. It handles wide openings that are too big for a single swinging door, it accommodates bench walls, it drops cleanly onto knee walls, and it's the only real option for steam shower enclosures that need a transom above the door. Most remodels end up here.

How This Layout Works

You have a hinged door that swings out, and one or more fixed panels that stay put. The fixed panels cover the space the door can't, and they carry most of the visual weight of the enclosure. Where the panels sit depends on what's in your bathroom: a built-in bench, a partial knee wall, a full steam shower envelope, or just an opening wider than the 32-inch max of a single door.

Common Configurations

Our most-ordered version is the right or left open door with a single fixed panel. It suits almost any alcove shower wider than 36 inches and is usually the cheapest way to cover a wide opening in glass. One step up from that is the door with a bench wall panel, where the fixed panel sits over the bench rather than running floor to ceiling.

Steam showers need something different. They require a door plus a transom panel at the top to seal the enclosure, and often a fixed panel running the full height of the side. If your installer has mentioned a transom, this is the category you want.

Knee wall versions drop the fixed panel onto a half-height partition instead of running it to the floor. The effect is lighter visually and the glass cost is lower, since there's less square footage of glass in the order.

When a Door & Panel Beats Other Styles

If your opening is wider than 32 inches but you still want a hinged door rather than a slider, this is the only option. Sliders are fine for tub conversions and secondary bathrooms, but for a primary walk-in shower most people prefer the full-open feel of a swinging door. A fixed panel lets you keep that while still spanning a wide opening.

Steam showers are not negotiable. If the enclosure has to be sealed top to bottom, you need a door and a fixed panel setup with a transom. No other category handles this cleanly.

Glass Thickness and Hardware

For door-and-panel setups we more often recommend the 1/2-inch tempered glass upgrade than we do on single doors. The extra mass helps the fixed panel sit solid against the wall clips without any shimmer, and for steam showers the thicker glass holds heat and resists stress fractures better over time.

Hardware is the same menu as the rest of our doors. U-channel gives you a cleaner look where the fixed panel meets the wall and tends to be our go-to for contractors working on a budget. Clamps cost more but show more glass edge, which matches the frameless aesthetic some homeowners are after. Finishes are Brushed Nickel, Chrome, Matte Black, Bronze Anodized, or Oil Rubbed Bronze — and yes, you can mix handles and clips in the same finish family without it looking odd.

Measuring Door & Panel Openings

The total opening width matters less than where you want the break between the door and the panel. Our standard doors are 24 to 32 inches wide, and we'll size the fixed panel to fill whatever remains. If you want the door on the right and the panel on the left, tell us; if you want it the other way around, say so clearly when you order. This is the single most common place we see mistakes made.

For knee wall and bench wall builds, measure the finished height of the wall and the finished opening above it separately. Your distributor will need both numbers to cut the glass correctly.