Custom shower glass for out-of-square walls
Why kits leave gaps and how cut-to-field sizes, channel, or wall correction fix wall bow.
Truly straight walls barely exist in houses. A quarter inch of deviation over panel height is normal, and a half inch is routine in homes with several finish layers. The problem is that tempered glass does not flex at all: it either fits the reality or it leaves a gap.
The most common story is forcing a stock cabin into such an opening. A standard kit assumes perfect geometry, so with a bowed wall it either will not fit or sits with a wedge that gets filled with silicone. Within a year that joint darkens and starts passing water.
Compensation tool number one is cutting to field dimensions. The panel is not cut as a rectangle but to the real outline of the opening: one width at the top, another at the bottom. You cannot see it, but the fit is tight over the full height.
Tool number two is adjustable channel. It buys a quarter to a half inch of tolerance per side and hides out-of-plane walls. Channel is slightly more visible than a frameless butt joint, but it is an honest trade when a wall bows in the middle.
Tool number three is correction before install. When deviation exceeds an inch, no channel hides it gracefully: it is smarter to bring in a tile setter and true the plane along the glass line. We say so at the measure, before you pay for glass, not after.
A proper measure always records opening diagonals and width at three heights — those are what expose what a single center reading hides. Never order glass off a floor plan without a measure visit; for three-wall openings see also alcove enclosures.
