Shower door glossary for terms that we use.    Tempered Glass: Glass that has been heated to 720 °C in a tempering oven then quickly cooled by cool air blowers. Tempered glass is 4-5 times stronger than annealed glass and is used in shower doors for safety. Tempered glass breaks in small pieces and cannot be fabricated into smaller sizes. The glass is cut to desired sizes before tempering.   Annealed Glass: Glass that slowly cooled so that it is brittle and easy to cut. Annealed glass is used for windows and tabletops and many other applications. Shower enclosures should never be installed with annealed glass   "U" Channel: A channel that is used in the installation of glass in a shower stall.  The "U" shape of the channel is what gives it it's name. (We do not use "U" channels)   Glass Clips: Glass clips are shower door hardware that are used when installing shower panels and are constructed with solid brass and can be anodized in any finish.   Mildew Resistant Silicone: Is silicone that has added properties that fight against mold with a fungicide. When mold appears on mildew resistant silicones it is actually growing on the dead skin, Soap scum and oils from skin.   Shower Dam: Is a short wall that keeps water from running out of a shower stall. Usually between 4" and 6" in height and can be from 3" to 10" in width.  Shower dams are constructed of many materials. Shower stalls do not always require dams, as long as the drain is lower than the perimeter.  This is usually used for wheel chair access. You should always check with your cities codes and regulations.   Buttress: Is a wall that separates a shower from a tub and is usually 11" to 20" in height. The width of a buttress can be made wider for a seat in a shower stall.   Pony Wall: A wall that is usually about but not limited to 36" in height or 11" from the ceiling. In some cases pony walls surround the entire shower stall leaving an opening for the doorway. The homeowner or designer determines the width and height of a pony wall.  Pony walls can separate the shower stall and tub.   Inline panel: Is a piece of tempered glass that is in a straight line with a shower door. Inline panels can have other pieces of glass that are attached to it. Right Angle showers have inline panels.   Return panel: Is a panel of glass that is tempered and is usually attached to an inline panel. Return panels can be a piece of glass that is attached to a shower window, which separates a shower stall and a tub. It is always attached to the backside of a shower.    Neo Angle Shower: Is a shower enclosure that usually has at least two panels that are in a 135-degree angle. Neo Angle showers can have many shower panels of glass.  In most cases neo shower enclosures have three panels of glass with a door in the middle but not limited to.   Right Angle: Is a shower enclosure that is usually made up of a door, inline panel and a return panel. Right angle showers can be hinged on the left or right. There are many configurations for a right angle enclosure but always with a return panel.   Shower Header: Are made of usually two different kinds of metal, Aluminum and brass. Headers are placed on top of glass shower panels. (We do not use headers)   Hinge plate: Is a metal plate that is constructed of solid brass and can be anodized to different finishes. Hinge plates are attached to a shower door hinge. They are fabricated and then they are drilled with up to four 3/16" holes for attaching them to shower stall walls.    Mitered Corners: are made up of two pieces of glass that have a 45 degree cut for a return panel or a 22 ½ degree cut for a 135 degree neo shower.   Flat polish: Glass can have many different edges which most shower enclosures have flat polished edge work. Flat polished edges have two small bevels and a larger flat surface in the center. The only way to get a flat polished edge is to have a beveling machine with diamond carbide wheels that grind away the glass to a flat polish.   Bevel: In the glass industry bevels are made by polishing off the edge of the glass to the desired width. For instance say the glass is ½" after the glass is beveled the edge of the glass will be approximately 5/16" - 3/8" thinner on the edge. There are many sizes of bevels. When the bevel meets the corner of the glass it will have a 45-degree miter.    Tempered Bug: Is a stamp that verifies that the glass has been tempered and can be used in situations that call for safety glass. Bugs can display the companies name and what kind of tempered glass it is put on. Bugs can be acid etched or sand blasted on.   Bull-nose: There are many names for bull-noses. Bull-noses are borders that are placed at the edge of tiled walls or place between two pieces of tile. Bull-noses usually are a liner that runs around a shower stall and protrudes out. They must be notched around or cut so that glass can be installed.  Bull-noses can be made up of many different materials.       You should always check with your city for codes and regulations before any alterations are started on your shower stalls.