When Sliding Is the Right Call
A swinging door needs clear floor space to open. In a typical Tri-Cities hall bath — toilet, vanity, and tub packed into 5×8 feet — that clearance often doesn’t exist. Sliding (bypass) doors solve it: two or three glass panels glide past each other on track, so nothing swings into the room and both ends of the tub or shower stay accessible.
Two Styles, Two Personalities
- Classic bypass: panels ride in a framed top-and-bottom track. Affordable, sealed, and proven — the standard for tub-shower combos. See our bathtub door page for tub-specific details.
- Barn-style / rolling frameless: thick 3/8″ glass panels hang from exposed rollers on a sleek top bar, with no bottom track to clean around. This is the slider that belongs in a remodeled master — especially popular in newer Richland and West Richland homes with wide, curbed showers.
Fit and Function Details We Get Right
Sliders live or die on their track. We set tracks dead level so panels don’t drift open, seal the bottom rail so water can’t creep under it, and spec smooth-rolling hardware that won’t derail. On barn-style units we confirm wall backing can carry the header bar load — a step skipped in plenty of DIY installs, and the reason we get called to replace them.
Cost in the Tri-Cities
Framed bypass doors typically run $450–$1,000 installed; frameless barn-style sliders run $1,100–$2,200 depending on glass and hardware. Both benefit from our hard-water protective coating — more glass area means more surface for Columbia Basin minerals to attack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do sliding shower doors work on any tub?
Nearly all standard 60-inch tubs accept a bypass door. We measure wall-to-wall at three heights, because tub surrounds are often narrower at the top than at the rail.
What's a barn-style shower door?
A frameless sliding door where a thick glass panel hangs from exposed rollers on a top-mounted bar — no bottom track. It combines the space-saving of a slider with the open look of frameless glass.
Are bottom tracks hard to keep clean?
Traditional tracks need an occasional rinse and wipe. If that bothers you, barn-style sliders eliminate the bottom track entirely; a low-profile guide is all that touches the curb.
Can sliding panels come off the track?
Cheap hardware can derail; quality roller systems we install are captive and stay put. If you have an older slider that jumps its track, replacement hardware or a new unit is usually a same-week fix.