Know the types of glass before you build your house

Vartika Gupta Vartika Gupta
Дом в Днепропетровске, ALEXANDER ZHIDKOV ARCHITECT ALEXANDER ZHIDKOV ARCHITECT Patios & Decks
Loading admin actions …

Glass is one of the most versatile construction element, that finds its use in every element of your house. Right from walls to floors to ceilings to stairs to facades to partitions to decoration to furniture to cupboards to doors to windows to utensils and your dressing mirror, glass is extensively used everywhere. Though glass can be used everywhere, it is advisable to discuss with an interior architect or interior designer regarding where you would like to use glass to replace other construction elements. It is also important to know and understand the types and varieties of glasses that are available, and suitable for various purposes in your home. There are places where you would want acoustic and heat insulation and other places where strength would be the topmost priority. The glass manufacturers have all kinds of glasses and can also customize the glass as per your requirement. In this ideabook, we shall take you through many popular kinds of glass that are used in construction.

Extra Clean Glass

Extra clean glass as the name suggests has special properties that it does not get dirty easily. This glass is coated with two special coatings one of which is photo catalytic and hydro-phillic that helps break down any dirt fallen on it with the help of UV rays from the sun and the run down along with the water without leaving any dirt on the surface. Another coating is hydrophobic that makes water run down the glass without leaving any mark on the surface. A great choice for tall building facades, home facades and bathrooms where there is a lot of contact with water, and chance of leaving marks. Here are 14 glass door ideas to make your bathroom shine.

Stained Glass

Some substances when added in the right ratio to the molten glass mix can give a color to the glass. Addition of Copper Sulphate makes the glass blue in color, Iron Oxide makes gives the clear glass a bright green tint and adding Sulphur can make the glass yellow. There are other substances that can make the glass red, pink, orange and black too. These substances are added in a fixed ratio in order to not compensate with the strength of the glass. Stained glass mainly finds it use in the aesthetic aspect of house. You can use stained glass in the interior doors, cabinet doors, windows, partitions etc. Read more ideas on how to use stained glass in your home.

Float Glass

Float glass is the common clear glass, sometimes also called the soda lime glass. High in strength float glass is the ideal choice for making glass fronts of the shops, railings of balconies or stairs and partitions. Float glass comes in various thickness right from as thin as 2 mm to as thick as 20 mm. The best property of float glass is that it is extremely and absolutely transparent, which makes it a great choice to be used in commercial spaces like hotel lobbies and shops. The extreme transparency of the float glass can sometimes cause glare, which has to be managed.

Reflective Glass

The normal float glass is coated with a special metallic coating that reflects and in turn reduces the amount of heat entering the inside of the building. This metallic layer, also gives the glass a mirror (one way mirror) effect and is a good idea to ensure privacy. Reflective glass is a good idea to use on the sun facing facades of the buildings, and bathroom windows. Reflective glass can also be used in partitions inside the house where you wish to ensure privacy. One added advantage is the illusion of space that the mirror effect will create in the room that it is used. See another idea book on uses of glass at home.

Toughened Glass

Toughened glass is much more strong and resistant as compared to a normal float glass. A toughened glass is made by heating the float glass uniformly at a high temperature (after cutting it into the appropriate shape and size) and then cooling it rapidly. This process increases the strength of the glass. Toughened glass is difficult to break, and even when it breaks, it breaks into small non sharp edged pieces. Toughened glass is used as a safety glass, and should be used anywhere where there is a chance of any impact like a partition wall, or a interior wall. Toughened glass is able to take load and hence should be used in high rise buildings.

Lacquered Glass

Lacquered glass is an ornamental glass that is formed by coating the glass with a colored and a protective layer. Lacquered glass is trending these days and is being widely being used in kitchen walls, cupboards and cabinet doors as it looks great and is easy to clean and maintain. Lacquered glass finds use in living rooms as a wall and in bed rooms as wardrobe door too. Read here to find what should you know before installing glass in your home.

Shatterproof Glass

Shatterproof glass as the name suggests is a safe glass that gives you the transparency of the glass and strength of a wall. Shatterproof glass is widely used in skylights, windows, walls, railings and flooring owing to its property of strength. Shatterproof glass is laminated within plastic or resin and that makes it extremely safe and resistant.

Double Glazed Glass

This type of glass is created by having an air gap between two layers of glass, and then used as a unit. The trapped air in between the two layers acts as an insulator. The double glazed glass is energy efficient and is especially helpful in a country like India where the temperatures are controlled using air conditioners almost 75% time of the year. The air gap in the double glazed glass also blocks out the noise and provides better acoustics in the room.

Chromatic Glass

Chromatic glass is a special glass that changes color based on heat or light. The glass that changes color based on heat is called thermo-chromatic and the glass that changes color based on light is photo-chromatic glass. This property of the glass is due to the themochromatic or photochromatic coating on the top of the glass. This glass can be used to block out light inside the house when the outside temperature rises up, thus making the house energy efficient. Chromatic glass should be used in building facades, and large windows that allow light inside. Here are 7 tips to keep glass doors and windows clean.

Now we hope you would have understood the various types of glass that you could use in your home.

Need help with your home project?
Get in touch!

Highlights from our magazine