Tempered glass is a safe and beautiful material for doors and windows. Adding tempered glass to your home is one way to increase its value while providing a lasting beautiful appeal to the overall house. Ranging in shapes and sizes, there’s a tempered glass product for any home project.
How Does Tempered Glass Differ from Ordinary Glass?
Tempered glass is unlike regular glass in that it will not shatter when broken. The tempered material is designed to break into small pieces that remain together in a web-like layout. This greatly reduces the possibility of someone getting hurt from a shard of broken, sharp glass. In addition, the pieces of tempered glass that do break away, do so as harmless pieces that are not as rigid and dangerous as normal glass.
Because tempered glass is designed this way, it can cost more than standard glass products. The investment, however, is worthwhile, as tempered glass is up to four-times stronger and more durable over years of use. Keeping its shine and consistent beauty also adds value unparalleled to standard glass.
Selecting the Right Shape and Dimensions
With all of its benefits, tempered glass does have one drawback, it cannot be cut without reverting into shards of ordinary glass. To prevent having this happen, it is advised that you carefully double check your measurements before purchasing a piece of tempered glass.
For tempered glass windows, measure the space where the glass will fit. Take your time to check all angles carefully before finalizing your numbers. Some tempered doors and windows will have glass panes sitting deep within holding pockets, while others will span the width of the door or window completely. Check the manufacturer for advice on how to properly place a glass pane into the door or window before measuring. This way you’ll account for every inch, and not add extra inches where they aren’t needed.
Choosing the Right Type of Tempered Glass
Just like standard glass options, tempered glass comes in a variety of styles for all kinds of uses.
- Clear glass is appropriate for most places where you want to let in light while enhancing the illusion of openness. Most doors and windows utilize clear glass.
- Frosted glass is ideal for places where light is wanted, but privacy is required. The front door, a bathroom window, and a window facing a close neighbor’s yard are all examples.
- An acid-etched, tempered glass product is similar to frosted glass. Like the opaqueness of a frosted piece of glass, acid-etched glass has a cloudy appeal. Etched design is then created over the frosted glass lending timeless fashion to the window or door.
- Tinted glass is often placed on windows or doors to enhance the style and practicality of a room. Tints can be in grey, blue, green, and bronze. With the color added to the glass, the pane becomes darker and can control excessive amounts of light or add to the privacy.
Choosing the Right Thickness, Hole, and Strength
Tempered glass pieces can be purchased in various thicknesses to suit each individual project. The thickness of a pane of glass is determined by how the glass will be used and where it may be placed. Doors and windows use different thicknesses due to the way they are repeatedly used in the home. Tempered glass panes can be purchased in an array of thicknesses, including ¼”, ½”, ¾”, and so on. Increasing the thickness will also add to the cost, so this choice should be based on practicality and not cosmetics.
Other options include adding a center hole and choosing the right strength. A center hole is for patio tables where you would place an umbrella in the middle of the glass. Tempered glass is great for patio furniture because it is easily cleaned and safe in the case of breakage. The strength of a piece of tempered glass is already four-times that of a standard piece of glass. Simply choosing tempered glass over standard glass has already increased the strength of the pane by as much as it can be increased.
Choosing the Right Edging and Corner Finishing
Tempered glass pieces, just like all custom ordered glass products, have the option to be edged in certain unique fashions. Adding an edge to your glass is useful when the piece will be visible and on display for people to see. The edging creates a beautiful effect that can add to the appeal of cabinet doors, shower doors, and some windows.
Edging options, like corner finishes, are available in various designs.
- Pencil polished edges are smooth, thin lines of edging
- Beveled edges are thick bands of decreasing thickness
- Flat polished edges are similar to beveled edges, but the band of the bevel is much thinner, and the edge retains its thickness
- An eased corner finish is a smooth, 90-degree angled, rounded corner
- The clipped and polished corner is a corner that has been clipped off as the name suggests.
- A radius and polished corner is like the eased corner, but the rounded area is much larger and adds a noticeable curve to the corner
