Choosing And Using Glass Bricks In Your Home
Glass is an amazing material to use for interior or exterior structures, it is strong, but allows light through, it is easy to clean yet waterproof, these days it can even be made fire rated for additional safety. Glass bricks or glass blocks as they are also known are being used both inside the home and outside in some stunning designs. Most of us have seen or heard of glass walls for shower screens, but glass bricks have so many more uses in the kitchen, bathroom, office building use them for entire facades, they are no longer just a plain glass wall. Blocks come on different sizes, shapes, colors and effects. The reasons for choosing glass include the aesthetics and textural appeal of the material, it’s strength, light transmission properties and it’s thermal properties. So what would you need to look for when choosing glass bricks for your project?
Properties Of Glass Blocks
Glass is very effective for use in buildings. We love the effects of glass; it lets the light in and allows us to see outside. Glass blocks can be clear or frosted; they come in range of colors including some deeper colors like cobalt blue. You can even use the colors to create patterns or designs in the wall. Some bricks can be predrilled to allow lights to be installed to change the effects of the wall. Glass walls can also have a tactile feel to them which appeals to many people. Blocks can be 2” thick or 3” or 4” and a variety of sizes, choose the size that best suits your purpose. The glass used is strong tempered industrial glass, yet has thermal properties very similar to double glazed panels. Using a glass wall may help offices to reduce their power bills because of the amount of natural light they let in, whilst also keeping out heat and cold weather. An interesting note on this is that large bricks have better thermal properties than small bricks! We always knew bigger was better! These bricks also have good sound reduction properties- this could be a very useful side effect for you.
For a start it helps to have a good idea of your project -is it inside or outside? Are you looking for waterproofing? Window replacement? Which window? Feature wall? Shower enclosure? Will you be installing the wall or getting a tradesman? All of these questions need answering to help you make informed decisions about what kinds of glass block you need?
Glass Brick Windows
Things to consider here include the size of the window. This will have an effect on the size of the blocks you will need. A basement window may need ventilation to be taken into account. It is possible to get air vent glass tiles which help the room to breathe; it is always cheaper and easier to get them installed up front than change your window later. The same is true of dryer vents. If your window is above ground you may wish to consider the thinner bricks to keep the weight down. It is also worth investigating pre- prepared glass window units. You can specify the size of window, style of blocks and frame type and get it delivered to your door, for simple replacement of an existing window. One of the great things about glass brick windows is the level of privacy offered whilst maintaining light penetration into the room. It is possible to get vented blocks and some companies supply opening window frames- be sure to check what the different suppliers can offer to get the features that you need.
Glass Brick Shower
This is common interior design feature of modern bathrooms. The glass wall allows lights into the furthest corner of the shower, yet the depth of the glass brick and any frosting provides privacy. The glass is easy to clean .Colored bricks can be used to create a stylish design on the shower wall. In many cases shower walls can be pre-prepared for ease of installation and if you are handy it is possible to do it yourself. Most manufacturers provide installation instructions and information on all the accessories you will need.
Feature Glass Walls
Feature walls can be used anyway inside or outside and are often used in kitchens. With a feature wall you can be more creative and have steps rather than just a plain wall. You can also use colors to create designs. There are many accessories available for end caps and shapes bricks to help you. Using color and texture may also allow you to create a unique wall in your house.
Imported glass bricks may offer substantial savings, but there are a few things to consider. Imported blocks are usually metric which means you have to check your measurements carefully to ensure you get the correct quantity of bricks for your project. Metric bricks may not fit nicely into existing window frames. Imported glass blocks may not have the same quality as locally supplied bricks; this can show up as slight color differences between blocks.
Always check out your glass supplier; weighing up the worth of any warranty against the number of years the supplier has been in business. Glass bricks usually come with a guarantee, but if the company has only be operational for 1 year that guarantee may be worthless, but a guarantee from a company that has been in business supplier glass blocks for more than 10 years probably is worth a fair bit. Check out your supplier for your own peace of mind.
I hope we have provided you with some useful information to aid you in finding the best possible glass bricks for your home. Whatever kind of feature you are looking for glass bricks will add a unique style to your home.
Category: Glass Fittings, Windows
Tags: glass block, glass block basement windows, glass blocks, glass brick, glass brick shower, glass brick window, glass brick windows, glass bricks, glass bricks blocks
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