Installing Glass Railings & Possible Glass Types

Glass railings look beautiful and add beauty to your design.

It is possible to make up your own glass railings at relatively low cost.
 

Safety Glass Types:

In a glass railing you must always use safety glass. This is designated as glass the breaks safely, and /or "contains" safely. Tempered or toughened glass is very common in the UK where laminated glass is more common in Europe.

Toughened glass is 4 times stronger top impact than regular float glass and is both strong and flexible. Once it breaks it will explode in many small, and therefore not so dangerous, pieces. Laminated glass will break more easily but because of the plastic interlayer film (either PVB - polyvinyl butyl or a resin) the glasses hold together and do not let any element through - this is exactly what is common in the front windshield of your car.

Handling Glass:

Storing and transportation of Glass: The transportation of glass and glass railing require some care. If care is not taken while transporting, all that you get the end of the job, a shattered glass with possibility of injury if handled carelessly. Take the following precautions while transporting and handling the glass items like glass railings and glass sheets:

1. The glass should never be transported horizontal. The glass plates and sheets should always be put in vertical position. If you transport the glass items horizontal, all that you might get at the end of journey is glass dust.
2. The glass should be packed nicely so that it can withstand the transportation. Special packing material is available in market for this purpose.
3. The bumps shall be minimized while transporting glass railings. The speed of vehicle should be reduced to minimize or avoid the damage.

Glass Colours and Types:

Most common place is the use of clear glass panels, but because in the manufacture of these in float form iron element is used these have a slight "greenish" tint to them. The thicker the glass the more it is noticeable. Therefore when 15mm glass or 17.5mm laminated is used in glass railings some are put off by this greenish tint.
There is a product called "Low-Iron" glass with various trade names in the market such a "diamant" by Saint Gobain or "Optiwhite" by Pilkington. These are super clear and do not have the green tint of regular clear float glass. These are rather more expensive but available all the same.

If however tinted glass is your thing for glass railings, there are Green, Bronze, Grey and Blue tinted float glass available. These are usually in 10mm thickness but are available up to 12mm thick. All thicker glass types - 15mm, 19mm, 24mm are available in clear only.

A new type of glass is becoming available and in particular seems the way forward in glass balustrades and glass railings is "self cleaning" glass. This is glass that will have rain or water keep it clean without the build up of dust and dirt on the glass. This again divides into two types. There is a biochemical type and a "nano technology" film. The former is said to last the lifetime of the glass and the latter needs reapplication after 5-10 years. The use of these is growing in the balustrade market due to the functionality issues with cleaning glass on the outside of a glass rail.

Safety While Handling Glass Railings

Your safety is as important as the safety of the glass railings, in fact more important. While handling glass or glass railings make sure that you wear hand gloves. It is also important to use sufficient number of persons so each one handles the load he/she can safely carry. In case this is not done and the load carried by one person is transferred to other person quickly, it has a domino effect and the glass item being handled will get broken at the same time the shards of glass can injure many persons at the same time.

Safety While Fixing Glass Railing In Position

The fixing of glass railing is a delicate affair. Any mistake while fixing glass or the top railing will damage it. Specialized materials have been developed so that the glass becomes fixed in its place and there is no possibility of shifting the glass once it is fixed in position. Rubber grommets, rubber shoes, and beading around the glass are used and are very effective.

Types of Glass Railings

Glass railings may be just the top balustrade, or complete sheets of glass used instead of any other metallic supports, or figurines in various forms on the staircase with the top railing made of glass. The imagination of the designer is the only restraint. The glass railings can take many forms and in each form, it adds to the beauty of the space, it covers.

Care of Glass Railings

The glass requires little care; just wiping the dust is sufficient in most cases. The toughened glass is used in most glasswork used in public place. The life of glass is infinity and it is not affected by most acids and alkalis. The only acid that can affect glass is hydrofluoric acid. Since this acid is not in common use, the only care you might have to take is avoiding the company of boisterous children bent on breaking glass items.