Use of Low maintenance, "self cleaning" and nano coatings on glass in balconies and balustrades

Cleaning glass on the outside of balconies and balustrades is always an issue. Despite the fact that glass looks like a smooth faced product it is actually very porous when viewed under a microscope.

These pours will have built up in them dirt, dust, oil and other deposits which will obscure the natural clarity of the glass. These will look like stains sometimes.

In glass balconies this is of particular importance as there is always an issue of leaning over the handrails and regular cleaning on the outside is a problem.

Many balconies are made almost solely from glass these days, with maybe only a stainless steel handrail, or an aluminium or brass handrail. So this is becoming more and more an issue requiring a smart solution.

There are several solutions that have been introduced into the market, these we can divide into two main categories:

So called "self cleaning" glasses, and the protective "Hydrophobic" or in layman's terms "water repelling" coatings.

Both of these will enhance the brilliance and reduce the maintenance required and/or frequency of cleaning. There are some coatings that are also scratch resistant and graffiti resistant.

The "self cleaning" glasses such as the Pilkington "Active" or the Saint Gobain "Bio Clean" are good only for organic dirt and require rain and sunshine to work properly. These are also problematic if they come in contact with silicone. The price of the Pilkington and Saint Gobain products are also restrictive in particular to a developer who may need thousands of square feet of balconies covered. These coatings are "hydrophilic" (water attracting) and do not give a clean run of water like the nano coatings

Nano technology and the developments of nano coatings to glass has grown tremendously in the last few years with many different suppliers and products. These type of coatings are becoming more and more durable and the competition is lowering the cost of these products. This will soon become a standard in all external glass balcony and balustrades. Once architects get to grips with the full advantages and cost savings in terms of maintenance these protective glass coatings will become a standard specified element in future buildings.

These nano coatings are silica based and cannot be applied to metalwork, plastics or the handrails but only to glass or ceramic products.