GLASS OPTIONS FOR YOUR RENOVATIONS

Glass has long been used for its transparency. Today’s glass is designed to meet specific requirements related to solar control, design elements, security, acoustics, and architecture.

To help with your design decisions, the team at Style Plus | Renovations Auckland take a look at glass options for your renovations or new build:

Glass Options.
Types of Glass.

Whether you are building a new home or renovating the right glass choice can make your home more comfortable in hot and cool weather.

GLASS OPTIONS

If you are looking at renovating, or you are at the planning stage of a new build, then the decision on what type of glass to be installed is very important. The following are a few examples to consider:

Choosing the correct thickness and type of glass will depend on where the glass will be used, it’s application and it’s compliance with the current safety codes. For example, Bathrooms are an especially high-risk area requiring safety glass, since most glass-related accidents in bathrooms are potentially very serious.
If you are living close to a loud noise source such as a busy street, you have probably become used to unfiltered noise that comes in through your windows. New high performance windows will cut the amount of noise coming in your house. Metro Performance Glass has an acoustic laminated glass called SoundStop. This acoustic laminate glass can reduce sound by use of a vibration dampening inter-layer that fits between two sheets of laminated glass.

To minimise the chances of injury, the building code requires that glass that is used in areas where there is a chance of human impact must be Safety Glass. Safety glass is used in many situations such as structural glazing, balustrades and glazed doors. This type of glass comes in two main forms, toughened glass and laminated glass. An example of the use of safety glass would be where renovations to a home change a room that is not currently a bathroom into a bathroom. This may impact on the glazing requirements and necessitate the upgrading of the glazing materials that exist.
Up to 25% of your home’s energy bills may be going out your window due to faulty, inefficient windows. While windows cannot control the climate you live in or the external fluctuations in temperature, they can help to slow down temperature changes with insulation. A properly functioning window with high-quality thermal glass can offer both solar control during summer and solar heat gain during winter.

What Are The Types Of Glass?

TYPES OF GLASS

If you are planning a renovation project that involves installing new glass you should think carefully about the type of glass that would best suit your renovation or new build requirements. The following are a few option to consider:

Low Iron glass
Float glass
Laminated glass
Toughened glass
Low emission
Double glazing

LOW IRON GLASS

Most window glass is made from the “Float Glass” process but the mixture of raw materials can vary slightly. The most noticeable is the iron content and this can make some clear glass more green the others. The iron content can be reduced (low iron glass) to produce extra clear glass. The down side to this is that low iron glass is more expensive.

FLOAT GLASS

This type of glass is produced by mixing high quality sand, natural ores and chemical materials at high temperature. The molten glass flows into tin bath where the float glass is spread, polished and formed on the molten tin. The float glass has smooth surface, excellent optical performance, stable chemical capability and high mechanism intensity. It is also resistant to acid, alkali and corrosion.

Clear glass is nearly colourless, and has a green or blue|green edge. When looking through the glass, as the glass gets thicker the faint green colour becomes more noticeable and light transmittance drops. Ideal where high visibility and clarity are required.

LAMINATED GLASS

Laminate annealed glass is Grade A safety glass. It is produced by a heat and pressure process that laminates two or more sheets of glass with a Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) inter-layer between them.

Two advantages of using laminated glass is the increased protection and sound proofing it offers. Additionally, doors and windows made from this type are considered safe as they do not shatter easily. However, on the down side laminated glass does not improve insulation.

TOUGHENED GLASS

Toughened glass otherwise known as tempered glass is manufactured to produce a product that is four to five times stronger than standard glass. This type of glass will not break into sharp shards but will instead break into small pieces or fragments. It is also rated as Grade A safety glass.

Tempered glass is used when thermal resistant, strength and safety are the primary considerations. Tempered glass is widely used in building, for frameless glass doors, sliding glass doors or any application where human contact and safety are important.

LOW-E GLASS

If you are considering renovating that includes replacing your old windows and doors, you can reduce the effect of the sun’s heat on the interior of your home by replacing them with new ones made with Low-e glass.

Since it was first introduced to the market, an array of Low-e glass options have been developed and are now available.

Low-e glass has thermal properties from a special transparent layer(s) that filters out light waves that transmit heat while allowing the wavelengths that transmit light to pass through. Therefore, helping to keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer.

If insulated glass is used, replacing the air between the sealed layers of glass with argon gas increases the insulating performance of the glass even more.

DOUBLE GLAZING

Double glazing is when two panes of glass are separated by an air gap increasing insulation and other important properties. In comparison, standard windows are often a single pane of glass and offer little in the way of insulation from the outside elements.

The main advantage to installing double glazing for your home is the design’s thermal insulation properties, keeping your home cool in the summer, and stopping heat from escaping in the winter.

Double glazing is a good choice if you want to control the amount of outside noise that can be heard from inside your property and the options for various glass widths and the gap between allows you greater control on the level of noise your home receives.

• Catalogue & Reference Guide | Metro Performance Glass

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Whilst all information is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information. The information may change without notice and Style Plus is not in any way liable for the accuracy of any information printed and stored or in any way interpreted and used by a user.