Glass Types And Styles

Safety Glass - For windows, doors and shower screens.
Security Glass - Commercial and residential application. Protect your property against intruders.
Frameless Glass - Glass balustrades and fencing.
Shower Screens - We can replace your broken or cracked shower screen and we’ll direct bill to your insurer.
Decorative Glass - We can match most decorative and tinted glass types.
Mirrors - All sizes and shapes of reflective glass and mirrors.
Solar Films - Protect your furnishings from damaging UV and keep your home or office cool.
Decorative Films -From privacy films to logos and patterns.

There are many different types of glass available today and there are different options appearing everyday as new technology develops. Some basic glass definitions on the types of glass available are:

Float glass - This is the most basic level of glass type. It is not classified as a safety glass.

Laminated Glass - This is made by sticking multiple layers of "float glass" together using a plastic interlayer. When the glass breaks this interlayer holds the panel together much like your windscreen when it cracks. This makes laminated glass a very popular safety glass type.

Toughened Glass - This type of glass is made by heating float glass in a furnace and then hardening the outside layer with cold air. This makes the glass very hard to break and it is used in alot of frameless glazing situations, it can also withstand alot more heat than most glass types. Unfortunately once it is made, toughened glass cannot be modified again. If it does break, toughened glass shatters into thousands of little tiny pieces which gives it a safety glass rating.

Energy Efficient glass - This is part of the new wave of glass technology. There are alot of different methods to making energy efficient glass and more appearing as technology increases. The most common method is done by giving the glass panel a "sputter coating" when it is made. This coating decreases the amount of energy that be transferred through the glass, making your building retain heat or keep it out alot easier. It reduces the strain on Air Conditioning systems and can have a vast effect on your power bill.

Toughened Laminated Glass - As the name suggests, this is a combination of both toughened and laminated glass types. It is two or more pieces of toughened glass which are laminated together. This creates one of the most strongest glass types available on the market which is predominately why it is used in many roof glazing and balustrading situations.

Double Glazed and triple glazed units - Double glazed units can be comprised of any of the above mentioned glass types. Two or more panels of glass are built together with a space between them which creates some of the best insulation you can get for a window. These units are being used more often in windows to reduce the effect of loud noise and also to cut down energy costs for buildings.

As you can see there are lots of options in the glass world so it's always best to talk to an expert first. Express Glass have technicians waiting to answer your call 24 hours a day 7 days a week so contact us now.