Working with Plexiglas™

Backpainting Plexiglas™

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Backpainting Plexiglas™

Backpainting Plexiglas™

Backpainted glass is delivers a unique look, but there are some places where glass may not be your first-choice material. How does glass compare to Plexiglas™? Can you substitute Plexiglas™ in all applications? Here are a few facts that might help you choose between glass and Plexiglas™ for your backpainted glass project.

Glass is heavy. A 1/4th inch thick piece of glass weighs more than 3.25 pounds per square foot. If you’re laminating a surface and weight is a real consideration, you’ll need to choose between a thin sheet of glass or a lightweight alternative like Plexiglas™.

Plexiglas™ will work well for laminating cabinet door and drawer fronts because it’s lightweight and can stand up to kitchen duty. It also creates a very similar look to glass, and it won’t put any significant stress on hinges or cabinet hardware. Plexiglas™ cleans well, doesn’t stain easily and can tolerate virtually all household cleaners. If you’re going for a retro or Art Deco look, you can go with either a thin glass laminate or Plexiglas™.

Plexiglas™ is generally less expensive than glass, so if cost is your number-one concern, Plexiglas™ might be easier on your wallet. You can acquire a full sheet of Plexiglas™ for about $2 per square foot. A comparable sheet of 3/16th-inch glass would be about $16 per square foot. In addition, the cost of glass rises with the thickness, so if you want to use thicker glass, your cost will grow.

If safety is your primary concern, you have a couple of different options. Plexiglas™ offers the ultimate in safety. It won’t chip, shatter or split in most circumstances. Glass will do all of those things. If you will be installing your backpainted glass or Plexiglas™ in an area where high heat is a possibility, you’ll want to use tempered glass. Plexiglas™ will not stand up to high heat well.

Both Plexiglas™ and backpainted glass can be installed with a neutral-cure silicone adhesive. This lightweight adhesive is strong enough to hold the weight of glass, and will not show through a surface that’s been painted with Glassprimer™ glass paint.

Whether you choose Plexiglas™ or glass, you’ll get the same great performance from Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint will bond permanently to either glass or Plexiglas™, and won’t chip, fade or peel even when exposed to direct sunlight.
If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: APQ Stage Iberica, via Flickr.com

Backpainted Glass The Easy Way

Backpainted Glass The Easy Way

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Backpainted Glass The Easy Way

Backpainted Glass The Easy Way

Backpainted glass is certainly a trendy look, but having it made and shipped to you can be expensive and frustrating. Shipping glass isn’t easy. In fact, it’s downright hard. Shipped glass can have a breakage rate of as much as 30%. In many cases, breakage is a result of improper packaging or improper handling.

Flat glass can also pick up “stains” when it is shipped. Stains come from dampness that is absorbed by the packaging or deposited on the glass. While stains can be removed, the process of removing them may shorten the life of the glass.

Rather than having glass backpainted and shipped to you, you can make your own backpainted glass. You’ll achieve results that are better, you’ll spend less and your glass can be ready to mount in just a matter of hours.

With Glassprimer™ glass paint, you can also have your paint tinted to match the paint palette of virtually any major paint manufacturer. You can integrate glass paint seamlessly into your decorating plan.

Backpainted glass works well in the kitchen, but you can install backpainted glass in any room in your home. It also works well in commercial spaces and offices.

Each gallon of Glassprimer™ glass paint provides coverage for about 256 square feet of glass. You can apply Glassprimer™ glass paint using a brush or roller, but we recommend that you use a high-volume, low pressure paint sprayer. You’ll get exceptional coverage and use less paint.

Each gallon of Glassprimer™ glass paint is a low-VOC product, so you can safely use it for indoor or outdoor applications. In addition to our oil-based formulation, we also make a water-based formulation that’s environmentally friendly and easy to clean up.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

<9i>Photo Credit: Jean Wang, via Flickr.com

Glass – the new luxury material

Glass – the new luxury material

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Glass – the new luxury material

Glass – the new luxury material

What do you do when you want to make the most of the square footage you’ve got, especially when your square footage happens to be in a high-demand area? Many designers are turning to glass to help them open up views and maximize space.

Disappearing glass walls – walls that fold neatly out of the way or tuck quietly into storage spaces – are becoming the norm in luxury developments. You can see a commercial example of the attraction of hideaway glass walls at the new San Francisco Apple store, where the store’s giant glass doors disappear during business hours.

Oceanfront, lakefront and even New York City property owners are going for glass to help bridge the distance between themselves and their preferred residential environments. Floor-to-ceiling doors that simply disappear into a pocket can really change the vibe of a building, but they require special structural considerations.

Glass is extremely heavy, and glass doors – or an entire glass wall – can weigh thousands of pounds. The rest of the structure must be carefully designed or reinforced to support a foldaway glass wall. The cost of such an addition is also not slight. The cost of a glass wall can exceed $125 per square foot, and that doesn’t include extra supports, motors and hardware to help move the doors into place.

Pocket doors – regardless of what they’re made from – require a lot of space, too. If you want to hide a door completely inside of a wall, you’ll need a wall space that’s at least double the size of the door opening.
Folding doors are less expensive and are more practical for most spaces. That’s because they require less space than glass pocket doors do, and they can be manufactured in more practical (read less custom) sizes.

Energy efficiency is also a consideration. Heat loss is the big concern in northern climates. Heat gain is the major consideration in climates that receive a lot of sun exposure. Using high efficiency glass can help reduce the energy loss or energy consumption related to the door.

Waterproofing is also a concern, since a wet door can do damage to the area around it, and can encourage the growth of mold and mildew in a space.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a great way to control energy losses and prevent solar heat gain in glass installations. Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in virtually any color and creates a permanent bond with the glass surface. Its exceptional UV-resistance means that the paint will not chip, fade or peel even when exposed to direct sunlight.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Phillip Long, via Flickr.com

Glass isn't just for windows anymore

Glass isn’t just for windows anymore

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Glass isn't just for windows anymore

Glass isn’t just for windows anymore

The emergence of glass as a primary building material has left some architects and artists wondering about the exact limits of glass. In most cases, glass is used for fenestration (windows) and for exterior façades on commercial buildings.

But glass is more versatile than that, and some architects are experimenting with exactly what glass can do. Artists have known for thousands of years that liquid glass can be formed into virtually any shape. The shape hardens as the glass cools. A talented artist can make just about anything.

In the industrialized world, however, function is preferred over form, so glass adopted a highly functional role in architecture. A process to make uniform sheets of glass, known as float glass, has been around since the 1950s. If you want glass panels, float glass is ideal, but few people have experimented with what they can create with float glass.

An MIT researcher aims to change that, and has created geometric structures out of float glass panels. The panels are bound together with UV-activated bonding agents, and are changing ideas about what you can do with a flat piece of glass.

The pieces are impressive, and range in size from viewable to habitable, but there’s no doubt that float glass panels are exceptionally heavy. When joined together, a large number of panels may exceed practicality.

That hasn’t stopped some designers from rethinking what can be done with glass. MDRDV recently completed a new façade for the Chanel store in Amsterdam. The storefront is made from glass bricks that were designed to blend in with the surrounding architecture, and to complement an existing brick façade on the building’s upper floors.

It’s safe to say that with the advent of secure bonding materials, you may begin to see more creative uses for glass in architecture in the near future.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: el genio del dub, via Flickr.com

En suite glass trends in home remodeling

En suite glass trends in home remodeling

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En suite glass trends in home remodeling

En suite glass trends in home remodeling

A bedroom is arguably one of the most intimate spaces in a home, so it makes sense that remodelers and homeowners alike have gladly embraced the en suite trend. En suite refers to a bedroom and bathroom that are incorporated into a single, undivided space.

It sounds romantic, but let’s just say that bathrooms are bathrooms and bedrooms are bedrooms. Sometimes, a little division is desirable. How can you create an en suite look while still respecting the divergent natures of a bedroom and a bathroom? By using glass, of course!

Having an entirely open bathroom within a bedroom can pose some problems. Bathrooms feature running water. Whether you’re showering, bathing or taking care of other natural functions, you’re going to use some water. Showers and baths (to a lesser extent) aerosolize water, and the tiny water droplets can get everywhere. Over time, that can promote mold or mildew growth if the water isn’t carefully contained.

Glass walls around the bath area can preserve the open character of an en suite design while providing some highly desirable containment for aerosolized water. Glass is easy to care for. It can be cleaned using ordinary household cleaners. Since it doesn’t absorb moisture, it makes a great barrier that can inhibit mold or mildew growth in areas not directly associated with the bathroom.

If privacy is desired, you can decorate the glass using Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially engineered to bind with the surface of the glass. It will not peel, chip or fade once the paint has cured. You can determine the level of coverage you want to apply, and it can deliver a frosted glass look for about $1 per square foot. Better still, it can be tinted to match virtually any major paint manufacturer’s palette, so you can incorporate Glassprimer™ glass paint into your paint plan with supreme confidence.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Brandie Kajino, via Flickr.com

How glass can work with a vaulted ceiling

How glass can work with a vaulted ceiling

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How glass can work with a vaulted ceiling

How glass can work with a vaulted ceiling

If you have a vaulted ceiling in your home, you know that it can be both a joy and a challenge! One idea you can use visually reduce the size of a wall without giving up the benefit of the vaulted ceiling is to create a hybrid solid and glass wall.

The solid wall extends as high as a conventional wall would – 8 – 9 feet. The remainder of the wall is made from glass, which extends from the top of your conventional wall to the ceiling. This one alteration will allow natural light to flood into a space but will preserve the privacy that a conventional wall provides. Not to mention that it looks fantastic!

If you have a vaulted ceiling, you know that sound carries very well in the open space. Glass is an ideal sound barrier. It offers significantly better noise insulation than conventional construction materials do. It can really make a difference in the amount of sound in an office or a bedroom.

Glass is also the ideal material for bridging the gap between the top of a wall and a vaulted ceiling. It’s readily available, and can be custom cut to fit any size vault. Whether you’re attempting to divide an existing space, or you simply want to sound-deaden a workspace, bedroom, bathroom or office, glass can help you preserve light diffusion while achieving your other architectural and interior design goals.

You can also decorate the glass in any way that makes sense to you using Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially engineered to bond to glass surfaces. Once cured, the paint will not delaminate, chip or fade, even when exposed to humidity or direct sunlight. It can offer significant control of light or create privacy for about $1 per square foot.

If you’d like more information about working with glass or Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jeremy Levine, via Flickr.com

Improving the view in your dining room

Improving the view in your dining room

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Improving the view in your dining room

Improving the view in your dining room

Depending upon how your home is laid out, you may be able to “open” your dining room by adding one or more glass walls to it. If you use your dining room regularly, or do a lot of entertaining, a glass-walled dining room may visually enlarge your space, and help you and your guests connect to the surrounding environment.

Whether you opt for framed or frameless glass, your dining room will take on a totally different feel. Natural light will make any meal or gathering more enjoyable, and will quickly become the favorite hang-out spot in your home.

You’ll want to consult a structural engineer to determine exactly how much glass you can incorporate into an existing structure. If you intend to add a dining space onto your home, an architect can help you determine the best placement for the glass.

A glass-walled room works best for properties that have some space around them, and that have an enjoyable view. Some homeowners take the concept of a glass-walled dining room one step farther, and install operable door walls that allow them to open up the entire space for dining and entertaining.

Glass will work well whether it’s used as part of a wall or as a ceiling. Glass walls on three sides will create a conservatory or greenhouse effect and can make for a very pleasant dining and entertaining experience.

Careful control of light and heat can be achieved with products like Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is engineered specifically for use with glass and other non-porous structures. The paint bonds permanently to the surface of the glass and will not chip, fade or peel, even when exposed directly to sunlight. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used for both interior and exterior applications. It is guaranteed to last for 10 years when applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions on interior projects.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: David Cedrone, via Flickr.com

Frameless glass walls

Frameless glass walls

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Frameless glass walls

Frameless glass walls

The people who occupy a commercial office space have a lot of needs. In addition to workspace, they need access to daylight, privacy, meeting spaces and group work spaces. Controlling sound becomes very important. While some workers may need to collaborate, others may need to have a quiet space. Privacy is also important. Given these diverse needs, frameless glass – the ultimate in transparency – doesn’t seem to fit well in an office environment.

When you look more closely at frameless glass, however, you find that glass actually offers much better sound control than standard commercial construction materials like wood, composite materials or drywall. Your work and collaboration spaces will be much quieter behind glass!

In addition, the transparency of glass facilitates the distribution of natural light around a workspace. Most commercial spaces have one or possibly two walls that receive daylight. This limits what you can do to distribute daylight to the other parts of the office space. If you happen to occupy the top floor of a building, you might be able to add skylights, but for most multitenant commercial spaces, this isn’t an option.

The use of glass in the interior space allows daylight to penetrate the space using the available windows. In addition, this approach can help reduce energy consumption in the winter by taking advantage of naturally generated heat from sunlight.

To add privacy and to provide some control over solar heat gain, Glassprimer™ glass paint can be applied to glass surfaces. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially designed to adhere to glass surfaces. It applies quickly and with minimal surface preparation, and can be used in interior and exterior applications. Glassprimer™ glass paint also offers a water-based formulation for easy clean up. Both the oil-based and water-based formulations are low VOC products, and can be used and applied safely in interior spaces.

If you would like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, or its commercial applications, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: designmill, via Flickr.com

Bring on the glass in your home

Bring on the glass in your home

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Bring on the glass in your home

Bring on the glass in your home

The allure of glass is inescapable. It offers an upscale, contemporary look and yet, the material is common and affordable. Whether you work with glass on the inside of your home, or use it as a way to interface with the environment around you, you can’t go wrong with glass.

Contrary to popular belief, glass is durable. When we think of glass, we think of its fragility, but when selected and supported properly, glass will last for years, and look good while doing it. If you put glass in your home in those areas that are likely to take a knock or two, the solution is to use tempered glass. Tempered glass is widely available, affordable and will stand up to the bumps and bruises that would challenge ordinary glass.

Tempered glass is an ideal medium in the kitchen and bathroom. It’s heat resistant, easy to clean and can tolerate changes in temperature that ordinary flat glass can’t. Glass doesn’t readily absorb anything, so it can be cleaned and sterilized easily, using ordinary chemicals. You can also set it in doorways and window walls for extra security.

You might be thinking that the ultimate upside of glass – its transparency – is also a downside. Sometimes you don’t want to see through something – especially if it’s a backsplash or a countertop. That’s where Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in.

Glass doesn’t readily absorb anything, which means that ordinary paints – which rely on absorption to stick to surface – won’t work on glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially engineered to bond to the surface of glass. Once it is cured, Glassprimer™ glass paint will not delaminate, chip or fade. It permanently alters the surface of the glass to ensure that the paint stays put.

Glassprimer™ glass paint allows you to backpaint a glass surface, which covers the surface below it (or behind it), and leave the intact glass surface facing outward. You get the benefit of a glass surface and the color options and coverage you’re looking for.
If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Pulpolox, via Flickr.com

Endless Summer: Consider a Glass Greenhouse

Endless Summer: Consider a Glass Greenhouse

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Endless Summer: Consider a Glass Greenhouse

Endless Summer: Consider a Glass Greenhouse

If the prospect of saying goodbye to summer has you down, consider building your own glass greenhouse to help you get through the winter blues. A small greenhouse can support a wide range of flowering and edible plants. It also takes advantage of the natural phenomenon of solar heat gain.

No one disputes the healthful benefits of a good dose of sunshine, but in the winter, heat is what most people are after! Heat is generated by the invisible light frequencies in sunlight, and those invisible rays can turn a greenhouse into a warm winter oasis.

Your greenhouse can be decorative, practical or both. If you live in a climate where snow is the norm, there may be a couple of winter months where your greenhouse is out of commission. Otherwise, you may have a fully functional room that’s both sunny and warm, even when the ground is too cold to grow anything.

Greenhouse kits typically allow you to build a temporary structure. The structure may stand year-round, but it may not be robust enough to stand up to high winds or heavy snows. You can build a permanent greenhouse, however, that can withstand these off-season hazards. You’ll also reap the rewards of a little winter sun!

Whether you use your greenhouse strictly for potting, planting and starting, or you use it as a way to get a little winter refreshment, having a greenhouse on your property offer some significant benefits. While it’s not likely to increase the value of your property to potential buyers, it may increase your enjoyment of the property if gardening, planting and landscaping appeals to you.

You can also decorate your greenhouse, and if it catches too much sun, you can also diminish the solar heat gain by using a glass coating like Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is durable, and is suitable for use on either indoor or outdoor projects. It’s highly UV-resistant, so it will withstand the effects of direct sunlight, and you can cover a glass surface for about $1 per square foot.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jinx McCombs, via Flickr.com