Using glass as flooring is the newest contemporary interior design wave that will spice up your home. Like the house on the left, the glass ceiling is also a glass floor for the room above. Using a glass floor on the second level of the home gives both rooms a unique focal point.
The picture on the left is an extreme example of what you could do with glass as flooring. If you're looking to add something a little more subtle, you could add accents of glass into your existing floor. In many commercial buildings, they use glass in a small portion of their floor to create interest. This can be done on a smaller scale in your home.
For example, you could have one small section of glass in the middle of your floor to give the room interest. If you're unsure whether to add a glass flooring accent in your home because plain squares/rectangles aren't your style, the company Jockimo has done some revolutionary work with different shapes that may appeal to your style. The image to the right is a glass installation they did for a private residence.
If you're wondering, yes they're safe to walk on. Smooth glass can be slippery when wet but once a glass frit pattern is applied, it loses its slick nature. And if you still slip, the floor will always be there to catch you. Glass panels can carry 2 times the weight of any common tile flooring, some are meant to hold even more. The Skywalk suspended over the Grand Canyon uses glass panels that can hold multitudes of people. But as with any floor, glass is susceptible to chips and cracks so you would need to be wary of heavy items falling on your floor.
As you might expect, glass flooring has a high cost of production. And because of its weight and installation risks, it has a high cost of installation as well. So, using it as an accent piece in your home may be the way to go for budget conscious homeowners.
There are two kinds of glass flooring. Tempered glass, when broken, fractures into small fragments eliminating the dangers of regular glass. It is also four times stronger than regular annealed glass. Laminated glass is made by placing a laminate layer between multiple layers of glass, so that if one pane breaks the panel will stay in place.
There are also two ways to add a frit pattern to glass panels. Sandblasting uses high speed machines that blast sand on glass panels. With this you can choose how opaque you want the panel to be. Different designs are readily available and can be more detailed if wanted. When choosing between transparent and opaque, transparent is the clear choice. Acid etching appears smoother on glass than the sandblasting technique. It also offers more finishes and various degrees of transparency. Although, light doesn't transmit as well as through sandblasted glass and you are limited to custom designs.
If glass flooring isn't something you're looking for, you can give us a call at 209-772-9200 or toll free at 800-498-1833 to get a clear idea on what flooring you may want in your home.
Sources:
https://floortechie.com/glass-flooring/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-is-tempered-glass-mad/
https://www.glassonweb.com/article/how-strong-are-glass-floors
https://www.fgdglass.com/blog/which-is-better-sandblasted-or-acid-etched-glass/
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