Want your home to make an impressive statement? Install walk-on glass floors! A chic and modern trend in architecture, glass floors can liven up sun-starved homes by ushering in a great deal of natural light. If you live in a metropolis where space crunch is a common issue, glass floors can add a sense of openness by allowing a tonne of light into gloomy hallways and other dark corners of your home.
Types of Glass Best Suited for Glass Floors
A glass floor must have a great deal of load-bearing capacity as it replaces a section of your flooring. People walking on it must not feel like they are going to fall through. To increase the safety and security of such a structure, double-glazed toughened or laminated glass are the two top options.
Toughened Glass Floors
A glass pane is toughened through the process of heat tempering. Standard annealed glass panes are cut and filed to size, then passed through a 650°C preheated furnace followed by rapid cooling. This process allows the glass pane’s outer layer to cool down faster than its inner layer, thus creating ‘centre tension’ and making the surface tough. This type of glass is at least 4 to 5 more times tougher than standard glass. It is also heat-resistant and shockproof, which makes it an ideal choice for glass floors.
Laminated Glass Floors
This type of glass has a Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) inter-layer sandwiched between two glass panes. Much like toughened safety glass and laminated glass does not shatter and fall to the ground upon impact. If it encounters a great deal of force, the PVB interlayer holds the surface in place, making it an excellent choice for glass floors. Laminated glass panes are also great at providing thermal comfort by improving your home’s energy efficiency.
Best Spots to Install Glass Floors at Home
The ideal place to install a glass floor is near a natural light source. Flawless light streaming is one of the primary reasons behind installing glass French windows, doors, and floors. Glass floors pull light into a room from below, thus creating a more dramatic effect as opposed to sun streaming through the windows. Therefore, the best spots to install glass floors in your home can be hallways, living room, passage overlooking the floor below, between the kitchen and dining area to create segregation, and home study/office.
Pro Tip- You can also use toughened frosted glass panes when installing this structure to enhance privacy. Frosted glass will usher in heaps of light without being transparent.
Are Glass Floors Safe?
Yes! Professionally designed and installed glass floors with the right kind of glazing are entirely safe to tread on. In various high-end homes, glass floors are made thicker with two lamination layers. It is critical to get these structures installed by an established glass expert with years of industry experience. High-quality glass floors have twice the strength of standard wooden floors.
Another common concern that keeps cropping up with glass floors is that they are slippery. But this is not true! These structures come with a special slip-resistant coating to increase the grip while walking. Walking on glass looks unique, but feels the same as walking on a marbled floor.
Benefits of Glass Floors
No other construction material can match the quaint charm of glass. Apart from stellar safety features, floors made of glass come with many other fantastic benefits that are listed below.
Phenomenal Aesthetics
The beauty of expansive glass floors can leave you gobsmacked! You can add a tonne of elegance while playing with light by installing glass floors at different corners of your home. These structures have an enormous influence on the ambience of any space.
Pro Tip – You must consider adding LED strips on the inner side of a glass floor to further enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the structure. Light these strips after sunset to optimise the effect of artificial lighting in your home.
Custom-Made
A great deal of customisation is possible when it comes to glass flooring. These surfaces can be cut and bent to any dimension and thickness. Whether you want small glass floor cut-outs or an entire floor made of glass, these structures offer it all. You can get a tailor-made piece regardless of the nature and type of glass you choose.
Easy to Maintain
Even with people walking on your glass flooring regularly, it is ridiculously easy to clean. Maintaining this surface is no different than taking care of other flooring materials. A mop can easily clean the glass floor in the daily slew of home maintenance activities.
Over to You
Glass never goes out of style, and it never makes your home look dated. Are you looking to walk on glass? Then look no further than AIS Glasxperts – a subsidiary of Asahi India Glass Limited. We offer a host of glass solutions that can cater to all your glass-related needs. Our experts guide every step of the way, from selection to installation to after-sales support. To bring out the best in glass flooring, rely on AIS Glasxperts.
Book a consultation with us by visiting www.glasxperts.com today!