How to choose the right glass for your projects

Efficient glass provides energy saving and can drastically lower your utility bills.   PHOTO/Rachel Mabala

What you need to know:

Glass is used extensively in commercial buildings, mainly because it can absorb, refract or transmit light. It has the ability to make any building look more stunning and modern.

When Alice Birungi decided to turn her garage into a work space, she chose to use clear glass to create partitions in the room, and also decided to choose a tinted glass for the door. The tint in the glass prevented people outside from looking in while the people inside could still see outside clearly. This is one of the ways how glass can be used to accentuate a construction project.  Glass is a hard substance which may be transparent or translucent and brittle. It is manufactured by the fusion process. The fundamental properties of the glass that make it suitable for building construction applications are transparency, strength, workability, transmittance, U value, and recycling. It is commonly used for shop fronts, public places, windows, skylights, floors, aquariums, bridges, stain proof, aesthetics, ICU’s, meeting rooms, insulations, wall constructions, fire-resistant doors, and mobile screen protectors.

There are many types of glass on the market including float glass, shatterproof glass, laminated glass, extra-clean glass, chromatic glass, tinted glass, toughened glass, glass blocks, glass wool, and insulated glazed units.

According to Chetan Jangir, technical manager at System aluminum and Glass Ltd, in Uganda, they normally import glass since it is not be made here. The glass comes mainly from China, India and the United Arab Emirates.

However, Paul Yiga of Glass Inspirations in Namuwongo adds that more clear glass is imported from Egypt while toughened glass can be imported from Nairobi, Kenya.

Glass also comes in different sizes. To get the best out of it, one can cut the glass according to its function. Mainly, the imported glass ranges from 3mm to 18mm. The 3mm glass comes in 6x4ft, 4mm comes 6x8ft- 5x7ft, 5mm in 6x8ft-11x7ft and 6mm- 18mm glass comes in 11x7ft.

According to Yiga, when a different size is desired, two or more glass pieces can be simply put together. Laminated glass is the combination of layers of ordinary glass. It has superior weight, thickness, UV proof, and soundproof than a regular glass. Toughened or tempered glass is a durable glass that has low visibility. Glass is a hard substance which may be transparent or translucent and brittle. The fusion process is used to manufacture glasses. In this process, sand is fused with lime, soda, and some other admixtures and then cooled rapidly. To use glass, first, you need to understand the realistic needs of the project. 

Clear glass

The glass is a see-through ordinary glass, but can be manipulated to suit many other purposes. This includes colouring (black, green, and purple, depending on where one wants to install it), adding artwork such as flowers, printing designs on the glass, et cetera.

This type can be used to make a partition in one’s office and artistic ones can be used for privacy from people on another side of the partition. Clear glass can also be used in homes for doors and windows, and displays (of phones and pastry) among others.

According to Yiga, depending on the thickness of the glass, this glass can be enhanced by using frames, or just fixed with glue. While 4-6mm glass needs frames (aluminum, metal or wood) for enhancement purposes, eight-12mm glass can be fixed with glue (normally used for frameless doors and showers, office partitions, among other areas).

Toughened glass

This is a secured glass for use in busy areas such as bank doors and offices. It is also known as tempered glass. This is primarily ordinary glass taken back to the machine to add more strength to it. It is a durable glass and when broken, it shatters into small granular pieces instead of cracking into shards. This glass has a transparent and clear look, is immune to scratches and resistant to environmental wear and tear. It can also keep noise out, which gives a conducive working space.

The glass can be used in mobile phone screen protectors, glass doors, tables, exterior glass barriers and shelves. The toughened glass is, however, much more pricey than the clear glass, almost doubling it. Yiga mainly imports it from Nairobi, although Uganda recently got one factory that toughens it in Nsambya, a Kampala suburb.

Tinted

This is a coloured glass that condenses the light and creates a colour illusion (blue, green, black). They can be used in residential houses and executive furniture like coffee tables.

“The thicker the glass, the darker the effect it gives. It normally comes in four to 10mm. The tinted glass can also be toughened,” Yiga says.

Chromatic glass

Chromatic glass is used in ICU’s, meeting rooms etc. It can control the transparent efficiency of glass and protects the interior from daylight. The chromatic glass may be photochromic which has light sensitive lamination, thermos-chromatic which has heat sensitive lamination and electrochromic which has electric lamination over it.

Toughened glass

Jangir says he imports this type from Nairobi. Toughened glass is a durable glass that has low visibility. It is available in all thicknesses, and when it is broken it forms small granular chunks that are dangerous.

This is also called as tempered glass. This type of glass is used for fire-resistant doors, mobile screen protectors, banks and residential buildings where security is a paramount necessity. Jangir says he has installed the full bullet proof glass for some homes in Buziga, a Kampala suburb.

Cost

Glass is charged per square foot. Stained glass, according to Yiga, goes from between Shs 45, 000 to Shs 50, 000 per square foot. For clear glass, 4mm goes for Shs6, 000 to Shs8, 000, 5mm glass goes for Shs8, 500 to Shs10000, 6mm glass for Shs9, 000, 8mm glass for Shs12, 000 to Shs15, 000, and the 10mm glass goes for Shs15, 000 to Shs20, 000 per squarefoot.

According to Jangir, one square metre glass costs Shs400, 000 (including installation) for most glass and Shs800, 000 for the 22mm installation of the soundproof glass.

According to Jangir, the most popular average size of glass used for sliding doors, windows and partitions are 5mm.

Before installing the glass

First, you need to understand the realistic needs of the project. You can add every available characteristic and property to your windows, but this usually turns out to be an exaggerated and costly move that will not benefit the final product in any significant way. In fact, you could choose different types of glass for every specific surface, but the project might end up being more complicated than necessary. So look for an integrated solution that addresses your need and suits your budget.

Budget

Depending on one’s budget for either installing or renovating a house or an office space, several benefits can be reaped out of the different glass types in a building.

One’s budget will always determine what one can afford for their project. If one is on a tight budget, they may not be able to afford a toughened or bullet proof glass, even when they would have wanted. Just do not go for less if you want to reap the benefits you came out for in choosing glass.

Where to install

Choosing a glass will also depend on where it is going to be installed. For example, a reflector glass may be great for commercial buildings but not necessary for residential houses. People use it anyway because of choice. For durability reasons, follow the experts advice on using reflector glass for residential.

Advice

Glass is an expensive and sensitive material to work with and therefore requires professional handling. For a lasting impression and quality work, hiring a professional for the job will save you from spending money on repairs.