Top 5 Glass Windows For Your Home

There are many types of window styles and frames to choose from, with the current trend and design available in the market. If you’re a homeowner looking to install glass windows in your home, choosing the glass for your window is essential to ensure that your priorities are met – is it durability? Privacy or style? Before purchasing for your home, check out the list below to know which glass window is suitable for need:

1. Float Glass

This type of window is probably the most widely-used worldwide. It is produced by floating molten glass on molten tin into a large and flat panel. This panel is then trimmed accordingly to a desired size, treated, improved and put into a frame. The composition of the glass are the usual raw materials for making glass – sand, sodium carbonate and limestone. The molten glass may also undergo refining, a chemical process to remove the bubbles.

Advantages	Other Usage
– Cheap and easy to manufacture – Flexible and can be shaped into different forms – Does not necessarily require additional polishing	– Mirrors – House Windows – Windshield and windows (cars)

2. Safety Laminated Glass

This type of glass falls under safety glass. It is basically layers of glass held together by an interlayer – usually a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) int between the layers of glass. The purpose of having an interlayer is to keep the glasses bonded and unshattered to large pieces when broken. Instead, when it is broken it only produces a web or cracked pattern especially if the force of impact is not enough to pierce the glass.

Advantages	Other Usage
– Safer for products where there is possible human impact – Higher sound and UV radiation insulation – Works well with typhoon-prone areas	– House windows – Automobile windshield and mirrors

3. Tempered Glass

This is another type of safety glass. However unlike safety laminated glass which is strengthened by an interlayer, tempered glass is strengthened through thermal and chemical treatments. Due to this additional strengthening processes, the tempered glass is considered durable, thermal resistant to drastic changes of temperature in a year making them suitable for outdoor use.

Advantages	Other Usage
– Safe for high-pressure environment – Able to withstand impacts from debris or stones – Able to adapt to temperature changes	– Balcony doors – House window facades – Exhibition area or displays

4. Low-E Glass

Low emissivity glasses are products of the current trend to improve energy efficiency. This type of glass is equipped with a special coating to minimize the amount of ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light while maintaining the visible light passing through. In short, light passing through the window is safer but the brightness is not compromised. The coating is very thin and transparent and reflects the infrared energy. While this type of glass can be more expensive compared to others, this might save you a whole lot more in the long run.

Advantages	Other Usage
– Energy efficient – Less UV and IR light passing through your window	– Laboratory or controlled environment windows

5. Tinted Glass

Any type of glass that has coloring or window film is called a tinted glass. This type of glass has a laminate film (window film) attached on either its exterior or interior. The film is usually made of a thermoplastic polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). To achieve the intensity of a tint or shade, one can choose different types of grades, shades, colours and thickness of the film to be used on a glass window.

Advantages	Other Usage
– Reduction of heat and glare – Ultraviolet light filtration – Privacy and security	– Used for buildings and public place windows (e.g. shops and restaurants) – Office windows