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Decorating Your Home With Glass Block

By: Marx Marx

Glass block combines the building properties of brick or stone with the aesthetic appeal and translucence of glass for optimum light and design potential. Whether concealing a bad view, dividing a room, or surrounding a shower, glass block is always performing its primary purpose give privacy while all at once letting in light.

Traditionally, the blocks are made from two units of 1/2- to 1- inch-thick glass, each representing half a block, which are heat-fused together. A pocket of air is trapped in the space created between them. Manufacturers interpret this process in various ways, offering an array of textures and patterns on the glass itself, such as clear or wavy glass, or small to large grid or diamond patterns.

These variations do more than make a design statement, however. They actually determine the amount of light that will flow into a space and the form it will take in a sharp clear prism-like formation, for instance, or in a softer, more diffuse way as well as the degree of privacy offered. The more opaque the pattern, the less light and more privacy it affords; the simpler the pattern, the more light and visibility.

Glass block is available in paver form for floors so that light from a terrace above can flow into a basement below; in a thin form for interior applications that do not require structural integrity; and as thickset blocks that are stronger for exteriors. End, corner, and new 45- to 90-degree blocks allow for glass walls to curve, turn, and be built in different shapes. A wide range of sizes, available from most manufacturers, allows for a multitude of variations, such as combining small and large blocks to create interesting designs.

Except for the special do-it-yourself systems that are described below, glass block should always be installed by a professional.

Over the past several years, technology has caught up with this 21th-century favorite. New options are now available in materials, style, quality, ease of installation, and price. Installation. There are even newer and simpler ways to build with genuine glass block: One technique is use clear acrylic strips and an invisible silicone sealant to eliminate the mortar lines that are so familiar with standard glass block walls and panels. Glass block cost can be quite expensive when used in quantity, so its advantages have to be weighed against the price. In design terms, it offers multifunction building and decorating options. Insulation. On the energy front, as the block is composed of two pieces of thick glass with a pocket of air sandwiched between, it has the insulation value equivalent to a double-pane window. In winter, glass block lets in heat via sunlight. To further this effect, there is a product has a Solar reflective block that reduces light transmission up to 95 percent and increases solar heat gain up to 80 percent when compared with standard plate glass. Security. The thick blocks are next to impossible to break through, thus offering protection against vandalism. Because of this, many homeowners choose glass block for their basement windows. Other pluses. This durable material buffers noise, and is one of the easiest materials to maintain, needing only an occasional quick cleaning.

DE-LIGHTFUL DESIGN

Once the decision to use glass block has been made, there are a myriad of ways that it can work in a home: as interior walls to define spaces and add a dramatic touch with curves; as exterior walls to let sunlight inside; as entry-ways to provide privacy and at the same time allow light into an otherwise dark inner hall; as windows to camouflage an unattractive view; as skylights overhead to add light and beauty; as panels underfoot to pour sunlight into a basement or greenhouse below; as shower stalls or partial walls in bathrooms; in small quantities placed among other materials, ceramic tile for example, to let in a little light and decorative style such as on a backsplash that is installed over an exterior wall.

Letting in light is the most important reason for choosing glass block. The material can mean the difference between a dark, small space and a lighter, more spacious-looking one. Glass block used in one room, window, or partial wall of a house can brighten several rooms. If a hallway is dark, for example, a glass block wall or shower stall from an adjacent bathroom can bring light from a window on through to the hallway. Even artificial light can filler through glass block just as well, opening up a space.

This play with light works partly because of the way glass block translates it. But be aware of the visual power of glass block. It rarely fits in with anything but a fairly contemporary design, and it is such an aesthetic statement that it really has to work with what you are doing.

In order to make glass block a reality for the average home, entire windows, shower stalls, doors, wall and flooring panels are now available in grid systems into which the blocks are placed. These create less expensive alternatives that take only a few hours to install and make glass block possible where it might otherwise not be feasible.