Owing to its brilliant shine, aesthetic appeal, refractive and reflective properties, glass has become a favourite architectural product in modern times. Its versatility is only one of its advantages, for the pragmatic and aesthetic value it adds to your buildings is unmatched. To make it even more appealing and versatile, glassmakers have, over the years, designed different types of glasses suitable for different needs.
Despite the availability of countless glass types, annealed glass remains the topmost choice for architects and interior designers. Good-quality annealed glass allows about 87% of incident light to pass through. It is also usually distortion-free and highly customisable.
How is Annealed Glass Made?
Annealed glass is also called float glass. After being molten in a furnace, it is subjected to a regulated cooling process in an annealing lehr until it reaches a strain point temperature. This slow cooling allows the glass sheet to become less brittle and frees it from internal stress. This way, annealed glass is manufactured.
Customisation options for annealed glass include toughening, tempering, laminating, back painting, etc. All of these processes make annealed glass even stronger.
There are three common types of annealed glass available:
Frosted Glass: It is a type of translucent glass made by acid etching or sandblasting. It allows light to pass through, but not completely and therefore blocks images.
Clear Glass: Clear glass is a completely transparent and clear type of annealed glass commonly used in structures where clear vision is desired such as windows, doors, and glass partitions.
Tinted Glass: By coating annealed glass sheets with metal oxides, they can be tinted. Tinted annealed glass transmits less light and protects against solar glare.
How Can You Use Annealed Glass in Your Homes and Offices?
Annealed glass, due to its distortion-free nature and durability has plenty of applications in both residential and commercial buildings. It can be used for a variety of internal and external glazing options.
Here are some ways you can incorporate annealed glass in your space.
Glass Cabinets
Glass cabinets have long been used as a decorative element in drawing rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms. These act as showcases where you can display trophies, certificates, paintings, showpieces, etc. Since annealed glass is brilliantly lustrous and provides distortion-free vision, it is perfect for glass cabinets. With annealed glass cabinets, your most showy pieces will remain both clean and perfectly displayed.
Dining or Coffee Tables
Glass furniture instantly amps up the décor of any space. It suits everything, from a minimalist design to a royal décor. Two of the most popular glass furniture items include coffee tables and dining tables. Although these may be made of metal or wood, their tops can be sealed with annealed glass to make them more lustrous and appealing. Annealed glass tabletops in dining and coffee table will give your furniture all the sleekness it needs to appear modern. Moreover, it will also not break easily and will bear moderately-weighted objects like pots, pans, and vases.
Ceiling Windows
Nothing lights up a space better than natural lights during the day and starlight at night. If you want your house to be lit perfectly, tinted annealed glass windows near the ceiling of your rooms would be an excellent choice. Tinted ceiling windows will also prevent harsh solar radiations and harmful UV rays from entering your precious living space. They will also not compromise the aesthetic lighting feature. You can have them installed in bedrooms, drawing rooms, or even in kitchens.
Sliding Doors
There are two main purposes of sliding doors – adding an illusion of extra space and increasing the aesthetic appeal of a room. Both these purposes are met perfectly if you have your sliding doors made out of tinted annealed glass. Annealed glass sliding doors will also improve ventilation and absorb harmful solar radiations. Annealed glass is also good at absorbing 30-45% of the sun’s heat, and is therefore perfect for sliding doors installed in buildings located in hot regions.
Frosted Shower Stalls
When you take a relaxing shower, you wouldn’t want inappropriate lighting or lack of privacy to disturb you. Annealed frosted glass is perfect for modern bathrooms and showers. It allows just the right amount of light to infiltrate your shower and also offers absolute privacy by blocking images. Since annealed glass is highly durable, the heat and humidity of a bathroom will not affect your pristine shower enclosure.
Because of its flexibility in terms of cutting, shaping, and drilling, annealed glass is a very popular choice for all kinds of homes and offices. When you choose annealed glass from AIS Glass, you get endless options for customisation. Our technicians take care of personalising everything, from the cut to the colour of your chosen annealed glass and also ensure optimum quality. For high-end commercial or residential annealed glass products, get in touch with AIS Glass today!