Glass partitions: types, glass thickness, installation

The design of our home is a creative process that allows us to get completely different dwellings in terms of functionality, purpose and type from the premises of the same layout. A wide variety of new and old materials provide a lot of opportunities for the implementation of the most daring projects. For example, glass partitions in an apartment or house allow you to give a dwelling a non-standard look, change the layout without erecting new walls. Permission is not required for their installation, they do not "load" the space, but divide it, blocking out separate zones.

Types and varieties

First, let's talk about the design features of glass partitions. They can be conditionally divided into the following groups;

• All-glass. Partitions of this type are assembled from large glass sheets without additional structures. Apart from glass, only fasteners are required to fix it to the ceiling / floor / walls. The glass must have a high load-bearing capacity, so duplex or triplex glass is often used - glass glued with a transparent film. When such glass is destroyed, it does not crumble, and the fragments remain hanging on the film. The glass is good but expensive.
  

  All-glass partitions have no boundaries

• Wireframe. An aluminum / painted steel / wood / plastic profile is fixed to the walls, floor, ceiling. Glass is attached to the profile. A significant part of the load with this device of the glass partition falls on the frame, so that the glass can be used more simply (and cheaper).
  

  Wireframes look more graphical. Especially in combination with a dark / black frame

• French glazing. One of the private types of frame. There is a frame, but the glass in it is not solid, but separated by imposts. This type of glass partition for a home is good because if part of the glass breaks, the rest remain intact and it takes less money and time to restore.
  

  This is the look of classic French glass partitions in an apartment.

• From glass blocks, double-glazed windows, glass profiles. When using this material, the glass partition already looks more like a wall. Glass blocks resemble bricks (there are even similar ones in shape) and they are much thicker than just glass. They also give a greater degree of sound insulation and are less transparent. But despite this, it is still a glass partition.
  

  Glass partitions made of glass blocks were once popular, but with the development of technology, they look much more attractive

There are also author's options that are difficult to attribute to any type, although most of them are variations on the theme of frame and French glass partitions, in which different geometric shapes of the frame are used, different types of glass. It's just hard to imagine how differently the results of such experiments might look.

Stationary

Glass partitions in an apartment or house are made stationary or mobile. Stationary walls are replaced by ordinary walls, they are simply made of unusual material. This is an excellent solution if the part of the room to be fenced off is obtained without windows - enough light penetrates through the glass wall. Such a technique can still often be found in shared offices: glass partitions mark the boundaries but do not create the feeling of a hive with small combs / cells.Each has its own working corner, but the room is the same.

Stationary partitions do not fold, do not move….

Stationary glass partitions in an apartment and in a house can be found in bathrooms, where they fence off the shower or bath from the rest of the room. They are also called "sanitary glass partitions". This separation provides waterproofing, but does not visually divide the space, which makes even a small bathroom spacious. In this case, frameless glazing is often used. The glass joints are sealed with a transparent sealant, perfectly retain their water resistance and do not spoil the appearance. This is better for two reasons. Firstly, it is easier to take care of, there is no place for water, dirt, salt deposits to accumulate. Secondly, profiles for frequent contact with water are expensive. So this is a smart decision.

Mobile

Mobile glass partitions are usually design solutions that allow you to use the same area in different ways at different times. In this case, the glass wall can be moved. This is an excellent solution for small apartments, this technique is also used when studio apartment design.

Mobile partitions

This technique is also used when combining a kitchen with a gas stove and a living / dining room. To ensure safety, the room in which the gas appliance is installed must be fenced off and have doors. But the point of unification is precisely to remove the partition. This contradiction is resolved with a glass mobile wall. It is completely or partially made of glass, sliding / folding doors are installed.

Mobile glass partitions in an apartment can be:

• Sliding compartment doors. In this case, the movable part "drives" onto the stationary part of the partition, glass or not - it doesn't matter. There are two types - with an upper guide rail and a lower one. Top rail systems can be hung without touching the floor. This option is good if the floor is already ready and it is difficult to integrate the necessary structure into it. Systems with a lower guide rail are cheaper, and, at the same time, more stable in operation: the main load falls on the lower rail, and the upper one serves to stabilize the web in space. The main sliding glass partitions are low sound insulation.
  

  Sliding partitions in a glass room - mobility and convenience

• Radial partitions. In principle, the design is the same - with sliding / sliding doors, only the glasses are curved with a certain radius.
  

  Radial glass partitions are allocated in a separate group, as they have a special configuration

• With swing or swing doors. This option is often found in retail outlets, but can also be used at home.
  

  Swing or swing doors in glass partitions

• Folding partitions. There are two types - a book and an accordion. The systems are similar, but at the book the fixation points are at the edge of the canvas, at the accordion - in the middle. Large canvases can be assembled from them, which, if necessary, move and fold, freeing up space. Usually they require two guide rails - to ensure a stable position of the canvas.
  

  Accordion or book - two systems that can fold a glass partition into a compact unit

If you can't decide if you need a fixed partition or a mobile partition, consider the issue of price. Mobile partitions are much more expensive. The difference can be twice or more. If the budget is limited, it is reasonable to make a combined glass partition in an apartment or house - make part stationary, and part sliding.

Types of glasses and their maximum sizes

The same glass partition can be made from different types of glass. It is important to choose the right parameters, performance characteristics of the material, and for this you need to know their features and properties.If you have come up with such a design yourself, it is better to consult an experienced glazier. Not all designers have all the information they need, and ordinary people are simply unaware of certain things.

Glass partition can be with doors

Thickness for partitions for various purposes

First of all, you need to decide on the thickness of the glass, which is better to use when erecting a partition. Depends on the type of partition, the place of its installation, the type of glass used.

• All-glass ones make the material 10-12 mm thick. It is not worth taking a large thickness, since it is very difficult to find accessories.
• Glass partitions in an apartment and a house with imposts, frame ones, are assembled from glass with a thickness of 8-10 mm.
  

  Original solution ...

• In shower rooms the optimum thickness is 8 mm. You can take 10 mm, but this is an additional 5 kg for each square meter of the partition area, which is quite a lot. A reinforced structure is needed, which leads to additional costs.

If the partition is external, it serves to separate a covered veranda, winter garden, etc. most likely, you will need a double-glazed window, and that's another story and a different approach.

Familiar silicon glass

Glass partitions in an apartment can be made of transparent, matte, patterned, tinted, colored sheepskin, mirrors and their combinations. The dimensions of the glass sheet depend on its type. A sheet of ordinary glass is 1200 mm wide and 2000 mm high. If larger sizes are required, either imposts are made (additional dividing profiles) or tempered glass is used. It is distinguished by higher strength characteristics; when destroyed, the fragments are not sharp, so the likelihood of injury is low. The maximum dimensions of tempered glass with a thickness of 6 to 19 mm allow making a one-piece partition for almost any room: 3210 mm * 6000 mm. There is only one drawback of this glass: it is expensive. And the larger the sheet size, the higher the price.

Triplex can be armored, or it can consist of three glasses glued with two films ...

Even higher are the strength of laminated glass: duplex and triplex. Glass sheets are glued with a transparent plastic film (duplex is glass with a film, triplex is two glasses and a film between them. The technology is designed so that the transparency of multilayer glasses does not decrease, breaking glass does not scatter, but is covered with a network of cracks, fragments remain hanging on the film. The maximum dimensions of a duplex and triplex are 2600 mm * 3100 mm. Which glass is better for glass partitions in an apartment: duplex or triplex? You cannot say for sure - it depends on the purpose of the partition. Duplex is lighter and cheaper, triplex has better characteristics in heat and sound insulation So if a glass partition in an apartment or house will fence off the premises from the street, the best options are a double-glazed window or triplex.For an internal partition, you will have to choose between ordinary, tempered glass or duplex.

Organic glass

Even glass partitions in an apartment or house, you can use acrylic glass or sheet polycarbonate. They have low thermal conductivity (0.2-0.3 W / (m K)), transmit light well (transparency up to 92%), weigh 2-3 times less (with the same thickness), are more resistant to shock loads cost less. These are their advantages. Even organic glasses at a certain temperature have high plasticity, so that they can be bent, giving any shape. After cooling down, the glass retains its predetermined shape.

Plexiglas can be used when arranging glass partitions in an apartment or house

The disadvantages are that the material melts at not the highest temperatures (250-300 ° C), scratches easily appear on the surface, which significantly reduce the light transmittance. There is nothing you can do about melting - they must not be installed near heating devices or an open flame. And they fight against scratches by sticking a thin, but durable film.Plexiglas thickness - from 2 mm to 50 mm, sheet dimensions - 2050 mm * 3050 mm.

There may be different objects in acrylic glass

Acrylic glass can be cast and extruded. Cast - more durable, can be of considerable thickness. Extrusion - thinner (the maximum thickness depends on the extruder), can be opaque, light diffusing, colored. There is also decoacryl, a variety with a matte or smooth surface. various objects can be inserted inside - from sparkles to any small objects. Decorators like to use such acrylic glasses.

Glass blocks and glass profiles

For stationary glass partitions for an apartment or house, in an office, you can use glass blocks and glass profiles. Both are glass products, but they have a different look and manufacturing technology. Partitions made of these materials allow light to pass through, but are not completely transparent. Silhouettes are visible, at best. Details, even in very good lighting, cannot be disassembled.

Glass blocks are poured into certain shapes. Two identical fragments are then combined into one block - a parallelepiped. They are small in size, produced in the form of squares or rectangles, from transparent or colored glass. The edges can be even or patterned, with the corrugated surface usually on the inside and the outside smooth.

Stationary partitions made of glass blocks and glass profiles

Glass blocks have good thermal insulation capacity, since there is an air gap between two glass walls. From them, like from bricks, a wall is laid, but at the same time it is not necessary to lay it apart, there may be a seam in a seam. Glass partitions in an apartment made of glass blocks let light through, but are not transparent. This is a good option if you need to fence off, for example, a bath from the rest of the room, put a partition in a long room.

Stekloprofilit - P or U-shaped product made of bent alkali silicate glass. It is produced in long strips (up to 3 meters), which are inserted into a special profile. The wall can be assembled single, or double, by deploying the profiles towards each other.

Glass partitions in the apartment and house: photos of interesting options

Partition made of glass blocks in the bathroom - and the shower is fenced off, and the space is not loaded

A stationary partition made of patterned glass separates the bed without creating division into cells

The absence of sharp corners is another possibility that can be realized with glass blocks

For classic interiors, you can make a sandblast drawing on the glass

Glass screen on wheels for dividing the room

Glass blocks in the bathroom are very popular

If you need to separate the kitchen from the corridor, but keep natural light in a dark corridor, put a glass partition

Milk glass, rounded fragments - beautiful, stylish

One of the decoration options

Framed glass partitions in an apartment or house look very good ... the main thing is that the style matches

An original way to highlight the kitchen without loading up space

Radial baffles - always interesting

Colored partitions also create a certain atmosphere.

Frames, thin imposts ... the simplest solutions give an interesting effect