Hey folks,
I am in the process of finishing a custom built-in cabinet/desks/bookcases in an attic in DC area. A fun job lots of funky angles=headscratching. The stairs cut the room in half and beg (as well as require) for a protective short wall. I ripped out an old rail and balusters replaced with two short walls drywall per h.o. request. Guess what….yup……”ohhh that does seem to cut the room up”….”I did’nt imagine it would change the flow of the room soo much.” I even went over the idea of placing cardboard in areas to get a feel, which we did together. short to long. after all the suggestions I could muster some with a wince we concluded that the wall would stay but can we put in two panes of glass to the same wall allowing pass through light etc.
OK now the jist of it. I have never worked with glass in this aspect. Done plenty of mirrors,windows,doors,block,showers. Most were in a frame. I plan on putting in two1/4″ laminated “safety” glass panels 32″x27″ centered in one of the 2×4 short walls that i glued and used 5″ lags into header to try to stabilize (still minimal movement). I was going to just wrap glass panels in 1x stock with channels routed and trim. I was assuming that the glass panels should “float” for expansion/contraction kind of like a door panel but I am wondering if i should set in a bed of silicone or some type of tape/putty. Anyone done this one before.
~Will~
Replies
They make "frame" tape, but I've never used any. The "space balls" seem to work for "balancing" a heavy tempered glass panel in my experience (the wood will move more than the glass, so you are correct in that.
Now, for interior work, I've always used just one pane. Not always centered, but just the one pane. I'd be inclined to worry about any "weather" changes between two panes of glass (and anticipating HO concerns about the dust that will eventually settle, very visibly, between the panes).
Never heard of these "space balls" got a brand name I could use to ID and locate?
The panels are side by side not "stacked" so yeah not a dbl pane (filled with dust) just two openings in the walls 5" apart 5" from top and bottom.
These folks have 3 boys ages 5-12. Boys&glass no good. I'm getting that ohh oh senario playing in my head. Maybe I should slip the 12 year old my card. Is 1/4 safety glass (laminate in between two 1/8" pcs) tough enough? Do they rate this stuff/spec it? should I worry about code violations? Gotta wait till 7am to call my inspectors. I considered 1/4 tempered but I see the kid falling all the way through with the little glass cubes landing on top. I could get thicker than 1/4" but glassman says its a special order =$ and were already went over budget/schedule with extras, but it we need it we need it. The only other stuff that comes to mind has the wire mesh imbeded in it and won't pass with the HO. My experience with plexiglass is it clouds/milks over and scatches.
Hi Oaktree, It's extremely hard to break tempered glass by hitting the face...years ago I was demo'ing some commercial tempered glass down near Dupont Circle...we took turns offering new guys a chance at swinging a full size sledge hammer at the face of one door, then watching their jaws drop as the door just bounced! BUT...a litle tap on an unpolished edge of the door, once we removed its metal cap, and there was a pile of pebbles on the floor.....
3/8 tempered should be fine...ask the folks at any Miles glass shop, or Columbia glass if you're over in Georgetown...there will be a lead time, & yes it will cost more...but IMHO the client should pay an upcharge....good luck
Just build each panel like it was a picture window. In other words, frame a rough opening in the stub wall, then trim it out with 1x. Nail on the stops for one side, insert the glass, and nail on the stops for the other side. Caulk with a silicone caulk like Flextra if you like; or don't--it shouldn't make much difference in a fixed installation inside.
You can set the bottom of the glass on peel-n-stick foam tape--the sort sometimes used by DIYers for weatherstripping--to insulate it from any shocks that might be transmitted through the framing. Leave an eighth clear top and both sides; that plus the eighth or so thickness of the foam tape should give you all the wiggle room necessary. (Make sure the stops are thick enough to deal with this.)
Finally, I wouldn't worry about the boys busting these panes; ¼" safety glass is pretty tough stuff, and the size you mention is not too big for that thickness. Even if they do manage to bust it, it'll just spider-web or crumble into pebbles. And in that case, you'll be able to replace the pane without major surgery since the stops are just to be nailed on....
Dinosaur
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