Greetings All,
I have a client who wants to mount 1/4″ thick tempered glass panels as a tub surround instead of tile or the various sheet goods available. The glass has a backing so whatever mastic we use would not show through. I know how to detail the substrate for tile, but would appreciate suggestions from anyone who has done this. Thanks.-Henrydog
Replies
If it is a mirror or silvered backing be cautious the silvering doesn't come off. Moisture will wick thru the standard mirror J hook and delaminate the finish. CYA on the delamination if this is the case.
Sounds strange. describe it more please.
Booch,
The glass in question has a non--mirrored backing but I don't know how secure it is- we found the panels at a used building materials place and the shipping pads are still on them which makes me doubt they have been used. I'm planning on using silicone to adhere them to the cement backer board. The local glass place said they would have no problem drilling the holes for the tub filler and valve handles. I don't know if water would condense on the back side of the glass panels any more than it would on the back side of tile or marble. Thanks, -Henrydog
It is hard to say. In the case of the mirror I have, It is plate glass with a high quality silver finish. What seems to have occured is over the last 10 years som moisture has crept on the bottom edge and wicked its way up about 2 inches causing the silvering to corrode.
Possibly shellack or varnish on the bottom edge(or cut edge) would have prevented this migration but all I suggest is that any cut edge probably needs treatment in order to avoid future problems. That would include the drilling offered by the supplier.
H-dog, you are on your own here. This might be a bullet proof installation or your next redo. Go for it. It sounds interesting.
Did you tell the glass people that those are TEMPERED pannels.
ASAIK there is absolute no way to cut or drill and tempered glass (and maintain it in one piece).
I'm using the glass tub suround. I ordered 3/8" safety glass and backpainted the glass with X1M bonding primer. We'll install the glass with silicone caulk as the adhesive. The glass will be installed tomorrow. As a safety precaution, I'll have a stainless steel channel along the top edge of the glass just in case the silicone fails. I'll email you the results of my experiment.
As I caveat, even though I had the bonding primer tinted to match the pure white walls of the bath, the safety glass has a green tint, so the walls of the tub will be a "green white." I add this so that you can convey this aspect of the installation to your homeowner.