Each variety of glass has something unique it brings to your home or business. Do you need extra sturdy glass to withstand your nine-year-old son’s baseball or to protect your storefront windows downtown? Do you want glass that will lower your energy bill? Do you want beautiful, colored glass for above the front door?

You want to choose the right type of glass for your home. Below, we’ve listed five different types of glass and the ways you’ll benefit from each. Use this guide to choose the perfect glass for your windows, doors, and walls.

1. Insulated Glass

A home with lots of windows fills with beautiful, natural light, and its value on the market rises with each window. The downside? Lots of windows can mean a hefty energy bill.

A normal, single-paned window contributes to significant heat loss in cold weather and heat gain in warmer months. But with insulated windows, you can improve your home’s energy infrastructure and save money. Insulated windows prevent:

• Infiltration, or air leaking around the sides of the window
• Conduction, or heat passing through the glass
• Radiation, or heat moving from a warm place to a cold one until both are the same temperature
• Convection, or cold air sucking more air toward the window

Because insulated windows are built specifically to avoid heat loss and regulate the window pane’s surface temperature, your home’s energy efficiency immediately increases. In fact, an uninsulated window can have a surface temperature of 30° F; insulated windows don’t get much lower than 56° F. When you choose insulated glass, you can bid farewell to a massive energy bill.

Insulated windows include double or even triple panes, so they not only insulate—they also reduce outside noise. Their layered panes prevent more sound vibrations from passing through than a single-paned window would. Manufacturers use regular air or even argon or krypton gas to separate the panes, and these gases reduce noise even more.

2. Plate Glass

Also known as sheet or flat glass, plate glass prevails throughout the world because it is time-tested sturdy, and beautiful. Modern architecture, with its enormous glass panels for windows, walls, and doors, depends on plate glass for a stunning effect.

Plate glass windows are durable. Its unique content, with large proportions of sodium oxide and magnesium oxide, make it difficult to break and easy to bend—which is one reason why most car windshields are made of plate glass.

Because of plate glass’s stability, it can be spun into extremely large sheets. Many businesses choose plate glass for their windows and walls so they get a seamless, uninterrupted effect.

3. Safety Glass

If you need glass to provide shatter-proof security, you need safety glass. This type of glass is tempered to increase its strength and durability. Some types of safety glass actually include layered plastic for added toughness.

Use safety glass where you foresee a chance of impact (and of falling and crashing, once shattering occurs). Skylights, windshields, and even architecture in locations prone to hurricanes and heavy winds take advantage of safety glass.

One fantastic perk of safety glass windows: if the window does break, it will not break into sharp, dangerous shards. Instead, the glass will splinter, making it slightly less dangerous. Safety glass is used institutionally in schools and hospitals, and offers a great option for homes with kids.

4. Fire-Rated Glass

When you think of fire protection in your home or business, you probably don’t think of your glass windows. But fire-rated glass is built to provide protection during a fire by preventing smoke and flames from spreading.

Fire-rated glass looks just like other kinds of glass—smooth and transparent. But while other kinds of glass shatter at 250° F, fire-rated glass can endure heat up to 500° F.

In addition, fire-rated glass mush pass national standards and tests before it receives a safe and durable rating. Experts rate glass by how long it can withstand heat, pressure, and impact. Your fire-rated glass won’t put out a fire or alert you of flames, but its ability to contain fires has saved thousands of lives.

5. Decorative Glass

Beautiful stained glass represents just one option for decorative glassworks. Decorative glass continues to gain popularity in American homes because of its beauty, versatility, and uniqueness. This type of glass will help you customize your home or business and stand out from others.

Beveled glass, for example, slopes edges of the glass sheet, which causes light to display spectacular patterns. Stained glass consists of inlaid glass panes that separate the colors to create breathtaking shapes. And frosted or patterned glass can give your windows or doors special emphasis.

Decorative glass also refers to its shape and use. Curved glass walls, fanlights, bay windows, glass stair enclosures, and even shower doors all use decorative glass.

When designing or choosing decorative glass, consult with your glass specialist, who can custom-make your glass to meet your needs. 

As you get ready for the day, perform your daily tasks, and go to bed, you probably don’t take the time to ponder the value of mirrors. But you most likely use mirrors more than you realize—when you do your hair, brush your teeth, apply make-up, shave your face, and decide what to wear. Even when you leave the house, you still rely on mirrors to safely drive your car.

Imagine getting ready for a big presentation at work without a large mirror in your bathroom. Sure, you can attempt to use your phone’s screen or another shiny surface for reflection, but that just won’t cut it.

It’s safe to say that mirrors play a vital role in your life’s comfort and functionality. They allow you to clearly see yourself and the things you do. But mirrors offer much more than this. If you’ve never thought that custom or decorative mirrors would be necessary for your home’s appearance or your personal lifestyle, think again.

Advantages of Custom Mirrors and Decorative Mirrors

Mirrors provide numerous perks that promote unique, home-boosting benefits.

With some cleverness and ingenuity, you can harness the previously untapped potential of mirrors in a way that complements your home’s style and your preferences. In addition to helping you get ready for the day or for bed, custom and decorative mirrors:

• Enhance interior design
• Generate more space
• Bring in light
• Facilitate physical activities

If you want these features in your home but you don’t know where to start, consider the following ideas.

1. Replace or Complement Pictures and Artwork with a Mirror

When you want to make a bold or elegant statement in your home, mirrors act as a great aesthetic option. If you need a finishing touch on your living room wall, put up a round mirror in a dark metal or wood frame. A modern mirror like this adds contrast and livelihood to an area that might be dominated by either too much plain color or too many pictures.

Or, do you own a large hutch with empty space in the middle? Fill the void with a mirror to add variety and depth. If it’s far enough away from your bathroom, the mirror also acts as another convenient place to check out your reflection.

2. Position a Mirror to Make Your Rooms Feel Larger

Mirrors offer more than a place to check your hair—they perform a number of handy tricks. For example, you can create the illusion of a larger, more open room with a well-placed mirror. If you’re not worried about spending the money, consider a wall covered in mirrors.

A mirror wall will reflect the entire room—whether it’s a dark den, small dining room, or windowless bathroom. This reflection causes the room to feel twice as large. This particular route works best if your house contains small or cramped rooms.

If you don’t want to break the bank, try putting a smaller, framed mirror on a wall as if it were in the place of a window. This will connect your home’s interior space to the openness of the outside world, especially when done in rooms or hallways that feel claustrophobic.

Remember that the strategic placement of a mirror will generate either subtle or drastic impressions of space.

3. Let a Mirror Invoke More Light

Use a mirror’s reflective quality to your advantage when you want more light in your home. Whether you require more natural light from outside or greater illumination from a lamp, you can count on a mirror to deliver the desired result.

For more artificial light, simply place a mirror near a lamp or light fixture to bounce the radiated light around a room. If natural light appeals more to your homeowner inclinations, place a mirror on a wall directly opposite a large window. This will allow the mirror to reflect the sunlight from the opposite window and cast even more light into your room.

 4. Create a Mirrored Home Gym

If you love to keep your body in shape but prefer to exercise in an indoor gym, think about the impact a mirrored wall makes.

Translate the experience of working out to your own home by creating your own personal gym space. Cover the walls with mirrors to enhance your regimen and liven up the room. The mirrored wall will also provide you immediate visual feedback while you exercise—you can see your progress and check your form.

Unlock the Power of the Mirror

This list includes just some of many benefits of mirrors. Remember these ideas when your home needs a quick fix or major overhaul. You can adorn your empty wall, open up your office, attain a brighter dining room, or upgrade your home gym.

With mirrors, decorative or custom, you can make a big change in your home with a small amount of work.

Statistics estimate that the average American adult spends about an hour a day in the bathroom, or nearly 14 days over the course of a year. And that’s not including the time you lock yourself away to escape your kids, talk on the phone, or read a good book.

Since you likely spend more time in your restroom than you do on vacation, why not make your bathroom your own private oasis or spa?

With the following changes, you can transform your bathroom while staying within a reasonable budget.

1. Be Bold with Your Border

Many bathrooms stick to the standard white paint, white tile, and white sinks to match their white toilets and tubs. This happens because white creates a feeling of cleanliness, and many white fixtures and bathroom accessories come at an affordable price.

However, all this white can make your bathroom feel a bit bland. You could install a tile mosaic on your wall to create a colorful contrast, but glass mosaic tiles often cost between $20 and $40 per square foot, making it an expensive way to upgrade.

To freshen your décor, add a decorative tile border along your bathtub or underneath your vanity. It will still create the visual interest and texture of a mosaic tile but for a fraction of the price.

2. Make Your Floor Your Focal Point

Tile borders can accent your paint and bring out the color in your cabinets. But for a truly eye-catching focal point, use your floor as your canvas. Your bathroom floor often has less square footage than your walls, so you can easily splurge on the tile without breaking the bank.

For a unique look, opt for a crisp black and white basket weave or a marbled herringbone tile. These intricate patterns can trick the eye into making a small bathroom look larger. No need to spend a fortune knocking down walls for a few extra inches.

3. Add Class with Glass

While shower curtains can make a bathroom look cozy and colorful, they can also make a bathroom feel cramped and claustrophobic. Some curtains are so dense that they cut off natural lighting, so your otherwise bright and welcoming restroom feels gloomy rather than cheery.

If you want to increase your visual space and make the most of your lighting, install glass shower doors. They’ll catch the water more effectively than curtains while giving your bathroom a more modern and open feel. And they don’t cost much more than your typical shower and tub combo.

Worried about the transparency? Have an expert etch or frost the glass to cover specific areas of your shower. You can even choose your own patterns to complement your design.

4. Stylize Your Storage

From styling gel and hair dryers to toothbrushes and towels, your bathroom needs to supply you with a lot of personal items. But an abundance of these items can leave your small bathroom looking cluttered and small, even if you regularly tidy your sink and cabinets.

To make your bathroom feel more elegant, you’ll want to use a variety of storage methods help cut the clutter. For example, toilet paper and tissues look attractive if displayed in a stylish metal basket. Instead of stacking your towels on top of the toilet, roll them up and place them on a sophisticated wine rack on your wall.

If you’d rather hide your personal items, purchase stackable storage boxes or wicker baskets that you can stash under your sink or on your shelves. These baskets and boxes can help you stay more organized and make the most of your limited bathroom space.

5.  Feel Fancy with New Fixtures

Your faucets, handles, knobs, and holders might not look like much at first, but a few small switches here and there can completely upgrade your bathroom’s look and feel.

Wall-mounted faucets with a chrome finish can give your bathroom an urban chic appearance. In contrast, single-handled faucets with a brushed copper finish can make your bathroom feel more earthy and natural.

Once you’ve chosen a faucet, swap your other fixtures to create a unified and collected theme. In general, you’ll want to use the same metal finish on your handles and knobs as you do your faucet, but mixing metals can create an eclectic look if that’s what you prefer.

Don’t Let Your Budget Limit Your Creativity

Your bathroom doesn’t need a gold-plated toilet to feel luxurious. As you can see, a few simple changes can help your bathroom feel larger and more refined without breaking the bank.

Use these tips and tricks when you want to remodel your bathroom, or use your own creativity to design a room fit to house your porcelain throne.

If you need more ideas, keep reading our posts and check out some of our latest decorative projects.

You love the gorgeous aesthetic that windows give to your home. They let natural light flood in, where it illuminates all the best parts of your décor. If you could add more windows, you would.

However, you also know that windows pose a safety risk. For burglars, windows represent the home’s easiest access point. They can shatter the glass and climb in, or they could jiggle the latch open and enter your home that way.

This fact may make you want to have fewer windows. But don’t let the threat of burglars keep you from enjoying your natural light. You can keep your windows (and even install more of them) if you know how to make them more secure. We’ll tell you more about this below.

1. Repair Your Windows

Burglars don’t have to do much work to enter through an already broken window. If any of the windows in your home have shattered glass, inoperable locks, or broken frames, call a window expert in your area for repairs.

This relatively inexpensive strategy adds more security to your home than you might think. Burglars tend to choose the most accessible home in the community as their target. If you have broken glass, burglars know they can quickly get in and out of your home, even with heavy valuables in tow. By the time anyone notices their presence, they’ll have more than enough time to escape.

But if you repair your windows, you don’t look like the easiest target anymore. Burglars may move on to homes with a less secure appearance instead.

2. Attach a Security Film

You don’t necessarily have to replace your windows to boost their security. You can also add security films. These clear films adhere to your window’s surface, so you’ll probably forget their presence after you install them.

If a burglar manages to shatter your window, the film will hold the shattered pieces together. Burglars will have to spend even more time trying to puncture and rip the film, so most of them will give up and leave your home alone. Theft makes criminals stressed, and they want maximum speed and convenience so they don’t face capture. If you deny them speed, they’ll often run away.

3. Install Window Bars

You can keep intruders from ever touching your windows in the first place if you use window bars. Many homeowners worry that this feature will make their homes look like a prison, but you can buy elegant, European options that make your home look like a manor or castle instead of a dungeon.

4. Purchase a Shatter Alarm

Many security companies can install shatter alarms on your windows. If a burglar breaks the window, the alarm will go off, startling him or her. This will make most thieves run away. However, even if thieves don’t run away, your alarm will contact the police, who will arrive shortly to arrest the intruder.

5. Invest in a Screen Removal Alarm

While shatter alarms can prove helpful, wouldn’t you rather deter intruders before they cause damage? A screen removal alarm gives you this convenience. Sensors on the screen detect when intruders try to break in, and they go off. This produces the same effect as a shatter alarm. It scares most intruders away.

6. Clear Shrubs Away from Your Home

Burglars like to work in private, dark conditions. If they can hide behind shrubs, trees, bushes, garbage cans, sheds, and other items, then your home looks like an easy target. Make your windows visible from all sides of your home. Then burglars will feel nervous because you or your neighbors could potentially spot them.

7. Install Additional Exterior Lighting

Exterior lighting—especially when attached to motion detectors—can keep burglars away from your windows as well. They don’t want anyone to catch them, so they stay hidden as long as possible. Exterior lighting denies them that.

Your windows don’t have to be the easiest access point inside your home. For more information on reinforcing your windows, contact your local window specialist.

If you’re tired of expensive utility bills and are looking for ways to save money, consider installing energy efficient windows. These windows can help you save money year-round, no matter how hot or cold it gets. Here are some facts to help you decide if replacing your windows with energy efficient ones would benefit you.

Unbeatable Energy Savings

Out of the energy used in your home, up to 50% goes to cooling and heating. This means you can save a fair amount on your energy bill by reducing heating and cooling consumption. In fact, energy efficient windows keep you cool in the summer by blocking 70% of solar heat gain.

In total, energy efficient windows can save you up to 30% on your average annual energy costs. Within a year, you can save on tax credit, home value, and energy savings. Imagine saving up between $5,600 and $7,700 within the first year of using energy efficient windows. Furthermore, it only takes as little as three years to recover your initial investment.

Lower utility bills is just one benefit of energy efficient windows. You’ll also be able to experience 75% less carpet, furniture, and fabric fading.

Get Started Today

If you want to reduce your utility bill, call Ken Caryl Glass. We can help you install energy efficient windows or window films. We also offer window repair service in Colorado Springs, CO.

Call us at 877-6-GLASS-6 (877-645-2776) to get a quote for our window services.