Glass Flooring

Glass flooring is mainly used in commercial spaces, on structures such as stairwells. It creates the effect of the space being open, clean and modern, as well as the feeling of continuity within a space.

Wall Street, Dunedin

The common types of glass flooring are:

Float Glass 

A glass which is used in areas where there is existing light underneath the pane – such as a stairwell or mezzanine. This glass does not shatter when broken, but rather cracks. It is limited in design and in application. This is the basic glass that is then altered to needs - used for virtually everything.  It's name comes from it's process - floating molten glass on a molten tin. This process creates uniform thickness.

Float glass stacks.

Laminated Glass

 A commonly used glass which is composed of 2 panes of glass stuck together with a strong binder, creating a much sturdier and safer surface. This is a more commonly used glass, due to the fact that when it breaks, the glass is still stuck to the binder in-between the sheets of glass.

This shows the composition of the glass, and how it is much sturdier.

Laminated Glass stairwell with a non-slip.

Non-Slip

When glass is used as a stair floor, the tread needs to be treated with a non-slip, such as TempaGrip, which is a toughened glass with a screen printed non-slip surface. The design of the non-slip is customisable, and can be combined with a pattern, therefore making the glass appear unique and special. The non-slip surface can be applied on top in high traffic areas. Metro GlassTech do specialty glass screenprinting. 

Non-slip patterning.

Installation

Glass comes in custom-made sheets.The edges of the glass need to be flat and cushioned by load-bearing strips which are between 4-6mm thick. The glass needs to be 6mm away from the framing.

Glass is very easy to clean and maintain. Metro GlassTech recommend washing glass regularly to maintain long term durability. This can be every 3-6 months. You can view their guide here.

Cost

To get a price, it is recommend to get a quote from a company such as Metro Glasstech, or Glass Relate as every job is different and dimensions vary.

-Sara Förg