7 Benefits of Having Glass Railing Systems in Your Home

If you own a home or a building, chances are you will want to beautify it at some point. Installing frameless glass railings and other glass railing systems can completely transform your building by enhancing aesthetics and improving functionality.

In particular, using these guardrails offers a minimalist appeal and sleek look without compromising functionality and building safety regulations. For this reason, if you want to give your property a facelift, this article should get you started and help you upgrade your building with the right glass railing systems.

Reading this guide should help you learn about glass railings and their benefits. The article also highlights glass railing types, installation considerations, and more.

Using Glass Guard Railings for Enhanced Home Design

Most home designs within the last few decades continue to shift towards the design for open spaces and minimalist preferences. Therefore, more people now prefer open floor designs, natural light infusion, and clean lines in contrast to heavily cluttered and decorated interiors.

Glass railing systems perfectly fit the new design landscape, allowing unrestricted views from balconies, decks, and other elevated spaces. In addition, the use of these guardrail types compliments the use of glass in doors, mirrors, and windows.

Glass Railing System Types

Frameless, framed, and custom glass guard railings are 3 primary glass railing types. Here is more detail about each.

Frameless Guardrails

Frameless glass railings are made of huge glass panels wedged between metal chips, giving it a minimalist outlook. Using this guard railing removes bulky frames, which allows light into buildings, provides unobstructed viewing, and opens up spaces.

Frameless glass railings are best used in outdoor spaces, for decks, balconies, and other spaces overlooking amazing landscapes. They are equally suitable for pool enclosures.

Framed Glass Guardrails

As the name implies, framed glass railings have more support around glass panels. The supporting structure used for this railing type can be wood, metal, or any material that holds the glass in place.

Therefore, framed glass guard railings offer users hand support, making it ideal for stairways and ramps, especially when children are among the users.

Custom Guardrails

Custom guard railings combine the features of framed and frameless glass railings to create unique guardrail systems. Furthermore, this approach lets you get the best look for your home while considering safety and functionality.

Glass Railing Installation Considerations

Some considerations to make before installing glass guardrails include the following.

DIY Installation

The glass railing installation guide can help you DIY glass guard railings in your home. However, this process can be tricky if you are not good with your hands.

Also, you may be better off leaving frameless glass railing installation to professionals unless you have prior experience. Handling large glass panels on elevated surfaces can be dangerous, especially if you are not trained to work on a high platform.

Hire a Professional

Hiring a professional installer is the best approach for installing glass railing systems in your homes and offices. These professionals usually have the equipment and experience to install a functional and safe guardrail.

Furthermore, they mostly understand your local building code, minimizing the likelihood of building code violations. Here are some advantages of hiring a professional.

• Designing and installing a glass deck railing is time-consuming unless you have done it before. Even if you have experience, hiring professionals get the job done quickly and efficiently.
• Installing glass railings requires access to specialized equipment and tools you may not always have. Also, you may not have the skills to handle these equipment and tools safely.
• Working on elevated platforms, especially above a story building can be risky. Without experience and training, your risk of injury or accident increases significantly.
• If you do manage to install glass railings, you may not have the skill to put in place a durable and stable structure. The lack of proper attachment, alignment, and anchoring techniques can leave your glass railing systems structurally weak and potentially hazardous for users.
• Unless you are in the building industry, reading through national and local building codes can be challenging. Missing out on height, load-bearing, and panel thickness requirements can lead to fines or legal action when accidents happen.
• Allowing experts to install glass railing systems is your best bet for achieving precision and decent beauty. Professional glass deck railing installers with years of experience are best suited for proper glass panel positioning, seamless alignments, and precise measurements during guardrail installation.

Glass Railing Benefits

Glass guardrails, especially frameless glass railing systems offer you various benefits. Enhancing your home’s aesthetics with glass railings lets you take full advantage of these guardrails in your home. In particular, you can use frameless glass railings indoors and outdoors as highlighted below.

1. Glass guard railings are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes as it beautifies indoor and outdoor spaces. It can quickly give any balcony, stairway, or ramp a modern and sleek look. In addition, frameless glass railings offer unobstructed views and easily harmonize with metal, stone, or wood, providing a cohesive and balanced design.
2. Although many people may think glass railings are fragile, using these guardrail types is completely safe. Plus, frameless guard railings are durable and can withstand significant impact due to the strength of tempered and laminated glasses.
3. Unlike wood and other material railings, frameless guardrails are generally weather-resistant. Therefore, maintaining this system requires less work and remains in good condition for many years.
4. Similarly, glass guard railings used outdoors give you an unimpeded look at your environment through decks and balconies. You can spend the best times of your life with family and friends on these platforms while overlooking a lavish garden, an amazing coastline, or a stunning skyline.
5. Frameless glass railings used for residential pool enclosures can do more than prevent unauthorized access to the swimming area. These guardrails serve as a fancy yet safe alternative for fencing your pool, allowing children to play around your backyard without sneaking into the pool enclosure.
6. Luxury apartments and condos have become synonymous with frameless glass railings for decks and balconies. Particularly, luxury beachfront homes primarily adopt these guardrail types to showcase affluence and royalty.
7. Many offices within major cities use frameless glass railings together with window, door, and partition glazing to create a sophisticated working environment.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact

If you are passionate about the environment, you will likely be conscious of how your choices affect your surroundings. In this case, you would want to know the impact of glass railing systems on sustainability and environmental impact.

• Generally speaking, glasses used for guard railings are recyclable. As such, most heat-treat laminated and tempered glazing can be reused for other purposes after decommissioning. The recyclability of glass helps conserve natural resources, minimize waste, and reduce the carbon footprint needed to manufacture glass from scratch.
• Smart use of frameless glass railing systems can increase energy efficiency. It allows for the use of natural light for illumination, reducing the need for artificial lighting during daytime and decreasing overall energy consumption.
• Using glass railing systems and other glazing design options also contributes to the passive use of solar energy for heating, which reduces energy bills.

Without a doubt, the overall glass production process contributes to the increased global carbon footprint as it involves the use of energy to melt and shape raw materials. However, newer and better manufacturing processes are optimizing the entire process.

Furthermore, the proactive use of glass recycling methods helps enhance sustainability by reducing the waste dumped in the environment. When you choose to transform your home, you can help promote sustainability and minimize the environmental impact of using glass railing systems by buying products from manufacturers who prioritize the use of low-emission or recycled materials.

Conclusion

Installing glass railing systems in your home or office can help you transform it into an aesthetically pleasing, sleek, and minimalist dwelling synonymous with present-day architecture. It promotes the idea of open spacing and unhindered views within and outside buildings.

Frameless glass railings are not only aesthetically pleasing but also safe for use by adults and young children. Likewise, these systems are durable and able to withstand impact.

Furthermore, these guard railing types are weather-resistant and last longer than wood and other materials.

On the other hand, frameless guardrails and framed glass railings are popular options for achieving a present-day-looking home. Similarly, custom guardrails, which combine the advantages of framed and frameless railings are used to optimize home and office spaces.

When you want to transform your home with glass railing systems, you can choose DIY or hire a professional. However, the second option offers you more advantages as highlighted before.

You may use glass railings indoors and outdoors for mezzanines, balconies, pool enclosures, and other spaces. Also, most building developers use these guardrail types in luxury apartments and condos.

Although glass railing systems contribute to carbon footprint, they are mostly recyclable, making them sustainable and less impactful on the environment.