3 mm, 6 mm, clear, ultra-clear, tinted, Lacobel Black, table, shower, cathedral, niagara, 5 mm… Alouette!
From this list, what if I asked you which glass is best for a walk-in shower? Unless you’re an expert glazier, chances are you don’t know the exact answer.
That’s precisely why we wrote this resource for our customers and partners. A recent example: a customer had to contact us to take over a job that had already been done. And we don’t want that.
In this article, we’re not going to pretend we’re the Wikipedia of glass by telling you about ”Fulgurite” glass, which is created naturally when lightning strikes sand, or the list of 1001 types of glass. No, nothing scientific, complex or amphigoric.
Instead, we’re going to list the main, tried-and-tested types of glass used on the market. To make your life easier, we’ve classified them by type of glass and type of project.
What Type of Glass to Choose for a Glass Partition?
The purpose of a glass partition is to separate two rooms while preserving maximum light and creating a feeling of openness. It’s an investment in luminosity.
Glass partitions also offer a wide range of options. In fact, it’s probably the project with the greatest choice. Here’s a list of the most common types of glass used for office partitions, residential partitions and other glass partitions.
Ultra-Clear Glass
The preferred choice of glass clarity for this project is undoubtedly Ultra-Clear Glass 6mm, 10mm, 12mm or 19mm or Ultra-Clear Satin 6mm, 10mm, 12mm or 19mm. Although more expensive, it offers far superior transparency than the other options.
Glass for Glazed Partitions
Other types of glass we recommend to both residential and commercial customers for glazed partitions include :
- Clear 6mm
- Clear 10mm
- Clear 12mm
- Clear 19mm
- Ultra-Clear 6mm
- Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 19mm
- Gray or Bronze 6mm
- Gray or Bronze 10mm
- Gray or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 6mm
- Satin Clear 10mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 6mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Fluted Clear 6mm
- Fluted Clear 10mm
- Fluted Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Rain 10mm
These options offer a variety of solutions to suit different needs and preferences, whether in terms of security, privacy, design or acoustic functionality.
The wisest strategy is to validate your choices with an expert glazier and use samples to confirm your decisions. To see some examples and get inspired, visit our glass partitions wall page.
What Type of Glass for Pool Fences and Outdoor Railings?
Pool fences are often installed to comply with the law. Why not take advantage of this? It’s preferable to adopt solutions that won’t obstruct the view of your yard with opaque fencing, thus avoiding an unpleasant effect. Not sacrificing views is a key element of space management, and the magic only glass can operate. The same applies to exterior glass railings. We never want to compromise the view.
A crucial aspect in the choice of glass is its ability to withstand the elements. Indeed, Quebec’s climate, characterized by periods of intense heat and extreme cold, puts materials’ durability to the test. What’s more, we’re never immune to accidents involving “fences”: just imagine a youngster or an adult in too much of a hurry who can’t stop and crashes into the pool fence. OOPS… Consequently, glass thickness must be at least 12 mm to guarantee both safety and strength.
Ultra-Clear Glass
Here again, the ultimate choice of glass for this type of project is Ultra-Clear Glass. Although it’s more expensive, it offers far superior clarity compared to other options.
Glass for Pool Fences
- Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Grey or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
If you have any technical questions about pool installation and standards, we recommend you read our article: Pool Regulations Made Easy.
What Type of Glass for Interior Railings?
For a luminous design touch, you might opt for one of our glass railings and guardrails. These elements offer luminosity, incomparable style and easy maintenance.
When choosing glass, focus on strength to ensure both safety and aesthetics. We offer a variety of glass options for your interior railings and guardrails, available in 12mm thickness to ensure strength and durability:
Glass for Interior Railings and Guardrails.
- Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Grey or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
To discover some of our creations and find inspiration for your project, we invite you to visit our page dedicated to interior railings and guardrails.
What Type of Glass for Cellar Glazing?
A custom-made glass wine cellar is the epitome of luxury. To showcase your collections while preserving your wine in optimal conditions, choosing glass is essential.
Tip: avoid textured or dark glass! You want to highlight your art, your passion. What’s more, strength is an important criterion to consider. We therefore recommend avoiding glass less than 10 mm thick. Also, for those looking for maximum transparency, ultra-clear glass is an excellent option.
Here’s the list of glass types recommended for custom cellar glazing installation:
- Clear 10mm
- Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Grey or Bronze 10mm
- Grey or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 10mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Fluted Clear 10mm
- Fluted Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Rain 10mm
Discover some of our creations for both residential and commercial customers by visiting our page dedicated to custom cellar glazing.
What Type of Glass for Shelves?
Shelves need to be sturdy, as we often tend to load them with heavy objects. It’s therefore advisable to avoid 6 mm glass and opt for thicker glass to guarantee greater strength.
Imagine the scene: your new neighbours or friends come to your house for the first time. They settle down comfortably on the living-room sofa, and then, BAM! The magnificent glass shelf, proudly displaying your travel trophies, chooses that precise moment to launch into a stunt career. A spectacular fall worthy of the best comedies, except in this case it’s your decor that takes the plunge! That’s something we like to avoid!
Here are the types of glass we recommend for glass shelves.
- Clear 10mm
- Clear 12mm
- Clear 19mm
- Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 19mm
- Grey or Bronze 10mm
- Grey or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 10mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Rain 10mm
It goes without saying that the advice of an expert glazier can simplify your process and clarify your choice (and avoid unpleasant situations). What’s more, to inspire you, we’ve included a number of glass shelf designs on our service pages.
What Type of Glass for Glass-Covered Furniture?
For your glass-covered furniture projects (tables, TV cabinets, desks, occasional tables, or any other surface), options are plentiful, and this is your chance to let your creativity run wild!
Here are the types of glass available to enhance your furniture:
- Clear 6mm, 10mm, 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 6mm, 10mm, 12mm
- Grey or Bronze 6mm, 10mm, 12mm
- Satin Clear 6mm, 10mm, 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 6mm, 10mm, 12mm
- Rain 10mm
- Lacobel Black 6mm
- Lacobel White 6mm
You can consider using glass on literally any type of furniture. The possibilities are endless, and the results are always stunning. Take a look at some of our creations on our glass tops page for inspiration.
What Type of Glass for Glass Showers and Glass Shower Doors?
When it comes to glass showers, there are many creative possibilities, such as walk-in showers, lintel showers, sliding showers, steam showers and glass shower doors! In short, a wide variety of choices and custom possibilities. When it comes to choosing glass, here are our usual recommendations:
- Clear 10mm
- Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Grey or Bronze 10mm
- Grey or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 10mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Fluted Clear 10mm
- Fluted Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Rain 10mm
Depending on your glass shower or shower door design, we recommend consulting one of our experts to make an informed decision and view samples beforehand. Our glass shower section is full of ideas and trends!
What Type of Glass for Glass Backsplashes?
The glass backsplash offers a sleek, modern look in the kitchen or any other space in your home, as well as being easy to clean. Spills can be removed with a single wipe! Recommended glass types are more limited, due to their increased strength and safety.
- Lacobel Black 6mm
- Lacobel White 6mm
- Clear mirror 6mm
- Ultra-clear mirror 6mm
If you’re still unsure about your glass kitchen backsplash project, we invite you to consult this page for more information.
What Type of Glass for Glass Doors?
Open, close, open, close, open, and slam. Doors undergo a lot of movement in a single day. It is therefore essential to opt for thick, impact-resistant glass. We recommend a glass thickness of over 10 mm. Here are our recommendations for a glass door:
- Clear 10mm
- Clear 12mm
- Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Grey or Bronze 10mm
- Grey or Bronze 12mm
- Satin Clear 10mm
- Satin Clear 12mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Satin Ultra-Clear 12mm
- Fluted Clear 10mm
- Fluted Ultra-Clear 10mm
- Rain 10mm
A picture is worth a thousand words. Discover some of our customers’ achievements, both commercial and residential, on our page dedicated to custom glass doors.
What Type of Mirror for Your Custom Projects?
The last type of glass falls into the mirror category. Increasingly in vogue in interior design trends, custom mirrors offer infinite possibilities for enlarging your room.
It might seem like all mirrors look alike but think again! Just because they all reflect the same thing doesn’t mean they’re identical. Here’s a list of the types of mirrors most commonly used by our customers, whether commercial or residential:
- Mirror clear 5mm
- Mirror clear 6mm
- Mirror ultra-clear 5mm
- Mirror ultra-clear 6mm
- Mirror smoked bronze 5mm
- Mirror smoked grey 5mm
- Antique mirror 5mm
Custom mirrors also offer a wide range of finishing options. Your designer or glass expert can present you with models and samples to help you make the right choice.
To satisfy both your eagle eye and your genius brain, here is a comparative table of glass types, sorted by project type:
With all this data, we hope to help you make the right decision for your glass or mirror project. Don’t forget to ask for samples and talk to a glazing specialist.
Enjoy your project!