At M.E Contracting, we know how important it is to keep up with the times. Like a modern-day home, today’s preferences for decks have developed and upgraded throughout the years. If you are interested in taking a modern, trendy approach to your backyard landscaping, we would recommend installing glass railings. Glass railings are stylish and durable, and provide a contemporary finish and an unobstructed view of your deck.
Safety First, Style Second
Installing your railings for your deck is a simple process, but it is very important to take the necessary safety precautions. When installing glass railings, you first want to ensure that the glass is
- Tempered: You may be familiar with tempered glass if you have ever owned a glass desk for office work or your computer. Tempered glass is reinforced a number of times to preserve hardness and elasticity, making the glass especially strong and resilient. For your deck, which will likely be constructed outside and exposed to all kinds of weather, tempered glass is a must-have if you want glass railings.
- Shatter-resistant: It is better to be safe than sorry. Several measures are taken to ensure that glass is shatter-resistant. Even if your glass is tempered, you may want to consider having it double-paneled, to guarantee that it does not shatter.
- Polished: In order to eliminate the risk of cutting your hands on the glass, you should polish the edges to a smooth consistency.
- Tinted (optional): If birds travel in the general direction of your home, you may want to look into tinting the glass railings. We recommend tinting the glass the same amount as you would the windows of your home. That way, birds will not accidentally fly into the glass.
Once you have satisfied all of these requirements, you are then ready for the next step: ordering your glass railings!
Glass Railings as a Do-it-Yourself Project
Installing glass railings can be a do-it-yourself project. Much like putting together a glass desk at the office, tempered glass must be fitted into like-shaped frames that are evenly spaced throughout your deck. The measurements for these will depend upon the distance between the frames. A great tip for installing glass on your deck is to leave plenty of room available for your hands to work around the area. That way, you will have more space when fitting the glass into the frames.
We Can Also Help
Of course, we at M.E Contracting can lend you a hand, too. Decking is our specialty, and we would be happy to help install your glass railings for you. Call us to schedule a free onsite consultation, so we can walk you through the whole process. After, we will get to work and build the deck of your dreams.
Call M.E. Contracting at (416) 238-6700 for more information on glass railings as well as a free estimate.