Curved Glass Balustrades
Curved glass balustrades look fantastic, but can be very difficult to manufacture and install. The complexities involved also tend to drive the price up. If a curved balustrade is what you want for the project, the stunning end results are always worth the extra effort. Glass is the ideal option for balustrades, due to its versatility and aesthetics. Glass can be used indoors or outdoors, and unlike many metals, won’t rust or weather in the elements.
There are certain curves and helical staircases that aren’t really suitable for glass balustrades. This is due to the limitations in the glass manufacture itself. There are limits to the extent to which toughened glass can be bent. Whilst annealed glass could create the bend needed, it is unsafe to use annealed glass in balustrades. If it breaks, annealed glass breaks into lethal shards. These could cause serious damage to anyone below. The reason toughened glass is specified in balustrades is its safety if it breaks. The glass shatters into tiny fragments, which wouldn’t harm anyone who happened to be below when it breaks.
There is very little installation tolerance with curved balustrades. Measurements have to be completely accurate before manufacture commences. Unlike most balustrades, installing curved balustrades requires specialist knowledge.
Facetted Glass
One alternative to a curve balustrade is a facetted glass balustrade. This combines small panels of straight glass set at angles and then a roll bent and curved handrail. The end result looks curved, without a lot of the cost and hassle of a curved balustrade. In this project, the channel was cut and mitred, and bespoke joining pins made to secure the ‘curve’ together.
In conclusion, curved glass balustrades look stunning and are worth the investment. However they are difficult to manufacture and install, and there are various limitations involved. For more information about curved glass or facetted glass, please give us a call. Our technical team are happy to talk you through your project, and provide any advice and information needed.
