Glass can enhance the appearance of any space, helping you associate your brand with a sense of crisp elegance. However, to leverage all the visual power of glass, it is necessary to learn more about the different types of glass finishes, and that is exactly what we will do today.
What Are Glass Finishes?
As you know, glass is naturally transparent, meaning that light can pass through it. This is an amazing quality from a visual standpoint because it means that glass can offer protection without interfering with the view of the objects behind it.
The downside of glass being transparent is that in some cases you need your glass panels to provide some degree of privacy. That’s where glass finishes come into play.
Glass finishes are ways to treat glass in order to make it less transparent and give it a different look. The most common methods to create glass finishes include:
- Sandblasting: with this method, the surface of the glass is bombarded with tiny pieces of sand (hence the name) or other abrasive material. These particles hit the surface of the glass at a very high speed, scraping it. As a result, light can still get through sandblasted glass but people can’t see through it.
- Acid etching: This is glass that has been treated with hydrofluoric acid, a corrosive compound that gives glass a frosted look. Compared to the sandblasting technique, acid etching creates a smoother appearance and offers more degrees of transparency.
- Films: This is a simpler way to alter the appearance of your glass panels. As the name suggests, this technique consists in placing a self-adhesive film on the glass. Since these films are easy to install and remove, this alternative has the added advantage of allowing you to change the appearance of glass as often as needed. By contrast, with sandblasting and acid etching, the results are permanent ad cannot be modified.
Why Use Glass Finishes?
Its unique combination of solidity and transparency makes glass the material of choice for windows, storefronts, and certain types of doors.
However, in a business or office setting you often need to manage the transparency of glass. While you want your store windows to offer the best possible view of the products behind them, you need a different approach in areas where glass panels are used as space dividers.
Think, for example, of a meeting room. In this case, you need some privacy but at the same time you what that area to be inviting. You want people to feel comfortable so that they can work for as long as necessary without the burden of feeling locked in.
Glass finishes offer an ideal solution. They provide the elegant, uncluttered look of glass while blocking out enough light to allow you, your customers, and your coworkers to enjoy some privacy.
Types of Glass Finishes
These are the types of glass finishes you have at your disposal to revitalize your spaces. The finish you choose will depend on your needs, the characteristics of the space where the glass is located, and the effect you want to create.
Frosted Glass
The name says it all. This is glass that has a frosted appearance that results from sandblasting or acid etching the glass, or from applying a film. Regardless of the method you choose, you always have these alternatives:
- Frost the whole panel
- Frost just a part of the panel
- Create decorative patterns
These are some of the most common uses of frosted glass:
- Offices: Frosted glass is a great alternative for glass partitions, doors, and exterior windows in an office setting. It conveys a sense of free-flowing organization that allows everyone to focus on their work without feeling overwhelmed by a crowded space.
- Signs: In some cases, you can frost glass as a purely decorative choice. For example, a glass panel with your logo is a striking piece of branding that is guaranteed to get your business noticed.
- Hotels: Frosted glass is a great addition to bedrooms and bathrooms. It creates an ideal balance between sophistication and warmth that makes guests feel welcome in a luxury environment.
- Restaurants: Discrete and elegant, frosted glass is the ideal way to organize dining spaces. As mentioned earlier, you can frost an entire panel or use the frosting to create designs, including your logo.
Satin Glass
This type of glass finish is smoother than frosted glass. The satin look is usually achieved by acid etching the glass or by applying a self-adhesive film. It’s important to note that satin glass is less shiny than its frosted counterpart.
As with frosting, you can apply this finish to an entire panel, or just a part of it, or you can use it for merely ornamental purposes. Some of the most common applications of satin glass include:
- Changing rooms: The main qualities of satin glass are elegance and privacy, making it an ideal choice for unobtrusive but effective partitions in changing rooms.
- Signs and decorations: You can also use satin glass to create signs or to decorate glass panels with patterns that add a touch of creativity in any setting.
- Offices: Satin glass is also a useful alternative for office environments.
- Banks and dealerships: In these businesses, there is more interaction between representatives and customers. This calls for a different strategy in privacy levels compared to an office. But don’t worry: satin glass is up to the task.
- Hotels and Restaurants: Just like frosted glass, satin glass can liven up any area in your hotel or restaurant.
Films
Many glass finishes involve physically changing the glass. But that’s far from your only alternative. If for some reason you want to preserve the original appearance of your glass panels, you can always use a glass film.
A glass film is a self-adhesive film (usually made of vinyl) you can place on top of any glass surface to create different effects.
Glass films come in many different textures and colors, allowing you to obtain results that you can’t get with other finishes.
By using glass films, you get two important benefits. First, you can change the appearance of your glass panels as often as necessary. Furthermore, you can print on glass films, which means that you can create graphics that are more detailed and stunning than those that can be obtained with the sandblasting or acid etching methods.
Tinted Glass
While glass is naturally transparent, for centuries people have been tinkering with ways to make it more colorful. For example, you may be familiar with stained glass, a technique that dates back to the middle ages.
The easiest way to create tinted glass nowadays is by applying a tinted film to any glass panel. In addition to being easy to install and maintain, tinted glass offers flexibility. You can change it at any time to switch colors or to return your glass panes to their original condition. These are some ways you can take advantage of tinted glass:
- Partitions: Tinted glass creates a unique effect that goes great with any business related to creativity. Whether it’s a design firm, a software development company, a bookstore, or a museum, tinted glass adds a touch of playfulness that will charm your visitors and customers.
- Skylights: If you have a skylight in your facilities, you should consider using tinted glass. The memorable effect will set your business apart instantly.
- Storefronts: Tinted glass is also a good choice to glam up your storefront for seasonal or special sales.
Reflective glass
The term reflective glass refers to clear or tinted glass that has a metallic layer on one of its sides. This configuration reflects light, resulting in a mirror effect.
Reflective glass can be used both in interiors and exteriors. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see buildings whose exterior is made entirely of reflective glass.
One of the sides of this type of glass reflects light like a mirror while the other side is transparent. Being able to survey others without being seen offers some practical advantages to stores, or in general, to businesses where theft occurs often.
Reflective glass helps improve productivity by reducing the glare of the sun, which can be distracting. And since reflective glass also reflects away heat, it can help you cut down on your energy bills by reducing the need to use air conditioning.
About CR&A Custom
CR&A Custom is a Los Angeles-based large format printing company dedicated to creating effective visual solutions for companies of all sizes.
When you choose CR&A Custom, you get all the benefits that come with working with a leader in the large format printing industry:
- Fast turnaround times. Thanks to our in-depth experience and our advanced technical capabilities, we can bring your projects to completion in time and without stress for you.
- Comprehensive expertise. From design to installation, our in-house team includes experts in every aspect of large format printing. This ensures maximum quality in all our products.
- Certifications: Our culture of excellence is backed up by some of the most stringent certifications in the industry, including the G7 Master Qualification, the 3M MCS Warranty, and the SB/DVBE Certification. You can check the full list here.
- A proven track record of success. For more than 25 years, businesses of all types have trusted CR&A to help them reach their customers and boost awareness of their brand.
Whether you need signs, vinyl banners, building wraps, or anything in between, we are here to help. Contact us today (by email (info@cracucstom.com), telephone (213-749-4440), Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn) for a free quote or to learn more about our full range of large format printing solutions.
