When you need new replacement glass in a window or door, it’s good to know what options you have.

Glass thickness:

• 3/32” Single Strength Glass. Light, flimsy easily broken.
• 1/8” Double Strength Glass. Significant gain in stability, less likely to flex.
• 3/16” Glass. Suitable for larger applications such as picture windows.
• 1/4” Glass. For very large insulated glass units, commercial use, or heavy glass frameless shower enclosures.

Color or pattern variations and usage:

• Clear Glass: No added tint or coating, maximum light penetration
• Low-E Glass: Special coating scatters UV light. Reduces glare, greatly improves energy efficiency, and protects furniture, upholstery, and drapery from fading.
• Pattern Glass: During manufacturing, glass is processed through extra steps to press patterns into the glass, etch the surface, or impart deliberate imperfections to achieve an artistic look. Useful for decorative purposes, creating privacy, or replicating vintage glass.
• Tinted Glass: Minerals are added to the glass give a distinct color, such as aqua or amber, for dramatic architectural applications.

Specialty glass:

• Mirropane: gives the appearance of a mirror on whichever side has brighter ambient light, yet offers visibility from the opposing side.
• Mirror: multiple layers are added to glass, both reflective coatings and then also an opaque layer to prevent light from passing through. Better mirrors feature 1/8” or 3/16” glass and give a clear, distortion-free image.
• Heat-treated Glass: Glass can be tempered, which results in what is commonly called “safety glass.” If broken, it forms small chunks. Used in doors, windows adjacent to doors or close to the floor, shower enclosures, an other locations where safety is a concern.
• Laminate Glass: Two sheets of glass are bound together with a sheet of polyvinyl carbonate (PVC) which holds to the glass, even if it is broken. Offers both safety and security.
• Bullet Resistant: Very heavy glass that features both heat-strengthening and multiple layers bound together with laminating compounds.
• Hurricane Rated Glass: Strengthened laminate glass used in areas where high winds may cause flying objects to impact glass.

Your Inst-I-Glass representative understands each type of glass, and both how and where to use it. Our quality requirements include the use of double strength glass for the fabrication of all standard insulated glass units manufactured on our trucks. When needed, we will upgrade to the appropriate glass for the project. Through every step of the process – from estimate to completed installation – we’re here to make certain that you get the right glass for your needs!

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Today, window and door glass is an engineered component of the overall appearance and function in modern homes and other structures. Gone are the days of single pane glass and simple repairs. Also known as double pane insulating glass, thermopane or thermal glass, insulated glass came into common use in the 1970’s, and with rising energy costs and concern for the environment, became wide-spread in the 1980’s. Today, in addition to double pane glass, triple pane glass is gaining popularity.

Modern windows and doors use smooth, distortion-free glass, known as plate glass, float glass, or flat glass. Glass is fabricated into an insulated unit consisting of two or three panes of glass, spacer material, and a sealant. If any one of these components becomes damaged or compromised, replacement is the first line of defense against lost energy efficiency, water damage, mold growth, or wood rot.

You may have noticed a window that just won’t come clean, or perhaps a home inspector found glass that has become fogged. In most cases, Inst-I-Glass has found that once moisture is drawn inside the insulated glass unit, the most effective and economical choice is to replace the unit. This allows the sash and frame to be used again, keeping the aesthetics of the property intact.

Can Inst-I-Glass remove the fog?

In some cases when a particular piece of glass would be expensive to replace or extraordinarily difficult to match, your Inst-I-Glass technician may recommend surface restoration through polishing the glass with special equipment to remove mineral deposits, etching, and scratches. The unit can then be sealed again and installed back into the frame.

We are occasionally asked if it is possible to simply wash the inside of the window glass to remove moisture, deposits, and mold. Inst-I-Glass does not perform or recommend this approach, because it never addresses the original failure of the unit – the problem is masked, not solved.

Why settle for what already failed?

Our proprietary process is designed to make your replacement window glass better than the original! Why pay for a replacement unit of glass with the same technology that failed in the first place? Our mobile manufacturing processes are used to create most of the replacement window glass we install – right at your door – using superior materials for replacement glass that is better than the original.

Inst-I-Glass mobile manufacturing process uses only Super Spacer to deliver superior quality

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