Glass Techniques Archives - CGD Glass Countertops

Tips for Designing Your Frameless Shower Door

Frameless shower doors are contemporary, can make your bathroom look bigger, and have a classic appeal you just don’t get from traditional shower doors. Why wouldn’t you want one of these for your bathroom?

If you take care of your frameless shower doors, you could enjoy these for years to come. Well, that is, once you buy the doors and get them installed. You’re at the stage now where you’re designing your own frameless shower doors, but you’ve run into a snag.

You weren’t aware there were so many considerations to keep in mind as you begin planning. Which will look best for your bathroom? Do you want to keep the shower curb or get rid of it? What if you have overhanging tiles? What then?

If you’re feeling stuck or confused, follow our handy tips for designing your very own frameless shower door.

When designing your shower, you have to think about where the shower head will go. Whether this is fixed or removable, you still need to allocate the room for it. Avoid positioning the shower head so it faces the glass door, as this can lead to splashing and leaks.

If you’re getting glass tiles to match your glass shower door, you also have to take extra care when designing your shower. If the door handle comes into contact with any of these glass panels at any time, these could chip, crack, or break.

Next, you have to decide whether you’re getting a shower curb with your frameless glass shower doors. As the name suggests, this is a curb made of concrete, marble, or another hard material that is placed beneath the shower doors. This curb is optional, but if you forego it, you do have to be careful to avoid leaks each time you use the shower.

You should avoid overhanging tiles and raised decorative tiles if you want a frameless shower door. If you already have these with your current shower setup, these tiles must be removed. They can prevent the door from opening and closing freely.

You also must ensure that the wall and the door meet seamlessly. If they don’t, and there are any holes between these spaces, water will leak out and could flood the bathroom. Even the tiniest hole can cause trouble, so make sure to check and double-check your design so there are no openings.

Are you ready to start creating the frameless shower door of your dreams? Contact us at CGD Glass in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For years, we’ve been a leading manufacturer of commercial and residential glass items and accent pieces.

Our biggest advantage is letting you—the customer—design your glass item the way you want it from scratch. So take some time to consider our above tips carefully. Plan your space, and then send us a drawing or blueprint of your ideal shower door. We’ll make the rest a reality. Call us at 416-398-9733 or send us an email to learn more today!

Sources:
http://cgdglasscountertops.com/decorative-glass-doors/
https://www.dullesglassandmirror.com/shower-doors-design-tips
http://www.glassdepots.com/blog/design-tips-custom-glass-shower-enclosures/

Five Reasons to Redecorate with Glass in 2017

As December rolls on, 2017 is nearly upon us. With this new year will come new trends, especially in home decorating and remodeling. If you’re planning a renovation next year, you’ve probably been keeping an eye on these emerging trends and deciding which ones work best with your personal style.

If you haven’t considered decorating the home with glass yet, you really should. Glass is a versatile, lasting material that more and more homeowners are using to beautify their homes. Here are five reasons to redecorate with glass in 2017.

1. It’s Timeless

While you should stay abreast of new trends when redecorating your house, you have to be careful not to fall prey to the lure of these trends too much. After all, what’s trendy one year may not be by next year. You want your home to look modern, not like yesterday’s news. That’s why glass is such a great choice. No matter what you do with it, it’s always going to have a timeless quality that instantly adds class to the home.

2. But Trendy

That said, glass is quite popular heading into 2017. Designer Kate Spade is playing with the idea of textured glass while others who want to embrace a more natural, rustic décor style are seeing its many, many benefits.

3. It Plays Well with Others

Speaking of benefits, another great reason to choose glass for your upcoming home remodeling project is because it’s so versatile. Do you want to combine it with wood? It will look fantastic. How about metal? Your home will now have gothic charm. Maybe clay? Or copper, silver, or gold? Your home will have a unique edge. Glass complements a variety of materials without overwhelming these.

4. It’s Easy to Clean

Ugh, cleaning the house is a chore, but it’s one that needs to be done. Save time and cleaning effort with your glass pieces. With a soft cloth and some soap and water (a cleaning product can also work), you can clean glass quickly. Of course, like windows, make sure to go slowly and in one direction to avoid streaks. Otherwise, you’re done cleaning sooner.

5. It’s Durable

Glass is often available in various thicknesses, sometimes up to two inches thick or more, that erase the notion that it’s a fragile material that breaks easily. Of course, glass is not impervious to breakage, but with glass this thick, it would take a concerted effort for it to shatter. That means that when investing in a glass piece, if it’s treated with care, it should be a home staple for years to come.

Are you convinced? Eager to get started right away? Contact us at CGD Glass Countertops in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From glass doors to countertops, backsplashes to partitions, sinks to glass panels and everything in between, almost all glass items we manufacture and sell are customizable. The customer can get what they want to the letter every time. To learn more or request a quote, contact us through our website, call, or email today.

Sources: https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2016/4/25/top-6-design-trends-will-be-hot-2017

How to Design Your Own Custom Glass Decor

You’ve spent countless hours browsing the home décor section at your local home goods store. When you’re not out shopping, you’ve been online, browsing digital circulars and websites. Still, after weeks or months of looking, you just can’t find the exact glass décor you want. It’s your house, and you want everything to look just right. What do you do? Do you just give up because your search has been futile? Or do you push on?

There’s no need to give up when you can give CGD Glass Countertops a call. This Toronto, Ontario, Canada company has nearly 20 years of experience designing and customizing gorgeous glass accent piece for customers. No matter what you envision for your home, it can become a reality with CGD. The company produces glass doors, panels and partitions, sinks, backsplashes, tabletops, bar tops, kitchen islands, and countertops.

Now that you know that you can make the glass accent piece of your dreams into a reality, just how do you go about designing your own custom glass home décor? First, you need to take measurements to send to CGD Glass Countertops. Take time to double-check your work to make sure that your measurements are just so. If you have more information about your glass item, such as a blueprint or a drawing of what the finished product should look like, feel free to send these along as well. These just help the CGD staff make your glass product look even better.

Once CGD receives the measurements for the glass item, their staff will pass along an estimated quote. You just have to agree on the quote and you can begin designing wonderful and durable glass décor. All glass items from CGD Glass Countertops are made of thick glass that cleans up easily and isn’t fragile. You’ll wow friends and family each time they visit with the enchanting quality of glass home décor.

How do you want your glass to be different? You have almost endless ways to customize it. If you don’t want translucent glass, choose from a pale aqua blue base. If you want your glass to have some character, you can get it textured. Depending on the glass piece you want, you can get the sides textured to match. Do you want a smooth, soothing texture like that of a rolling sea? Do you want one that’s rougher and grittier, like the blowing sands of a desert?  At CGD Glass Countertops, you can find these textures and more.

Color Changing LED RGB Lights

Do you like color? You can infuse your glass with your favorite hue. CGD Glass Countertops has backpainted its glass for years, but the trend is finally catching on and becoming popular. Whether you want one color or multiple, backpainting the glass is a useful way for it to match other existing décor and to add a pop of liveliness in any room. At CGD Glass Countertops, we want customers to make the most exciting and fun glass items they can. Call today to get started customizing your glass décor.

What is Thermoformed Glass

Thermoformed glass is glass that has been through a unique process of being heated to a temperature where it becomes flexible and then molded in order to give it shape or texture. It differs from glass blowing in that it is not shaped by rolling and blowing hot air but rather by using a mold and is better suited for making flatter objects, such as glass countertops, tables, & related materials.

Here are the steps taken to create thermoformed glass:

• A mold shape is made created to the specifications of the desired piece.
• Raw glass panels are cut to a size slightly larger than the mold
• Glass is cut further in order to take shape of the mold
• The glass will be painted on and given a design
• Once the glass is cut and decorated it is brought to a kiln
• In the kiln it is put on top of its relative mold
• The kiln is heated to an extremely high temperature (About 843 degrees Celsius)
• The high temperature softens the glass
• The glass begins to melt and takes shape of the mold
• The exact texture and shape the mold has, the glass will also have
• Once cooled, the glass should come out the exact same shape as their molds

Once finished, the thermoformed glass will have the same 3d texturing as the mold with any added colors or art that was applied. The depth and texture that can be given to thermoformed glass is what gives it a unique and modern style.

Patterns as well as repeating a process are more easily done with molds already prepared, we at CGD Glass have many different molds for the textures we apply to our glass products. It is great for tiling glass, texturing glass, shaping glass, creating depth and can be considered a very high quality form of glass art.

When working with table tops and countertops, thermoformed glass can really add the modern look to any room. From adding simple designs and textures throughout the glass you can bring out some of the most amazing qualities in glass. Here at CGD glass we take pride in our wide variety of choices in textures made possible because of thermoformed glass. For example we have our “Desert”, “Flow”, and “Sandstorm.”

Desert

Flow

Sandstorm – Ultra Clear

Avalanche

Thanks to thermoforming techniques we have an endless possibility of designs we can make for our custom glass designs. These examples are just some of the beautiful pieces from our index and should give you an idea as to how thermoformed glass can give your glass the unique look you want.