Posted by: glassblockblogger | November 13, 2011

Some Common Design Considerations When Installing Glass Block

Glass Block Design Considerations
New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia

Glass Block in Bath Eastern Glass BlockGlass Block offers virtually limitless design possibilities. Whether you’re redecorating a room or building your dream house, the brilliant applications you’ll find from glass block are bound to inspire more ideas of your own.

So, what are the basic design criteria for using glass block?

Be aware that although glass block is relatively strong, it must be used as a non-load bearing material. All construction above glass block panels must be independently supported. Individual glass block panels must be isolated within their openings with expansion strip material at head and jamb locations with no loads imposed on the glass black panel.

For those curved spaces, you may ask how tight of a radius can I make with glass block?

Minimum recommended radii are dependent on the size of glass block to be used. The tightest radius recommended, measured to the interior face of the wall is 32 inches using the 4 inch by 8 inch glass block units with the 8 inch side oriented vertically. The other minimum radii recommended are 48 1/2 inches when using the 6 inch by 6 inch block, 65 inches when using the 8 inch by 8 inch block, and 98 ½ inches when using the 12 inch by 12 inch block. In all cases this will result in a 1/8 inch thick vertical mortar joint on the interior side of the wall and 5/8 inch thick vertical mortar joint on the exterior side of the wall.

Eastern Glass Block, Arque Decora PatternFor a tighter radius, our ARQUE® glass block which is a curved face block with tapered sides will achieve a 12 inch radius to the interior face and a 16 inch radius to the exterior face. By alternating other sizes of glass block in between ARQUE® glass block units, interior radii of 20 to 30 inches can be achieved.

Further Details

You can accomplish many of your plans on your own. But, if you or your contractors have questions along the way, Eastern Glass Block is here to help. We have over 20 years of experience in residential and commercial glass block design and installation, and love to share our knowledge.

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Posted by: glassblockblogger | November 6, 2011

Flooding Follows Snow Storms-What’s the Best Basement Window

The Thaws that Follow Snow Storms
New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia

Snow storms this early in the season are followed by an undesirable result – a quick thaw, and then flooding.

In a previous post on this Blog called The Most Vulnerable Part of the House to Flooding, we discussed the damage that can occur through the Basement Window. That post was developed to address the tornado and hurricane season. Here we are in Fall experiencing flooding again, but now from early snow storms.

No matter the cause of the flooding, you want a window that will provide light while at the same time protecting your home from weather-related damage. The choice is a Window that has the characteristics of a solid concrete block wall. An example is the LightWise tornado and hurricane resistant window from Pittsburgh Corning.Eastern Glass Block LightWise Unique Features

This window meets the requirements for FEMA 361″Design and Construction Guidelines for Community Safe Rooms” and FEMA 320 “Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business”.

Installation is easier than expected. Glass Block windows, such as those from Pittsburgh Corning Glass Block, are available pre-assembled. You can choose standard or custom sizes, with or without ventilation.

Call us for a Free Estimate. We have over twenty years of experience designing and installing commercial and residential Glass Block nationwide.

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Posted by: glassblockblogger | October 30, 2011

What’s Behind Art Glass Block

Art Glass Block – Decora Pattern

New Jersey, New York, Boston, Philadelphia

As stated by Pittsburgh Corning , the beauty of art and glass combine to make Art Glass Block.

This is not paint or an applied label. Each piece is hand-decorated with vibrant colored glass and installed on an 8 in. x 8 in. x 4 in. DECORA® pattern glass block. When the finished art is fired onto the face, the color becomes part of the glass block. The color is fused to one side of the glass block, and visible from the reverse side with subtle distortion from the DECORA® pattern.

Eastern Glass Block, New York, New Jersey, Boston, PhiladelphiaThis colorful glass block can be mixed with other art glass block or other glass block patterns to form a wall panel of great beauty with the ambience of glass art. The color will not fade with time, but will retain its beauty indefinitely.

Art glass block can be used in interior and exterior applications. It is safe for use in wet areas, including pools and shower enclosures. Because art glass block has the design fused on to the glass block, it is as easy to install and maintain as standard glass block. Art glass block adds a new dimension to your designs, without compromising quality or complicating the installation process.

Veterans Administration Hospital ChapelPittsburgh Corning has more examples of beautiful and functional implementations of the Decora pattern. Examples of this building material’s versatility is the the Veterans Administration Hospital Chapel in Michigan shown to the right.

At Eastern Glass Block, we have over 20 years of experience designing and installing residential and commercial Glass Block. Call us to discuss your needs and ideas. We love to share our experience.

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