Glass Block Installation Broadview IL
Glass block installation Broadview IL can completely change / improve your home’s appeal, add a security aspect to the property, and significantly increase the amount of light delivered to your house’s interior. Glass block windows are also weather-tight and practically maintenance free.
Glass block installation Broadview IL inside your home can have a decorative, as well as fully functional, interior design component purpose, like a shower stall wall.
There are a couple of glass block installation Broadview IL options available: one of them is using preassembled glass block panels. If you are replacing an existing window, this method is almost fail-safe, assuming that you can get / preorder a glass block panel with dimensions matching closely to the existing rough opening in your house.
One problem you might be facing, if you have a very large opening, is the weight of the glass block panel (which could add up to hundreds of pounds). In such cases, use the second method, which includes constructing your window on site using individual glass blocks. You also have the option to call us to do the glass block installation in Broadview IL for you.
Interior glass block walls or glass block window installations are performed using both of the above mentioned methods as well. With a variety of glass block (and acrylic blocks) colors and designs, including various shapes and textures, they can become a focus element of your property. You can even have curved walls build out of them or have lighting build into the blocks creating beautiful visual effects.
If you are planning on performing a preassembled glass block window installation Broadview IL yourself, you have two general choices which vary in materials and tools.
Common tools that will be very helpful in both types of installation would be a pair of safety glasses and gloves, a crowbar / wrecking bar, a hammer and some nails, tape measure, level, silicone and caulking gun, and a few shims and wooden blocks to secure and prevent a glass block panel from tipping over.
Glass block installation Broadview IL #1 option
For glass block installation Broadview IL in masonry openings such as brick, stone, or concrete, you would additionally need mortar mix, a masonry chisel, a striking tool, a pointing trowel, and a margin trowel. You have to remember to prepare mortar so it has a bread dough workable consistency. You can use any bagged / premixed dry mortar or make one yourself using three parts of sand and one part of masonry cement mixture.
After positioning and securing the window with shims inside the frame, pack the mortar along the bottom and sides only. Applying it along the top section could result in window damage over time caused by stress / pressure. You can slowly remove shims after approximately two hours and fill the gaps with more mortar.
The gap along the top part of the window can be filled with low expansion insulation foam, stuffed with fiberglass insulation or, if it’s not too big, you can use foam caulking backer rods to fill the space and complete the job with silicone.
Glass block installation Broadview IL #2 option
Installing glass block windows in a wood frame is slightly different from that of a masonry frame; you simply don’t use mortar between the glass block panel edges and the wood frame. Shims should be used to secure glass blocks in the frame and the remaining gaps filled with low expansion insulation foam or regular fiberglass insulation.
To finish the job, precut and secure wooden trim around the window overlapping it by at least ½” (interior and exterior). Any painting of the frame should be done before applying exterior grade silicone. If you prefer working with paintable caulking, make sure it is fully dry before you start applying any finishing coats of paint.
