Choosing the right glass balustrade may seem complicated. It needn’t be! To help choose the right balustrade for you we have set out below some of the key considerations.
The starting point should be the look that you want. Here at P&P we can supply and install any number of different styles of glass balustrade.
Many of our customers want to have the frameless look. If that is the case, we would recommend that you either opt for frameless channel or spigots. Both systems can be supplied either with or without a handrail. They give you that “Grand Design” look and can be installed anywhere from your patio to a balcony at height.
As an alternative to the frameless look, one of our most popular lines is our post and rail system. This system can be supplied either with or without a handrail. The posts are made of stainless steel. If you are completing your installation near to the sea then we would recommend that the posts are either mirror polished or powder coated to protect them from discoloring or pitting.
The second major consideration for any installation is price. Much of the costs of any glass balustrade is in the glass itself. It is usually the case that the thicker the glass, the more expensive the glass balustrade. Our frameless systems usually use laminate glass (two pieces of glass bonded together) which is noticeably more expensive than toughened glass that is used with our post systems.
The third and perhaps most important consideration is safety. To comply with building regulations, if your balustrade is protecting a fall of 600mm or more then you should either have a laminate glass and/or a handrail. It should also comply with the relevant line load test. For a domestic balcony at height, this means that it should be able to withstand 74kg of pressure without moving more than 25mm within its fixing.
We regularly work with Origin Architectural on the supply of glass balustrade. It would be great to see any enquiries that you may have!
