Glass deck railings offer a beautiful way to open up your property to improve your view, and make it feel bigger. Traditionally deck railings use wood, but that material of course isn’t transparent, and doesn’t last as long as a glass based solution. Glass railings provide a multitude of benefits such as making your space appear larger than it is. a Below outlines when a glass deck railing is a good idea, when it’s not, and if you should get one for your home.
Where a glass deck railing is ideal
In many cases a glass deck railing is a great fit for a property, but there are some considerations to look at before deciding on whether the solution makes sense or not. Below are factors that you need to keep in the back of your head before making a glass deck railing purchase.
- If you live in a cold or hot environment – Glass holds up very well when it comes to extreme heat and freezing conditions, and big temperature swings as well. When in a cooler area the firm glass surfaces will help to block chilly winds, and keep your deck area a bit warmer too which is a nice bonus. Wooden railings tend to crack and warp when put through the ringer that is mother nature, creating more maintenance work such as board replacements and staining when paint chips and peels off.
- Your view should be taken advantage of – If you have a gorgeous view that you really enjoy, then it makes sense to utilize it any way possible. A glass deck railing solution let’s you have your view, and keeps everything within its borders safe and contained. A wooden railing blocks off sight-lines.
- Privacy can be what you want it to be – Glass is typically transparent and doesn’t provide any privacy at all. But with glass deck railings you can actually select a frosted option to gain privacy, while still letting some natural light to come through. With different opacity levels to choose from in the glass material, your privacy can be what you desire.
Where a glass deck railing isn’t ideal
There are many situations where a glass deck railing is a great idea, but this isn’t always the case. Below are factors that you need to be aware of before deciding on a glass option for your deck’s railing.
- Your budget is limited – Glass is a more costly option in the short term than wood when it comes to deck railings, so you need to look at your budget to determine if a glass option is viable for you. Glass deck railings tend to be better long term investments vs wooden options which require lots of maintenance over time, so if you plan on being at your place for a few years, then glass may be worth increasing the budget for.
- If you live in a very hot climate – Glass is ideal for the heat, but depending on how constructed can block air flow and make your deck area sweltering when the sun is beating down on it. Using glass balusters vs full panels is a great solution to increase airflow though, to reduce the stuffiness and heat entrapment.
- Privacy is important but so is some sort of a view – Glass has varying degrees of opacity for privacy reasons, but if you want a view of some kind to go along with a high degree of privacy from close-by neighbouring properties, then narrowly spaced out wooden slabs might be more ideal for your property.
Should you use a glass deck railing for your property?
There are pros and cons to going with a glass deck railing, but the pros far outweigh the cons as long as a decent sized budget is available, and the setup is built to accommodate your area’s weather. This article should give you some food for thought when it comes to your important deck railing decision.
For a modern deck railing, and to take advantage of your property’s sight-lines, glass is a wonderful solution to take a close look at.