Glass block has been used as part of art deco styling for years, and has found a niche in glass block windows. You can use these windows to give yourself a new sense of privacy, and add extra style to your house with acrylic or glass block installations. Block windows have generated a great deal of interest in the last twenty years. If you've remodeled an office recently, you may be astonished by the precision framework that is used in making the individual panels. It wasn't just a trend - it's still popular today.
Glass blocks themselves have been around for many years. Windows made with glass blocks were very popular in the 1950's and 1960's, too. Then, about fifteen to twenty years ago, their popularity surged again. Block windows were used originally in industrial and commercial applications. But Frank Lloyd Wright used the blocks in a home, so that may have been one of the reasons they became so popular.
Millions of these blocks are used in residential construction around the world each year. They are quite practical, and you can even buy block windows that can pivot and open like casement windows. This gives you all kinds of potential places to use them. If you are contemplating a block window installation, you will want a skilled mason to do the work. Larger glass block windows will need reinforcing with horizontal wires, and special hidden anchors need to be used on the sides of each block, as they are installed.
If you are an accomplished do-it-yourself person, glass block makers have developed a way for you to install glass blocks one at a time, by using horizontal and vertical spacer strips, and caulking them with silicone caulk. Be sure to keep some lacquer thinner handy to remove any smears that you make with the caulking.
You can find a good deal of information now on block windows. Videos, booklets and pamphlets will aid you in the design and completion of your projects that include block windows. You can call or email the manufacturers to get the informational materials, and sometimes they are also available at local home improvement stores and glass block distributors.
The prices charged for installation of glass blocks may vary according to region, and depending on how many skilled masons there are in your area. One dealer in Michigan will install a basement window sized block window for fifty dollars, including both materials and labor, and this is an unusually low price.
When you’re selecting the blocks to be used on your home, make sure you are looking at blocks that are all of the same thickness. Be sure your installer has insurance, especially if the price they quote you seems too good to be true. If you hire a firm to install your block windows, be sure not to pay them any more than 25 percent down, as they may not be a reputable company. It’s better to get as much work done on your glass block windows as you can before final payment is made.
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