Glazing, grilles and glass frosting for your doors and windows

Glazing, grilles and glass frosting for your doors and windows

Your doors and windows can be personalized in a number of different ways. Not only does Portes et Fenêtres Verdun design every product to order, but you can also add decorative elements and choose the type of glass to match your decor, your tastes and your needs in terms of efficiency.

Glazing for doors and windows

Insulated glazing or thermopane glass, which is a sealed unit, contains at least two panes separated by a spacer. The space between them is filled with argon, an inert gas, which conducts heat to the outside more slowly than the ambient air does. In order to improve its energy efficiency, a window can be double-glazed or even triple-glazed. However, single-glazing is also found, for example, in certain patio doors with aluminum frames. The thickness of the panes can be modified, depending on the dimensions of the window, to dampen different sonic frequencies, making the window more soundproof. A low-emissivity (“low-e”) film made of silver nitrate is used on one of the panes to deflect UV rays, protect the fabric of your furnishings and help keep the warmth inside your home.

The panes can be made of tempered glass (which shatters into small pieces with dull edges) or laminated (in which a laminated film between two sheets of glass retains the shards). The Housing Authority generally requires tempered glass in a home’s doors and windows to prevent any of the occupants from being injured.

Door and window grilles

Grilles are a very popular decorative element. They come in various styles (molded, Georgian, rectangular, etc.) and can placed on the surface of the thermopane (simulated divided lites or SDL) or even on the inside (grilles in the airspace or GIA). Placing the window grille on the inside reproduces the effect of the lattice windows used centuries ago, when the City of Montreal was first being settled. Back then, large glass windows came from overseas and often broke during the journey. That’s why windows with multiple panes were the norm at the time, as the glazed surface was much smaller and therefore easier to transport. These days, door and window grilles are a question of style, rather than structure. They’re generally made of aluminum or PVC and come in different colors, typically black or white. A partial grille, i.e. only in the upper part of the window, is still very popular today.

Frosted glass for doors and windows

Frosting a window to obscure the view of the inside of the home from the outside is done by sandblasting or etching the interior surface of the window’s outer thermopane. Several different styles are available, including frosted, satinized, screened, pinhead and glue chip glass, among others. Frosted glass is commonly used in front doors and bathroom windows.

Door and window molding

Any door or window product can be enhanced with molding of different widths and styles. On the inside of the home, you’ll find finishing molding, which is usually replaced whenever a new door or window is installed. On the outside, a kind of casing commonly known as brick molding is used to align the window and the bricks or other type of exterior surface material. This prevents any spaces between the window and the home’s siding.