Summary: Glass blocks can be useful in a number of ways, not just windows. There could be many other ways they can be used in your house with imagination alone being the limitation.
Question: The glass block fascinates me. I think of installing glass blocks in my bathroom window, my basement window and as a room partition. I am just an ordinary homeowner. Do you think I can handle this? How will I be able to get the best security for windows at the ground level? Can you give some tips for installation?
Answer: Yes. they also fascinate me. They are cool building material and seemingly have a timeless existence. The glass block windows that I have installed in century old houses have hardly done any harm to the aesthetics of the houses. Not only this, there hasn’t been any complaints from these customers regarding their durability, utility or usefulness.
Sure. You will be able to do the basement windows without any hitch or help. You can also do the bathroom window job also. But then it depends of what type of glass block window you are going in for. You’d better hand over the room partition job to a professional. It’s not for you to do this.
Your proposed projects, I think, can be actually done with a variety of materials. Your basement window job is right for a traditional glass block. This is a solid glass block and the best one you can choose for the basement window. Even a .357 magnum pistols can’t shoot through these solid glass blocks.
A tinted or a clear lightweight acrylic block may be outstanding as your bathroom window. There are acrylic glass windows available which can open and close. You can get them and it will also allow plenty of air into the bathroom with all its dampness, mildew and mold. You can buy acrylic blocks in clear, rose, peach and blue.
The lightweight acrylic blocks or the thin glass block are ideal as a partition for your room as it will reduce the weight on your floor. Acrylic blocks are available up to 9.5 feet in height and width in either direction. You can order according to your needs. When you use traditional glass block for partitioning rooms, the partition is large sized. But then your mason will have to install the needed hidden reinforcement steel.
It is actually pretty easy to install glass block panels for your basement window. What you have to do first is to remove the old window as well as its frame. Glass block windows can be fabricated in the fabrication shops that are found in many towns and cities. The glass block window can be ordered according to the style specified by you along with little windows, combustion air inlets, and dryer vents besides other accessories. The entire unit is to be installed at one go.
Make sure that the new basement window fits well as soon as they arrive on your site. It is preferable to have a gap of one half inch between the frame and the glass block. There is no point after all in finding out that your new window does not fit after you have torn out the existing window. You will also require a small level, wood shims, cement mortar, a sponge and a small trowel.
The two one half inch shims should be placed about 3 inches in the bottom corners on the bottom ledge of the opening. The bottom of the window ledge should be applied with the mortar mix. The shims should not be covered with the mortar. Position the window by tilting it. The two shims should be inserted between the opening and the top of the window. They should be tapped so that they are slightly snug. Make sure that the window is plumb using the level. Check whether the window has not twisted in the opening. There should be a uniform gap around the window.
Apply the cement mortar around the sides of the foundation and the window when you are sure that the window is in position. It takes the mortar about 2 hours to harden. Gently remove the shims when the mortar has hardened. Neither the window nor the mortar should be disturbed. Apply mortar in the bottom holes. Fill the top gap with silicone caulk and foam expansion material. Use a damp sponge to wipe the mortar smears by wiping it off the glass block.
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