Manufacturing of a glass floor, its types, properties, materials used and step-by-step installation technology. Glass floor is a non-standard design solution that allows you to make an ordinary interior original. Behind such a surface, you can place a variety of decorative elements, equip lighting and translate into reality many of the most fantastic ideas. You will learn how to make a glass floor at home by reading this article.
The main types of glass floors
Transparent products used in construction are made from two types of glass, different in origin and composition:
- Silicate glass … This is a familiar material for everyone, the raw material for which is quartz sand in a molten state. Products made from such glass are hard and brittle, but with increasing thickness they gain strength.
- Organic glass … It is made from acrylic polymers. Such glass is much lighter and stronger than silicate glass, but it is not resistant to chemicals.
Materials of both types are extremely in demand and have an impressive list of advantages. In the manufacture of glass floors, they participate almost on an equal footing, while occupying separate niches.
There are several main types of glass floors:
- Glass floor for the entire area of the room … This is an expensive and bold decision. It can be implemented in almost any room, be it a kitchen, living room, hallway or bathroom. At the same time, the interior of the floor can be filled with any decorative or natural material, as long as it is in harmony with the design and style of the interior.
- Glass niches … They are freeform recesses in the floor, filled with decorative elements and covered with glass plates. These unique floor windows can add sophistication to any room, allowing you to create compositions of dried plants, sparkles, rose petals behind the glass, imitate an aquarium, a stretch of sand or sea pebbles on the beach, or create a real exhibition of minerals, coins or souvenirs.
- Glass tapes … They are placed on the floor along the perimeter of the walls. One of the advantages of this design is its ability to divide the space of the room into functional zones. Glass strips, for example, are created to illuminate racks with clothes or mannequins in reputable boutiques, and in apartments or houses they are decorative lighting. Glass floors with backlighting in the form of ribbons are especially good in small rooms, as they have the ability to visually increase their volume.
- Floor aquarium … The cost of such a glass structure with live swimming fish is simply off scale. The most popular solution in this case is the combination of a wooden flooring with a glass floor.
- Floor glass podium … It is placed 150 mm above the level of the normal floor. The elevated glass structure has long been popular in homes and entertainment centers.
- Glass floors … These include decorative stairs and bridges. Today they are quite often in demand when decorating high-rise buildings.
Advantages and disadvantages of glass floors
A glass floor can radically change the interior of a room and make it easier to perceive, especially if it contains oversized furniture. In addition, the transparent structure visually enlarges the room and has hygienic properties, excluding the growth of bacteria on its smooth surface.
The undoubted advantage of the glass floor is its attractive and mesmerizing effect, which is greatly enhanced by the backlighting. The creation of a transparent coating is of interest to designers and decorators. Creative people in the field of glass flooring can fulfill any of their dreams.
As for the practicality of such structures, it is safe to say that if someone accidentally drops a plate, cup or even a crystal vase on the glass floor, absolutely nothing will happen to him, that is, to the floor. If heavier objects, such as a metal dumbbell, are dropped, the glass will not break either, although it may crack, but without the formation of sharp edges. All this points to the significant strength of the glass floor and its ability to withstand shock loads.
The disadvantage of such a floor can be called an excessively smooth surface. Many people hesitate to buy it for their home, fearing slipping on it, which is especially true for the glass floor in the bathroom. Another reason for doubt is the vulnerability of glass to scratches. However, these are all quite solvable problems. A practical and simple solution to eliminate slippage is to pattern the glass floor surface. And if such a plate, together with drawings, is skillfully illuminated, then the decor will turn out to be stunning. Scratches on the glass can be avoided by using a special protective film, the properties of which allow it to easily transmit light. In addition, there is a cover glass that can be replaced if necessary.
The cost of a glass floor on average ranges from 15,000 to 50,000 rubles per 1 m2, it depends on the materials used and the method of production.
Glass floor mounting technology
The most popular and affordable type of glass floor is the "window in the floor". Its price and installation technology make it possible to make it yourself at home. Consider the creation of such a floor in stages.
The choice of material for the glass floor
First of all, you need to choose glass panels for the floor. They are made of heavy-duty glass that can withstand a load of about 400 kg / m2.
Triplex is most suitable for this purpose - this material will be the main structural element of the glass floor. It is a three-layer glass, the thickness of each layer in which is not less than 8 mm. The bonding of laminated plies to each other is carried out by means of a polymer film or by hot pressing.
In addition, you can use tempered laminated glass covered with a polymer layer, which includes glass hollow microspheres. Laminated glass is not cut and therefore cannot be adjusted to the installation site. This is the reason for the accurate measurement of the floor area before installation.
In addition to the glass panel, other materials will be required for the floor: a metal profile for the manufacture of the frame and a decorative profile for the arrangement of adjoining adjacent floor coverings. The profile should be chosen in such a way that during installation it was able to hide the border of the glass fixing and the connecting sections of the LED strip.
To decorate the internal space of a niche, you will need a finishing material. This can be wood, ceramic tiles or laminated panels.
Depending on the method of installation of the finish, it is worth taking care of its fasteners. For example, when choosing a tile for finishing a niche, you need to buy glue, grout, sealing materials, seals and hardware.
In addition, you will need tools: a sander, grinder, spatulas and a screwdriver.
Preparation of the base for the glass floor
This is a very important stage, since the reliability of the glass floor structure depends on it. The base can be wood, concrete or steel. In any case, it should be remembered that its surface must be solid and even.
The base for such a structure can have any flat shape, but if the glass floor is being made by hand for the first time, it is recommended to make a recess for a niche of the correct shape in the form of a rectangle or square. This will make your work easier and make fewer mistakes.
The recess in the floor under the niche is made by 15-20 cm. If a glass podium is required, the base must be raised by 20 cm.
Metal frame device for glass floor
After completing the recess, it is necessary to make a metal frame made of stainless or structural steel around the perimeter of the future glass niche. Anchor bolts that are used to fasten the frame must have anti-corrosion spraying on their surface.
The fastening of the frame must be reliable, since one panel with a glass thickness of up to 25 mm can weigh about 150 kg. The shape and size of the metal frame must match the dimensions of the base for the glass niche. The frame should be below the floor at a distance equal to the thickness of the glass and the seal.
The metal profiles of the frame are interconnected with self-tapping screws, and are fixed with bolts on the base base. The assembled structure must be static and reliable in order to avoid deformations of the glass cover. If a backlight is planned in the floor, it is necessary to make a groove in the base for laying wires that will run from the backlight to the switch or the nearest electricity distributor.
Then you should fix the backlight on the frame. If an LED strip is used, it can simply be glued with double-sided tape from below to the protruding part of the frame.
Facing the base of the niche with tiles
After installing the frame, you can start cladding the base of the niche with ceramic tiles. It is recommended to choose its color so that it matches the general tone of the interior.
The tiles should be laid with special glue, which should be applied in a thin layer to the back of the piece materials and the selected area of the base using a spatula. You can use a sander to resize it to the desired size.
After finishing the cladding, the joints between the tiles must be filled with a trowel mixture, and after its partial drying, wipe the coating with a damp sponge to remove traces of grout and glue residues from the outer surface of the niche base.
Decorating a glass niche showcase
When the adhesive underneath the base cladding is completely dry, you can decorate the niche. As a material for this, you can use the various items mentioned above. In this case, the specifics of the premises should be taken into account. For example, dried flowers or cereals are suitable for the glass floor of the kitchen, shells, pebbles, etc. for the bathroom. The chosen decor needs to be beautifully laid out inside the future floor showcase.
In addition, any pattern can be applied to glass with ceramic paint using a stencil. It is also possible to tint under a mirror or create a floor with a frost effect. A special film placed under the glass can provide any color of the display case.
Glass floor lighting installation
The backlight is the most important element of the glass floor. However, you should be aware that not all lamps are suitable for it. The use of halogen light sources is strongly discouraged, as they will heat the glass. To illuminate the floor glass niche, you can install neon tubes and fluorescent lamps, a luminous cord or LED spotlights. When installing a glass floor for the entire area of the room, spotlights can be placed under it.
After choosing the light sources, you need to determine the order of their placement. Lamps can be installed arbitrarily to highlight individual decorative elements, as well as along the perimeter of the niche.
The most preferred among all types of lighting is considered to be a backlight consisting of neon lamps. Their light is always even and soft, creating no visible shadows. The use of such illumination allows you to emphasize the geometric shapes of niches, since it can be mounted in the most inaccessible places.
With the help of modern technologies, it is possible to organize automatic switching on of the backlight at nightfall, using a special control unit, to change its intensity and color. With the help of the blinking frequency and special colors of the lamps, it is possible to organize the effect of light and music in the interior, which will give a room with a glass floor an appropriate atmosphere.
Fastening glass panels
After completing the design of the niche, you can proceed to the installation of a glass floor on it. The panels must be installed on a special seal, previously fixed to the metal frame. In this case, the glass should never come into contact with metal parts and fasteners.
For a more reliable fixation of glass panels on their back side, apply a thin layer of sealing paste before installation. The same composition should be used to process the seams between the products after they are attached to the frame with metal bolts.
The installation of the decorative profile completes the work. It also needs to be installed on a seal that excludes contact of the finishing frame with the glass of the floor.
How to make a glass floor - watch the video:
Before installing a glass floor, you must remember some of its disadvantages. Even with careful use, scuffs and scratches can appear on such a surface over time. To minimize their number, it is recommended to use high quality material. The top layer of such panels is made of tempered glass. To reduce slipping on the glass floor, stripes or patterns can be applied to the surface using a sandblaster through a stencil. Good luck!
