Blog Layout
Are Low Maintenance Glass Coatings Right for Your Custom Glass Shower Doors?
When it comes to your new custom glass shower doors, the time to think about how to keep them clean is in the planning stages long before you purchase them or have them installed. While you may have heard of low maintenance glass coatings as one method, is that the best solution for you? No solution is right for every user, but here are some of the facts surrounding glass coatings.
Low-maintenance glass coatings have been around for some time in the residential and commercial glass market. Many claims and promises have been made about their benefits and capabilities. but generally, they help protect shower enclosures from stains like hard water spots via a low-maintenance coating.
These coatings are either classified hydrophobic, meaning they repel water, or hydrophilic, meaning they attract water. Both types of coatings fill in the microscopic peaks and valleys present in virtually every glass surface, resulting in a smoother surface.
The Hydrophobic coatings create a surface that repels water and the minerals it carries, so fewer drops can stick to and dry on the glass, resulting in fewer spots. In theory, this makes it easier to clean the glass with fewer spots that are easier to remove. Hydrophilic coatings create a surface that attracts water, which runs off in sheets and carries away any loose materials. The remaining water that sticks to the glass is spread out, so it deposits the mineral content broadly, and staining isn’t immediately noticeable.
While these solutions mean that you have to clean your custom glass shower doors less frequently, they can add costs and are best applied by professionals. In fact, some of these coatings are applied by the manufacturer before the glass arrives in the shop for final assembly.
For most people, the operative term in all of this is that you have to clean “less often.” That means that you must still clean the glass regularly by other means, but less often. This may be a good solution for homes with children that are unlikely to squeegee the glass after use. For many, the traditional cleaning methods of keeping your custom glass shower doors looking beautiful will do just fine.
Just as with the design of your shower enclosure and the customs shower doors, it’s best to consult with your Image Glass professionals in the initial design phase. The initial design conversations always take into account how you intend to use the new shower enclosure and factor in user profiles. That provides an opportunity to discuss if coatings are right for you.
At Image Glass, our expert glass designers and installers work with you to design custom shower doors that not only meet your aesthetic needs but also your safety needs and how you live. By letting us partner with you on the design, our experienced design professionals can help you to make the best choices without any undue costs or compromises.
To learn more about how Image Glass can help you achieve beauty, efficiency and safety with custom glass shower doors and installations as part of bathroom redesigns, call us at
(732) 438-8551 to speak to one of our glass specialists.
We are excited to announce Image Glass has grown & acquired Hillsborough Glass Company! Kurt is the new owner of Hillsborough Glass, which will now be known as Image Glass LLC with 2 locations- Monmouth Junction and Hillsborough. Hillsborough Glass began in 1976 with George “Chip” Christiansen. John Harenza began working for him in 1977. John took over Hillsborough Glass in 2002 and has been in the industry for 43 years. Kurt worked summers at Hillsborough Glass growing up, and started officially working at Hillsborough Glass in 2000 to learn the trade. In 2003 he went off on his own to create Image Glass LLC. in Monmouth Junction NJ. Hillsborough Glass and Image glass have always worked hand in hand over the last 20 years with Hillsborough Glass serving Somerset County and Image Glass serving Middlesex County. Even though our name is changing, you will still see the same friendly faces, as our friend John is staying on board as well as the rest of the team. We are so excited to now be servicing Somerset County with our new name Image Glass moving forward!
Not every homeowner wants clear glass shower doors for their bathroom, which can be due to a variety of reasons ranging from how the family uses it and privacy concerns to purely aesthetic preferences.
In past blog posts, we’ve talked about tempered glass commercial application usage as well as its use in glass shower doors. In the field, an image glass installer will get questions about different types of glass and its strength. Based on those questions, we decided to provide a primer on how tempered glass and heated glass are made and what properties they bring to safety.
Saunas may not be for everybody, but some homeowners dream of having one as part of their bathroom remodel. It’s possible to have your combined shower & sauna with a steam shower.
Your Image Glass New Jersey glass installer stays updated on the local and Universal Building Codes that must be adhered to when it comes to commercial glass installation such as with glass doors and windows.
Using a squeegee immediately after using the shower isn’t always practical. Here are specific dos and don’ts for protecting your investment in your custom shower doors.
The right glass installer can allay fears of bringing the winter indoors during the glass installation process. Here is what you should expect.
Every homeowner has a different interpretation of what constitutes a small project or a big project. That interpretation can change when it comes to looking at whether it can by a DIY project for custom glass installation.
When you have custom shower doors and enclosures designed and installed by Image Glass, that gets you off on the right foot in terms of quality and safety.
By providing an overview of the trends in storefront glass, NJ businesses can get a better idea of what is involved in its changes or additions to their buildings.