There is something about natural lighting that has a positive influence on mood and even our physical and mental health. Glass and mirrors light up the interior and seem to expand space. Mirrored closet doors are a mainstay and a common application, but glass and mirrors are not limited to the bedroom. Glass tub and shower enclosures are common as well.
Windows & Skylights Bring Natural Light
Transparent sand, glass and mirrors have other uses as well. Building codes demand a minimum of 8% of the floor area in windows facing to outside. That would translate in a 10 x 10 square foot room to 8 square feet of window, minimum, but generally a little more is usually better. If you have a truly interior room, and you crave some natural sunlight you have but one choice, a skylight.
What Materials Are Mirrors Made From?
Mirrors are glass with an aluminum coating on the back, before aluminum it was a silver alloy or mercury. As applied aluminum is very shiny only developing the familiar gray glaze on contact with the air. This coating of oxidized aluminum is what makes it so corrosion resistant. To make a mirror the glass is placed in a vacuum chamber surrounded by crucibles filled with metal chunks, induction heating causing the metal to vaporize, depositing the metal on the glass. The aluminum backing is sealed with paint.
Uses of Mirrors in Everyday Life
Mirrors serve as a grooming and dressing appliance. Dressing up requires a mirror for clothing appraisal ensuring everything is in its proper place. And the lack of a reflective surface would hinder the application and proper placement of make-up or the hairdo. Therefore, the mirror is enshrined in nearly every bed and bathroom in the civilized world.
Window & Door Sizes
Windows and doors are sized by width, feet-inches. A 3-0 door is 36 inches wide and 2-6 door is 2 feet 6 inches or 30 inches wide. Windows are sized by with and height. A 3-0 by 5-0 is a 36” by 60 inches or 3 x 5 feet. A full glazed window refers to a full open pane with no interior structure. A nine-lite window is divided into 9 sections. Most modern windows are multi-pane. Two layers of glass separated by a thin space, usually filled at manufacture with nitrogen gas to prevent inter-pane fogging. Lites are simulated with the grid structure between the panes, making it easier to clean than a surface grid dividing the window into the separate lites. Some windows are triple paned allowing light in, but not as subject to the influence of outside temperatures.
Frameless & Privacy Glass Shower Doors
Some bath and shower glass enclosures have little or no frames depending on the strength and thickness of the glass to maintain integrity. Privacy glass lets in light but prevents and coherent images from passing through. This glass is textured with a bubble like or beady surface or sand blasted type texture, used in bathroom windows and some enclosures.
Glass & Mirrors in Canton, Taylor, Garden City, Farmington Hills, Ypsilanti & Wayne County, Michigan
Mirrors are front surface coated like in reflective telescopes, microscopic and other technical medical or scientific applications and require special treatments raising the cost of the mirror. Most consumer mirrors are back-coated, with the light having to pass through the glass and then reflected, again through the glass. This affects how much light is returned and how much is lost to absorption or scattering. Mirrors do return coherent light providing a crisp focused reflection. Flat white paint is a more efficient reflector but the light is scattered with no discernible image. Glass and mirrors can contribute to the interior design statement. Contact Dan’s Enterprises at (734) 595-3232 to learn what we can do for you!
