Privacy glass conceals the inside of your home from neighbours and passers-by.
You might love your big windows and glass sliding doors, but you probably don’t love being constantly exposed to your neighbours or to strangers walking down the street. People living in modern homes that incorporate a lot of glass into the architectural design sometimes report feeling as though they are ‘living in a fishbowl’ with everyone peering in at them. Glass windows and doors also advertise the contents of your home to potential burglars.
When it comes to rooms like your bedroom or bathroom, the need for privacy glass becomes even more obvious. Privacy glass is also needed within the home, for instance for making shower doors more discreet.
In an office environment, privacy glass is often required to make meeting rooms and offices more private while maintaining an open and collaborative feel.
Frosted window vinyl and sandblasted glass are the two most common types of privacy glass.
The opaque, frosted effect of sandblasting or frosted window vinyl is an attractive way to increase the level of privacy in your home or office. While both methods achieve the same end, there are some benefits to choosing to use frosted window vinyl over sandblasting.
Here are four reasons why window vinyl makes the best privacy glass:
1. Frosted window vinyl doesn’t go transparent when wet.
This is especially relevant when thinking about installing privacy glass in your bathroom. Some sandblasted glass loses some of its opacity when wet – this isn’t ideal for shower doors or windows in a hot, steamy bathroom.
2. Frosted window vinyl is easy to install.
Sandblasting is a messy process that requires your windows to be removed, treated off-site and then re-installed, leaving you inconvenienced and windowless for most of the process. Besides being annoying, having to do without windows is a security risk.
Frosted window vinyl, on the other hand, is comparatively fuss-free and quick to install on-site.
3. Frosted window vinyl strengthens glass.
A great benefit of using frosted window vinyl for privacy glass is that the application of window film makes glass shatterproof.
In contrast, sandblasting actually weakens glass, making it more likely to break. The sandblasting process weakens privacy glass by taking layers off of the surface, thereby making it thinner and more fragile.
4. Although frosted window vinyl is extremely durable, it can be changed or removed.
Top window vinyl suppliers offer a 10-year warranty on the vinyl used to create privacy glass. High quality window vinyl is incredibly durable and is designed to last a lifetime. The vinyl used for privacy glass will not fade, peel off, crack or discolour.
Despite its durability, frosted window vinyl is removable. This is particularly useful when installing privacy glass in offices as it allows you to incorporate your logo or company branding into your frosted design. If at a later stage you move offices or change your branding, the frosted vinyl can be removed without damaging the glass.
Sandblasting, of course, is permanent. If an installed sandblasted design is no longer appropriate for whatever reason, the entire pane of glass will need to be replaced.
