Sonoma County – Glass

You must not start a project without a written contract or invoice from your local glazier. The document must be detailed enough that you can use it to verify that the new glass, installation materials and labor were delivered as specified.

When the glass company provides materials, such as new glass and replacement glass, make sure the delivered product matches what you ordered, that the count of delivered pieces is correct, and that the delivery was on time. If the glass company is also providing labor for installation, be sure the installation is completed as designed. If not, be sure to write down the changes that vary from the original design. Check that the timeline was maintained, or that there are written agreements that the timeline will vary from the original.

Get warranties for the new glass and for the glass installation services. No matter whether the products and the labor come from one or many local glass companies, you need to ask for the workmanship warranty as well as the product warranty. For the labor, or workmanship, most contractors supply a one-year warranty.

California has laws that, depending on the problem, allow you to make claims for a longer period. For example, if physical harm is caused by improper workmanship on your new glass or replacement glass, there is a virtually unlimited amount of time to ask for redress.

Also make sure you know how and when you can take advantage of the warranty. Find out if that warranty is available only at the local glass shop, or if there is a network of glass shops that participate. You may want to find out if the warranty transfers if you sell your home or the item with the new glass or replacement glass.

Above all, the most critical thing when you are getting glass work done in Sonoma County is to be sure that you have the warranties for both the product and the glass installation labor.

Glass products are in great demand. No matter the kind of glass you need, you will find a glass company to suit you. You may have to head out for a little search in Sonoma County, taking yourself to glass shops in Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg, or Petaluma, or to other areas like Guerneville or Sebastopol. But in the end, you should be able to find a glass company that supplies just the glass you need decorative, insulating, or for any application you can think of.

New Cabinet Doors
Cabinets house both precious and ordinary items. Some want clear glass for cabinet doors, so that the treasures inside are displayed. Others opt for colored glass or stained glass, or other decorative ways to make the cabinet itself a work of art.

Decorative Glass
Decorative glass is usually used for display. It may be freestanding pieces like blown glass vases, bowls, sculptures, or the like. Or decorative glass may be found incorporated into windows, doors, or cabinets as stained or etched glass. You may be a glassblower yourself and looking for tools or classes on how to improve you glassblowing technique.

Glass Repairs in Sonoma County
Glass repair is the repair of cracks, chips or other flaws in existing glass surfaces. Many glass contractors in Sonoma County offer glass repair services. This is often much less expensive than new glass replacement.

Tabletops
Beautiful tables can be wrought from glass tops set into frames of wood or metal, or other materials. Tabletops sometimes need replacing, too, if they are scratched or otherwise damaged.

Insulation Glass
We often ask that our structural glass provide insulation. We want windows that will keep any heat or cooling inside, rather than allowing it to dissipate through a single pane of glass. The glass industry has developed special windows that meet this need, often by sandwiching an air space between layers of glass. Such windows also work to insulate us from noise transmission.

Precision Glass
Precisely ground glass, with a specific thickness and surface roughness is used in an array of products. From vision optics, to medical devices, even to the infrared and night-vision goggles used by the military all require very specially ground glass.

Mirrors
Mirrors run throughout our houses and businesses. Of course, you can always get a kit and silver a pane of glass yourself, but it's so much easier to seek out an experienced mirror maker and get exactly what you want.

New Front Doors
You may want glass sliding doors to open out onto a patio or deck. Or you may want a mostly wooden door, with some glass set into the door. This glass may be clear glass, or you may opt for tinted or art glass for your door. The options are really limited by your imagination.

Replacement Glass
Replacement glass can be installed by a glazier or glass company in Sonoma County.

Considering how critical glass in its many forms is to us, we should be able to talk with our glass companies about exactly what we want. Use the glossary to help you understand some of the terms your glass merchant may use that you may not be familiar with yet.

The more technical your glass needs, the more precise your vocabulary is likely to get. These terms are most useful for residential glass company customers.

acrylic
A thermoplastic occasionally used for glazing. It is shatter resistance, weather resistance, and gives good clarity.

air infiltration
Refers to the air that is able to enter a building through windows, doors, cracks.

annealed glass
Normal glass that has not been treated to improve durability or shatter-resistance.

bay window
Refers to a set of three or more individual windows that project from a building at different angles.

bead
Refers to a material used as a compound or sealant that keeps the glass in position.

bed
The material – compound or sealant – that us used to attach the glass to the frame or sash. I tis usually the first step in setting the glass.

Also known as: bedding

block
A device used to help the glass keep in position.

buttering
Putting a sealant or other compound on a glass surface prior to placing the glass in position.

butyl
Synthetic rubber used to seal.

casement
A casement refers to a glass that is longer vertically than it is horizontally. A casement window often opens to the outside, sometimes to the inside.

CFM
A measurement of the flow of air

Also known as: cubic feet per minute

compatibility
Refers to the ability for two materials or more to be in close, permanent association for an unspecified length of time without harming each other.

conduction
Refers to the transfer of heat from a warm surface through a material to a cool surface.

convection
Refers to the transfer of heat through moving air or fluid.

CFR
A measure of the ability to avoid the creation of water through the meeting of warm and cool on one surface.

Also known as: Condensation Resistance Factor

desiccant
A material used to absorb moisture; in a window, it would be used in the air space between layers of glass.

double glazing
Refers to two layers of glass that surround a cavity filled with air. Double-glazing is used to prevent heat transfer and noise transmission.

Also known as: double glazed

double-hung window
A window that has two parts operating in the same frame. The upper and lower halves can both move up and down.

glazing
Refers to installing glass into a frame.

Also known as: glaziers

float glass
Glass that is created by floating the molten glass material on a bed of metal. It has a brilliance that matches sheet glass without any polishing or grinding.

laminated glass
Laminated glass consists of layers of glass combined by layers of clear plastic. When broken, the glass clings to the plastic. Useful for sound reduction and overhead installations.

lite
Refers to a layer or pane of glass.

mullion
A structure that connects windows or patio doors.

prime window
A window put in during the first part of the construction; it forms a integral piece of the structure.

rabbet
Refers to am L-shaped, two-sided recess in a frame or sash designed for the glass to fit into.

sash
In a window, the glass and the framing pieces attached directly to the glass.

spandrel glass
A kind of glass that is strengthened through heating and which has a coating of colored ceramic on the surface.

tempered glass
Tempered glass is glass that has been strengthened through heating. One advantage is that on breaking, the bits are small, rounded pieces instead of the sharp shards of normal glass. It is often used for entrance doors, patio doors, and wherever safety is a concern.

trombe wall
A concrete wall covered in glass that us used to passively collect and store heat. The heat can then radiate either outdoors or to the interior.

U-value
The U-value is a measurement of how well components used in buildings conduct heat. It is usually used to refer to a window’s ability to retain the indoor heating or cooling. A lower number is more desirable.

Q: Why choose a Diamond Certified Glass?
A: Diamond Certified helps you choose a glass company with confidence by offering a list of top-rated local companies who have passed the country’s most in-depth rating process. Only glass companies rated Highest in Quality earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award. Most companies can’t pass the ratings. American Ratings Corporation also monitors every Diamond Certified company with ongoing research and ratings. And your purchase is backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. So you’ll feel confident choosing a Diamond Certified glass company.

Q: When replacing my windshield or other auto glass, what is OE or OEE glass?
A: OE refers to “original equipment”, while OEE is an “original equipment equivalent. The OE is what comes with your vehicle, installed by the manufacturer. Though, of course, the vehicle manufacturer may source parts such as windshields from other companies, even in the original vehicle. An OEE glass will be of the same quality as the originally installed part, but it may be from a different manufacturer.

Q: What is AGRSS?

A: AGRSS is now called the Auto Glass Safety Council. It is an organization that was developed to help achieve safe auto glass replacement. The Auto Glass Safety Council is an accredited American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards creation organization, which means it is allowed to define standards to ensure the best education and procedures, as well as product evaluation in the field of auto glass replacement. The ARGSS standard defines the best practices for the industry. You would want to look for auto glass replacement companies who are aware of it and comply with it. 

Q: Why is there water on the interior of my windows?
A: We are talking here about the water that forms on the interior side of a window, not any water that may form between the panes of a multi-pane window. The water is condensation from the reaction of cold air outside and warm air inside. Often, the condensation results because the interior humidity has been raised to take account of the dryer air that the cold brings. Reducing the humidity in the house should reduce the condensation.

Q: There is water between the panes of my double-glazed window. Is that a problem?
A: Double-glazed windows consist of layers of glass surrounding a cavity. Sometimes the cavity is filled with gas, other times with air and possibly a desiccant to dry out any moisture that may happen. If the moisture is in a place that you cannot reach it to clean it, this means that the seal between the window layers is no longer holding, and the windows should be replaced.

Q: When do I have to get the glass for my new shower?
A: Although when you get the glass for your new shower will vary based on your circumstances, it is often one of last pieces you get for your bathroom. Once the bathroom is mostly done, one approach is to measure the spaces where you will need the shower doors, then go to a glass company with the specification. The glass company will help you choose your glass – there is clear glass, but you might want to choose one of the more opaque styles of glass. Your glass company will also work with you to determine if you want any special edging on your glass. The specifications are then sent off to a manufacturer, and the glass is produced, ready to be installed. Of course, your contractor may do some of this work for you. But generally, you can leave glass selection till close to the end of your bathroom design and installation.

Q: What is Low-E?
A: Low-E refers to low-emittance. A low-emittance coating can be applied to glass and is almost invisible. The coating reduces the ability of heat to radiate through the glass. Thus, the glass admits plenty of light but not plenty of heat.

Q: If only one side of a dual-pane window is broken, why do I have replace the whole thing?
A: Dual-pane windows operate and are manufactured as a unit. The two sheets of glass are separated by a space. The space includes a desiccant to trap moisture. If even one side of the glass is broken, the unit is no longer a unit, the desiccant can absorb so much water that it becomes useless. Whenever any component of a dual-pane window is compromised – from glass to seal – the entire unit is compromised.

Q: Can you cut tempered glass?
A: The short answer to this question is no. If you try to cut tempered glass – because you have the wrong size, for example, the glass will shatter. Some claim that you can heat the glass to return it to its annealed state – the state it had before it was originally tempered, cut the glass, then re-temper the glass. .

Q: What is a panoramic roof?
A: Car makers are developing a panoramic roof. It is like a sun roof, but much larger. It brings light into the car. Some liken the panoramic roof in the car to the concept of indoor-outdoor living in the home. The panoramic roof brings the outdoors into the car’s cabin. In Europe, the panoramic roof is often fixed – it does not open. However, car makers have discovered that in America, buyers expect the panoramic roof to open.