Glass Options

People pick out frames carefully and often accept whatever glass their installer puts in. That’s a miss. Glass controls privacy, heat transfer, light quality, and maintenance — arguably more than the frame does.

Glazing (how many panes)

• Single-pane: interior-only applications where thermal performance doesn’t matter
• Dual-pane insulated (IGU): our standard exterior glass — two panes with argon gas and a warm-edge spacer
• Triple-pane: for extreme climates or sound attenuation; 30% better U-factor than dual, 20% more weight

Low-E coatings

• Solar Low-E (SHGC 0.25): west-facing sun-exposed glass
• Balanced Low-E (SHGC 0.40): most applications
• High-gain Low-E (SHGC 0.60): north-facing where winter solar gain is a benefit

Privacy and pattern options

• Clear: standard
• Low-iron (ultra-clear): for showrooms and wine rooms where color fidelity matters
• Seedy: small bubbles, old-glass character
• Rain: vertical ripple, fully obscures
• Reeded: vertical linear stripes, partially obscures
• Sandblasted / acid-etched: smooth frosted look
• Custom leaded: traditional divided-lite patterns

Safety and specialty

• Tempered: required in doors and any glass within 18″ of the floor per IRC. Four times the strength of annealed; breaks into small cubes if it fails.
• Laminated: two panes bonded with a plastic interlayer. Holds together when broken — used for hurricane, burglary-resistant, and overhead applications.
• Ballistic / security: UL-rated glass for high-security applications.

What we recommend for most Central Texas homes

Dual-pane balanced low-E with argon fill, tempered where code requires, and seedy or reeded glass for bathroom windows and front-door sidelites.