Do I Need Tempered Glass in My Bathroom?

Do I Need Tempered Glass in My Bathroom?

You’ve probably heard of tempered glass before since every new gadget boasts this powerful glass. But, what exactly is tempered glass? Is it superior to standard glass?

Read on to learn more about this popular safety glass to see if your bathroom will benefit from it.

Information on Tempered Glass

Tempered glass is glass that is cooled quickly during the manufacturing process to increase its strength. Additionally, it’s the most basic form of safety glass. Tempering changes a glass’s properties so that if it breaks, it will shatter into pellets rather than shards. If you’ve ever dropped a glass of water, you know how messy those pesky shards are! Fortunately, with shower doors and windows made of tempered glass, you’ll never have to worry about cutting your fingers when your glass cracks (which is nearly impossible).

Find out why we recommend tempered glass for your bathroom in today’s blog.

Tempered Glass Shower Doors

The International Residential Code (IRC) sets building codes that specify locations where homeowners should install tempered glass in their home to prevent injury or death. According to the IRC, every glass panel in fixed, sliding, operable, swinging, or bi-fold doors should contain tempered or laminated glass.

Furthermore, any glass shower door that is within 24 inches of your bathroom’s door must be made of tempered glass if its bottom edges are 60 inches or less above the walking surface. However, this rule doesn’t apply if the glass’s opening is smaller than three inches. Still, we believe you shouldn’t settle for anything less than tempered glass because its heat-resistant properties remain unmatched.

If you’re like most people, you probably can’t wait to come home after a long day of work to take a warm, relaxing shower. Rivaling shower doors steam easily and usually leave marks. However, tempered glass shower doors don’t steam as easily and are simple to clean.

Tempered Glass Bathroom Windows

A bathroom window must be made of tempered glass if all the following criteria are met, according to the National Glass Association:

  • The glazing (glass) is less than 18 inches above the floor.
  • The size of your window exceeds nine square feet.
  • The top of your window is less than 36 inches above the floor.
  • The glass is within 36 inches of where people walk.

Moreover, if you live in an area susceptible to natural disasters, such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and hail, it pays off to have tempered glass. All of these conditions can cause your home’s windows to break, which can result in injuries. Can you imagine cleaning shards off your bathtub floor? How about stepping on them when you shower? In the rare event your tempered glass breaks, it will fragment into small, round pieces, as opposed to traditional annealed glass, which can fracture into thousands of broken shards.

Renovating? New Concepts Glass Design Can Help

There’s a possibility your glass fixtures may not be up-to-date with your county’s building codes if you’ve lived in the same house for decades. Don’t worry; it’s not too late to upgrade! New Concepts Glass Design can help you swap your current shower door for a chic, framed shower enclosure or European shower door. We take our time to work with each customer, so we’ll make sure your needs and vision come first. We serve Salt Lake County. Contact us today for a free estimate.

GET TEMPERED GLASS IN YOUR BATHROOM TODAY