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Tag Archive for: glass decoration

Diamond Glass Aims for 500-lb Gorilla

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Diamond Glass Aims for 500-lb Gorilla

Diamond Glass Aims for 500-lb Gorilla

A semiconductor startup in Illinois claims to have created a mobile device screen that’s four times more crack-resistant and seven times more scratch resistant than Corning’s industry-owning Gorilla Glass. The screen is diamond coated, which the company says makes it exceptionally resistant to damage.

Diamond glass isn’t the first gemstone-glass combination

This isn’t the first time that glass and gemstones have met. Apple uses sapphire coated glass in its iWatch to help the device stand up to daily abuse. Ahkan Semiconductor says that it has developed the glass and can manufacture it using a vapor deposition process, which is mass production friendly.

Can diamond-coated glass be manufactured cheaply and quickly enough to meet market demand? Is there any likelihood that the diamond-coated glass, known as Akhan Miraj NCD, will displace Corning’s Gorilla Glass? The company is not yet mass producing the product, and is looking for licensees so the new super-tough glass won’t show up in mobile devices in the immediate future, but incorporating diamonds could significantly improve a device’s ability to withstand drops and dings.

Just last month, Corning announced an upgrade to Gorilla Glass. The new formulation can withstand 80% of drops from shoulder height, but that may not be enough to top the new approach. According to the company, the Akhan Miraj NCD is 800 times thinner than Gorilla Glass, and can flex up to 45° without breaking.

The vapor deposition combined with microwave radiation allows synthetic diamonds to be “grown” on the surface of the glass. According to the company, the glass is much cheaper to make than sapphire glass, and is in theory more desirable because diamonds are more scratch-resistant than sapphires.

Akhan says it can have the glass in full-scale production in about a year. Akhan says it would consider a license agreement with Corning, so the companies could become partners, rather than competitors.

Although the glass is intended for use with mobile devices, in theory, it could find other uses. If you’re interested in considering the possible uses of glass, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Ch’7K, via Flickr.com

Using glass in multi-family construction

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Using glass in multi-family construction

Using glass in multi-family construction

2016 is shaping up to be the year of new construction. Commercial construction has outpaced residential building for 10 consecutive years, and in that time, designers have made increasingly heavy use of certain architectural materials, like glass. Most of the residential construction in 2016 is expected to be multi-family units. Home ownership has declined in the past decade, following the housing bust of the mid-2000s, but that has opened up design opportunities in multi-family spaces.

Energy-efficient glass can benefit multi-family construction

Glass can be incorporated in multi-family design to achieve the same goals as it does in commercial spaces -primarily light transmission and energy efficiency – without sacrificing the component of privacy, which is not only desirable, but necessary in residential spaces. Energy efficiency in multi-family spaces is exceptionally important because a disproportionate number people living below the poverty line live in multi-family housing. By making multi-family housing as energy-efficient as possible, it can help support and stabilize impoverished families by reducing their energy costs – one of the biggest variables in a low-income family’s budget.

Beyond energy efficiency, glass can play a major role in the look and function of interior spaces. Glass can be used effectively in most spaces to improve the transmission of natural light, create privacy without impairing light transmission and to improve the hygiene of surfaces in areas of the home like kitchens and bathrooms.

In addition, glass is widely available, easy to produce and easy to replace, which makes it an ideal surface for use in multi-family dwellings. Tempered glass is safe, and is designed to reduce or eliminate injuries in the event of breakage. Glass can also be decorated with coatings like Glassprimer™ glass paint. Its replaceability and ease of decoration mean that multi-family spaces can be updated cost effectively. Glassprimer™ is UV-resistant and can be used in challenging spaces because it not only resists fading, it also resists the effects of humidity, which means no peeling, even over repeated exposure to rapid changes in temperature and humidity.

If you’d like more information about decorating with glass, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Tom S , via FreeImages.com

Decorating with Glass

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Decorating with Glass

Decorating with Glass

Decorating can be intimidating, especially if you’re not comfortable with mixing colors and materials. If you’ve got small quarters, the ideal approach opens up the space. In most cases, you can’t really add square footage, so you’ll need to adopt a strategy that visually opens up the space you’re working with. Decorating with glass is one way to open up your space.

Many possibilities for decorating with glass

Nothing makes a space look bigger than natural light, so “opening up a space” that you can’t truly expand may involve adding or enlarging windows. You can also open a space by adding a skylight. Doorwalls, glass walls and glass enclosures can also allow you to open your space cost-effectively. Converting a porch or deck into a glass-enclosed sunroom may help give you a little more seasonal floorspace and a ton of natural light, even if your sunroom isn’t considered “living space.”

If adding or enclosing space with glass is not in the cards, decorating with glass can still help open your space. Because you can see through glass, it tends to make spaces look larger. Glass tables, glass shelving and even glass staircases can create the illusion of space. Paired with light colored walls and creative use of natural light, glass can make a small space look quite comfortable!

Lighting is important when decorating with glass. If you’re working with a small or windowless space, consider using full-spectrum LED lighting to create the appearance of daylight. Supplement dark corners, shelves and countertops with LED light tapes to chase away shadows.

Decorating with glass doesn’t always have to mean significant construction or major modifications to your floorplan. You can use glass accents effectively to create a minimalist effect. Upholstery in natural or neutral colors, light-colored floors and light colored wood can also complement glass decorations, glass room dividers and decorative glass panels. The use of glass tiles, mosaics and glass accessories can help visually open a space.

You can use glass paint to create accents or complement your color scheme. Glass paint can be tinted to match any color from any major paint manufacturer, and can be an economical alternative to more expensive stained or frosted decorative glass.

If you’d like more information about working with glass paint, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Christian Kitazume , via FreeImages.com

Glass furniture and decorating with glass

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Glass furniture and decorating with glass

Glass furniture and decorating with glass

Glass furniture?! Sure! Glass makes a great decorating surface, and glass furniture can really complement any décor. When you think about furniture, glass probably doesn’t immediately come to mind, but glass is actually heavily used in decorating, and it’s quickly becoming the go-to decorating option in both commercial and residential settings.

Dress up your glass furniture

Where can you start with glass furniture? The obvious place to start is with glass tables. Glass tables have been in vogue in home and commercial decorating for years. If you have an older glass-topped table, it may be time to consider giving it new life as backpainted glass. You can apply glass paint in colors or patterns, or even give your glass tabletop a frosted glass look. Backpainted glass is a great way to hide scratches and imperfections in the glass top, and bring your glass table into a fresh new decorating scheme.

Glass tabletops aren’t limited to the dining room. If you have a glass coffee table or glass end tables in your living room, you can give new life to them by applying glass paint. Whether you’re going for colorful or classic, glass paint can help you create a unique look.

You’ll also find glass in a number of other furniture applications – cabinets, bookshelves, breakfronts and hutches may all contain glass. Large mirrors, interior windows and glass partitions may also provide opportunities for decorating with glass. Interior doors may also be made of glass, or may incorporate glass.
You can also find glass hard at work in the kitchen. Many cabinet styles incorporate glass in the door fronts. Glass paint on cabinets can create a stunning new look for your kitchen.

The bathroom is also likely to contain a lot of glass. Glass is an excellent surface in the bathroom. It’s moisture-resistant, impervious and easy to clean and can be cut or shaped to fit even the toughest angles. It also offers great protection behind sinks. A backpainted, backlit glass countertop in the bathroom can create a dramatic look and complement the lighting scheme in what can be a difficult room to decorate!

If you’d like more information about decorating with glass, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to shop for Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Marcelo Gerpe, via FreeImages.com