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Painted glass makes a great addition to your office space

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Painted glass makes a great addition to your office space

Painted glass makes a great addition to your office space

Commercial decorating requires a lot of forethought, simply because commercial spaces aren’t like residential spaces. A commercial space may entertain a lot of traffic, or it may be a quiet little enclave for just a few office mates. In either case, the demands on the interior design may be more intense than those found in a residential space. One commercial consideration is the availability of natural light. Painted glass offers a lot of advantages for commercial interior design, and it’s worth considering for your decorating plan.

Painted glass is at home in the office

Glass works very well in commercial interior design for several reasons. First, it can distribute limited natural light around the work space. Usually, commercial interiors don’t have a lot of access to windows. Commonly, windows may sit only on one or two sides. WIndows that face east, south or west may end up admitting too much light! That can be as much of a problem as a space that doesn’t have enough light. Painted glass may provide light control, making the interior space more comfortable.

When you’re working with glass, light control equals heat control! Glass interiors can really heat up inside. This causes multiple comfort problems. No one likes excess heat, and the workspace can become uncomfortably hot. Second, excess heat increases the cost of cooling the space to a more comfortable temperature. By limiting the solar heat gain using painted glass, you can keep a space comfortably and cost-effective.

Third, glass doesn’t transmit sound very well, which makes it a welcome addition to a commercial space. Using glass walls in offices and conference rooms can help deaden sound. That makes the entire office space easier to work in by controlling noise. Painted glass also offers privacy, and reduces distractions. It’s also a great way to reduce the “fishbowl” effect of working in a clear glass office space.

Photo Credit: Andy Piper, via Flickr.com

Backpainted glass – should you buy or DIY?

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Backpainted glass – should you buy or DIY?

Backpainted glass – should you buy or DIY?

Backpainted glass is one of the most sought-after looks in interior decorating. Glass is at home in either a residential or commercial setting, and and work into virtually any decorating plan. You can purchase backpainted glass, but should you?

Buying backpainted glass gives you a ready-made solution, but it may not be the best choice for your home or office. Here are a few things to think about before purchasing pre-painted glass.

Backpainted glass is easy to make

Cost. The cost of making your own backpainted glass will be a factor in your decision. When you use Glassprimer™ glass paint, you can get exceptional coverage for about $1 per square foot. At that price, you can make your own glass! The cost of the glass itself depends upon the thickness of the sheet you want to use, but generally, float glass isn’t expensive. For a painted glass project where cost is a factor, DIY is definitely the better option.

Transportation. When you purchase backpainted glass (or any other sheet glass), think about transportation. First, glass doesn’t transport well over long distances. You should be concerned about breakage. If you do end up with a broken panel, you can get a new one, but at that point, color-matching the replacement panel with the existing panels can be an issue. In addition, small panels of glass don’t weigh much, but the weight of glass goes up significantly as the size of the panel increases. Weight is a primary component of the cost of transportation. If the weight of your glass is significant, or you need a lot of glass, DIY is the better option.

Fitting. Every space in your home is unique to your home. Walls have unusual dimensions or contours. You may need to cut a glass laminate to fit the space you’re working with. You can certainly cut prepainted glass, but you run the risk of damaging the paint. It’s easier to fit your unpainted glass first, then paint it before installing it.

Color choice. We can tint Glassprimer™ glass paint to match the color palette of virtually any major paint manufacturer. You can be sure that Glassprimer™ glass paint will match the colors for the rest of your room. When you purchase pre-painted glass, you may need to accept available colors.

Peace of mind. When you purchase prepainted glass, you don’t know what kind of paint the fabricator used. When you apply your own paint, you know exactly what you’ve got. Glassprimer™ glass paint bonds to the surface of the glass. Once the paint cures, it will not fade, chip or peel, even in high-temperature and high-humidity spaces. Glassprimer™ paint is UV resistant, so it can tolerate direct exposure to sunlight. When you purchase prepainted glass, you don’t know whether the paint on the glass can stand up to the challenges of your environment.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint or you’d like to place an order, please visit the rest of our website.

Photo Credit: New York City Department of Transportation, via Flickr

Painted glass revives verre églomisé technique

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Painted glass revives verre églomisé technique

Painted glass revives verre églomisé technique

Although back painted glass predates the Roman Empire, a refined version of the technique is making a comeback. Jean-Baptiste Glomy, an 18th century art dealer, revived and popularized the painted glass technique. Verre églomisé refers to a painting technique that uses both a painted design and gilding on glass.

Verre églomisé combines painted glass and gold leaf

Glomy’s original designs were small. Often he made them from picture frames and other small pieces of glass. Over time, other artists adopted the technique and expanded the canvas to include murals, signage and other large-scale images.

The technique requires the artist to create an image in reverse order. The artist applies the gilding and highlights first, then creates the background image on top of the highlights. Verre églomisé art examples created in the Middle Ages still exist.. Glomy didn’t invent the technique, but merely revived it in both Europe and North America.

The original verre églomisé technique used adhesive to apply to gold or silver leaf to the glass. Artists may have used a gelatin or oil-based adhesive. Afterward, they applied steam to the leaf to create a shiny, mirror-like finish. Once the adhesive dried, the artist applied additional colored paints to complete the image. Traditional verre églomisé work often uses plain paint colors because it contrasts well with the metal leaf.

True verre églomisé artwork incorporates a recognizable design into the finished piece. In more modern works, the term can describe backpainted works that use metallic leaf but do not use an obvious design. Painted commercial signs made heavy use of the verre églomisé technique prior to the development of more modern silk screening and UV inkjet printing on glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint works well on painted glass projects. We also make an excellent glass primer designed especially for UV inkjet printing applications. If you would like more information about our products, or ideas for making decorative painted glass, please visit the rest of our website.

Photo Credit: Jasperdo, via Flickr

Tackle an easy glass painting project this spring

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Tackle a glass painting project this spring

Tackle a glass painting project this spring

Looking for a way to dress up your home or apartment? Consider a glass painting project. You’ll find that painting glass is easy, economical and practical. Glass is quickly becoming a preferred decorating material for residential and commercial applications. Glass painting requires no special tools, and you can complete a small project in as little as one day.

Painting on glass surfaces doesn’t requires special tools, but it does require a special paint. Ordinary paint doesn’t cure on glass because of the unique properties of a glass surface. Ordinary paints work on porous surfaces. The paint “soaks in” to the surface thanks to tiny surface imperfections. The paint dries and cures, and all is well.

Glass painting the easy way

Glass doesn’t have the same surface imperfections that typical construction materials do. There are no tiny surface imperfections that will hold paint, so ordinary paint will dry on a glass surface, but it won’t cure. That means dried paint can be easily removed with a razor blade or paint scraper. Even certain conditions, like high humidity, can reconstitute the paint, making a soft, gooey mess.

That’s where Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially formulated to change the surface of the glass, so the paint can bond to it permanently. Once the paint is cured, it will not chip or peel. Humidity will not soften the dried paint. Environmental conditions like direct sunlight won’t damage the paint, either.

This makes Glassprimer™ glass paint ideal for glass painting projects like rehabbing a glass tabletop, or a glass room divider. Back painted glass offers a unique look, and the glass surface is easy to clean and maintain. With a painted glass tabletop, you can say goodbye to water stains left by glasses, and damage caused by spills.

You can apply Glassprimer™ glass paint with a brush or roller, although we recommend a high-volume low-pressure paint sprayer. An HVLP sprayer will provide the best, most even coverage and will create a professionally finished appearance.

If you’d like more information about glass painting, or you’d like to order the best glass paint on the market, please visit us at http://www.glasspaint.com.

Photo Credit: Clarence Risher, via Flickr

More spring colors for painted glass projects

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More spring colors for painted glass

More spring colors for painted glass

In my last post, we looked at the bold colors that are making a great splash for spring. But what if you’re not ready to go for broke when it comes to painted glass? What other color options are available?

Painted glass – go big or small!

Your color choices make a statement, and if you’re trying to keep your cool, bold colors simply won’t do. In that case, consider a cool neutral color like gray. You can also use a more neutral shade of green (think “moss”) or an earthy neutral like a beige or taupe.

The great part about working with painted glass is that you can incorporate virtually any color you like into your paint palette. You can tint Glassprimer™ glass paint to match any color from any paint manufacturer. This means you can use ordinary house paint in the areas where ordinary house paint works best, and perfectly matched Glassprimer™ glass paint in the areas where only glass paint will do. Seamless color for each surface in the room!

You can laminate a single wall, for example, with painted glass panels. This is a great technique for covering up surface imperfections, or just adding a bit of character to a space.

“Industrial” is all the rage today, but there are some surfaces that don’t always look good, no matter what color you use. Poured cement may have imperfections. The sealer may not be evenly applied. Previous use may have left an indelible (and undesirable) mark on the walls. (Think rebar stains, pits, or paint that just won’t come off.) Laminated painted glass panels on the surface can not only immediately cure the visual problem, but they can also add a touch of class to the space.

If you would like more information about making painted glass, or having our paint tinted to match your planned paint palette, please visit us at Glass Paint.

Photo Credit: Steve Larkin, via Flickr

Stained Glass Inspires Computer Game

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Stained Glass Inspires Computer Game

Stained Glass Inspires Computer Game

Artists have used stained glass for years to inspire both themselves and their admirers, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that software developers at Mangatar would turn to stained glass as a motif for their latest computer game, Little Briar Rose.

The cross-platform point-and-click fantasy adventure game uses “stained glass” visuals throughout the game, which is populated by fairies, gnomes, wizards and princesses. The stained glass style was chosen to give the game an “ancient fairy tale” feel.

Creating a computer simulation of stained glass is complex, but computer developers don’t face the same challenges that artists who make genuine stained glass do. Lately, stained glass artisans have been working to confront the fact that their chosen medium can carry some serious environmental risks.

The deep, vibrant colors that are characteristic of stained glass come from heavy metals and toxic compounds like arsenic, cadmium, chromium, selenium and lead. Further, typical stained glass windows use lead beading to hold the colored glass pieces and create the classic stained glass look.

The raw materials for stained glass and furnaces willing to make stained glass are becoming more scarce. Artists are always looking for alternative media that enable them to create similar works more safely.

Glass paint can be an ideal substitute for traditional stained glass. The range and depth of glass paint colors is amazing. Painted glass has been an art form for hundreds of years. In fact, many “stained” glass windows are actually painted glass.

Modern glass paints, like Glassprimer™ glass paint are engineered to bond to glass surfaces permanently. This eliminates the need to fire the paint once it has been applied to the glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is also translucent and UV resistant, so light will filter through it, and the colors won’t fade, even in direct sunlight.

Please visit our site to learn more about Glassprimer™ glass paint.

Photo Credit: Steven Snodgrass, via Flickr.com

Bullseye Glass Targeted Again

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Bullseye Glass Targeted Again

Bullseye Glass Targeted Again

Bullseye Glass, the Portland glass furnace at the center of the debate about toxic metals, is in the crosshairs again. This time, the State of Oregon is warning Bullseye about its selenium emissions.

New filtration system in place at Bullseye Glass

Bullseye began working again just this month, following a months-long hiatus from producing stained glass that uses heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic and lead. The company reduced its output to control emissions in February, after readings showed high concentrations of the heavy metals in the air around the plant.

The company installed a filtration system to recapture heavy-metal laced vapors that are produced when the furnace makes certain colors of stained glass. The newest warning comes just weeks after the company resumed full production. According to the state, a recent reading taken from the air around the plant showed selenium in a concentration of 887 nanograms/cu-meter, which exceeds the state’s monitoring trigger of 710 ng/cu-meter.

Since taking the reading, the State of Oregon has asked Bullseye to confirm that it is using no more than 5 pounds of selenium per day, and that it is making the glass only in furnaces that use the new filtration system. State officials believe that the filtration system recently installed should be able to filter selenium emissions from the plant if the producer maintains limited use of selenium.

The State of Oregon does not currently have a maximum allowable limit on selenium emissions, but the Oregon Health Authority and the state’s Department of Environmental Quality are working to develop that standard. While selenium does not cause major health or developmental problems, it can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, bronchitis and breathing problems in exposed individuals.

The Bullseye case is being monitored by the US Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies around the country, which are coping with the same environmental concerns about their own art glass production facilities. The US EPA may release new filtration standards and reduce threshold filtration requirements. That could eliminate the current exemptions in place for small glass producers.

Painted glass is an optional substitute for stained glass. Painted glass is in place in many historic structures and provides a similar effect to stained glass. If you’d like more information about painted glass or glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: David Bilbo, via Flickr.com

Stained glass future in doubt

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Stained glass future in doubt

Stained glass future in doubt

Churches around the United States are finding themselves in a new battle – one that pits their cherished stained glass artwork against the environment. Stained glass suppliers and manufacturers are being limited by federal regulations governing lead and other heavy metal emissions from glass furnaces. That makes the future of stained glass uncertain. It also means that churches will have an increasingly difficult time getting stained glass windows made, repaired and replaced.

Stained glass cost may exceed market demand

The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering new regulations that will significantly limit the emissions from glass furnaces. Ordinary glass does not emit significant pollution, but colored glasses – many of which are made by combining metallic salts with raw materials for glass – can emit high levels of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, manganese, chromium, cobalt, copper, nickel and uranium.

While some of these metals are stable at room temperature, the glassmaking process heats the metals to the point of vaporization. Most of the vaporized metals are released into the furnace exhaust. Furnace exhaust can be filtered, but the filtration systems are extremely expensive, and beyond the budget of most glass producers.

In addition, current federal regulations provide exemptions for smaller glass furnaces, but new regulations would lower the filtration requirements. The required filtration systems would likely be too expensive for small glass furnaces. Stained glass windows are completely customized, and can exceed $20,000 apiece. The loss of smaller glass producers would likely increase the price of stained glass beyond the reach of most churches, and increase the amount of time required to fulfill stained glass orders.

One alternative to stained glass is painted glass. Painted glass windows can provide a similar effect to stained glass windows, but do not compromise the environment during production. In addition, painted glass windows are easier and less expensive to repair and maintain.

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

Photo Credit: Sheta Chow , via Flickr.com