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FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. How do I get started with some special glass for a new home? 2. Where should I put art glass in my home? 3. How much does art glass cost? 4. How long does it take to make my custom glass? 5. Who installs my art glass purchase?
6. How and when do I pay for my art glass? 7. Do you also sell doors or custom millwork? 8. Will a leaded glass door be strong enough to withstand frequent slamming? 9.
I already have ideas for my design. Can
they be used for my art glass?
10. How
can you fix my bathroom window so that lots of light comes in but no one
can see in?
11.
What
about a really large window like 4 ft x 6 ft, or even bigger?
12.
How
will my glass be installed?
13.
How
do you get your measurements for the
glass to be made?
14.
How
can I improve the appearance of the glass bock window in my
bathroom?
15.
How will my art glass be installed in a pocket door? Is this possible?
Call
to make an appointment for a free design
session at our studio (216-9484). During
that session we will explore your likes
and dislikes about styles and colors and
designs. Bring your drawings, house
plans, or the dimensions of the areas
you are considering for glass. (To
prepare for that session, look at
samples on our website (www.dazzleglazz.com)
and visit one or both of our shared
showrooms at 1857 Government
Street (Circa 1857 Art &
Architecture) or at 8380 Tom Drive
(Interior Transformations). Also
read the contents of the FAQS to answer
most of your questions beforehand.
Some clients
make their design and glass decisions at a single session.
Others
want a colored
design
drawing that we load to the "Residential Design Area" of our
website for review and approval. They then
come back to our studio to select the exact glass colors and make
the initial payment to begin the commissioned artwork. Interior designers
are welcome to assist in the color selections.
2.
Where
should I put art glass in my home?
Anywhere
that you want beautiful light!
The
beauty of art glass is that it transforms ordinary light (mostly sunlight)
into magnificent colored light.
This
is especially true of clear bevels that act as prisms for sunlight and
form small rainbows of color everywhere that the sun’s rays fall.
That makes art glass perfect for entranceways (doors, sidelights,
transoms) as well as bathroom and kitchen windows. All types of cabinets (kitchen, bar, built-ins) can be
dressed up with simple designs of textured clear glass, perhaps with a
small bevel design and/or brass. Other glass locations are also suitable,
such as fireplace or room-divider screens, light fixtures, framing for
mirrors, interior transoms, and table tops.
3.
How
much does art glass cost?
The
factors that determine the price for art glass are:
a
We
work with you to find a design solution
that fits your
budget!
4.
How
long does it take to make my custom glass?
This
depends on the availability of the
necessary materials and our production
workload. (Having a lean staff
helps us keep our prices to you
lower). Generally 3-6 weeks is
usual for most jobs.
We can give you a commitment at time of order placement.
We recommend that you not have the art glass installed until
construction is complete.
We
can do the installation or you can have someone else do it.
The glass panels are usually held into their openings by wood trim
molding.
If we do the
installation, we require that moldings already be cut to fit the openings
and tacked in place by the carpenter or millwork shop that produced the
window or door.
This rule
gets you the best final appearance because the trim will already be
stained or painted to match the rest of the opening trim.
(As glass artisans, we admit that we are not
professionals at carpentry
or wood finishing!)
We
also offer to supply the trim at additional cost.
6.
How
and when do I pay for my art glass? The
final price will be determined at the design session where you select the
exact glass colors for your art. At that time a payment of 50% of the
total price is required, with the balance being due upon installation or
pick-up of the completed art glass. We
keep your price lower by accepting only check, cash or money order.
7.
Do
you also sell doors or custom millwork?
We
specialize in glass art.
Although
we display our works in doors, we
Yes! If double- or triple-glazed (see question
#12 below on
installation for explanation), the sum of three sheets of glass
mechanically connected together will withstand constant slamming.
On our single-glazed doors we put brass or steel reinforcement bars
across the panel to provide extra support. We attempt to follow a design
line with these reinforcements so that they become virtually invisible in
the door.
Our doors conform
to the area building code requirements.
Our
goal is to meet our client’s preferences for design, color and style
while producing a unique piece of art. We welcome
client
design ideas
because they give a jump-start to the decisions that must be made before
the work can be commissioned. However, there are limitations imposed by
the glass fabrication process that must be considered, so some adjustments
might be necessary. That will all be discussed during the design session.
10.
How
can you fix my bathroom window so that lots of light comes in but no one
can see in? To
meet the need for privacy, we design a window that contains glass with
texture on the surface. When the surface of glass is not smooth, it
distorts the light passing through and obscures vision of images on the
other side of it. We have
Louisiana's largest selection of clear,
vision-obscuring glass
which we use just for this purpose. We use textured colored glass to make
colored "stained glass" designs for your window.
We also make kitchen windows to let in light but obscure an
unattractive outside view.
11.
What
about a really large window like 4 ft x 6 ft, or even bigger?
We
do large windows!
However, there are
two special considerations:
12.
How
will my glass be installed? New
construction: Here you have three options:
1)
Single-glazing.
Install
your art glass as the only glass in your opening (window or door).
When this option is chosen, the opening is filled with plywood
until construction is completed.
A
duplicate plywood template is used as the template for the art glass.
The art glass is installed immediately after you move into the
residence and your homeowner’s insurance will be in effect.
A copy of the D
Note: Building codes
requiring safety glass around tubs, showers and front doors may prohibit this
method of installation!
2) Double-glazing:
A
clear insulated
glass panel is installed by your contractor in your door or window opening
during construction.
Your art
glass will be installed later on the inside of the house against the clear
glazing and attached with another trim molding. The view out through the
art glass from inside is unaffected by the clear glazing.
For beveled entry glass, however, the view from outside is changed
by lower reflection of light from the bevel edges and reflections from the
flat-surfaced clear glass. When this external appearance is important to
3) Triple-glazing: Also
called "encapsulation", the art glass is placed between two
pieces of clear glass and the edges are sealed with a desiccant to prevent
moisture appearance within the panel.
This is the preferred arrangement for high moisture locations. This
method will also preserve the finish on brass if it is used instead of
lead for the glass joints. This is what is available in mass-manufactured
doors because it will meet the building codes in those parts of the
country that require it. The flat surfaces are easy to keep clean.
As mentioned in the double glazing section above, there is some
loss in the reflective effect from bevel edges when viewed from outside.
Encapsulated
panels do not require a factory-made
window. They can be "direct
set" in a wooden box frame built by
the carpenter. The construction opening is closed with plywood until the glass
“sandwich” is installed.
Our studio uses glass industry standard
and guaranteed materials to fabricate
our triple-glazed art works.
We encapsulate with annealed or tempered
glass depending on client request,
window location, and local building
code.
Remodeling:
1) Remodeling additions offer the same options as
new construction above.
2) Windows that become interior because of
additions make excellent casements for single-glazed room-divider art
glass once the original panes are removed. Backlighting can be used for
windows that must be walled-over on one side.
3) Adding privacy to doors or windows with large
clear areas can be accomplished by the double-glazing method described
above under new construction.
4) Adding privacy to clear doors or windows that
are divided into multiple lights (panes) is best accomplished by cutting
out the panes/dividers and replacing them with a single leaded panel of
either the single-or triple-glazed type.
This is a common solution for newer homes where more privacy is
desired than the original clear
multi-light entrance door can provide. Please
see the section on Entrance
Make-overs for more details about
this method.
Not
installed: 1) The glass panel can be hung in a window
opening, either supported by loops inserted in the metal frame around the
glass, or by hooks on a wooden frame around the panel. This method is
preferred by individuals who want to take their art glass with them when
they move! 13.
How
do you get your measurements for the
glass to be made?
The
best method is to wait until the opening
(window, door, transom, etc.) is finish
trimmed with molding. Then we obtain the
exact inner dimensions. We will
make the glass slightly smaller than
these dimensions to allow for expansion
and any variations in the framing or the
finished glass.
An
alternate method is for someone to give us exact measurements
that
they want for the glass. In this case, we cannot take any
responsibility for the proper fit of the
final installation. 14.
How
can
I
improve the appearance of the glass block window in my
bathroom? A
decorative art glass window can be
placed in front of the glass block. If
made of opalescent glass, or if placed
somewhat forward from the glass blocks,
there will be minimal shadows from the
brick grout lines.
15.
How will my art glass be installed in a pocket door? Is this possible? A
decorative art glass
a) Mark the door with the panel size by laying the panel on the door and then marking around it. Add 1/8" on each side and on bottom, allowing for the thickness of your marker. b) Cut the opening along the lines through both sides of the door keeping the saw perpendicular to the surface at all times. c) Prepare some strips of wood whose total width is the internal distance between the door surfaces. Cut out the door filler (usually corrugated cardboard webbing) to permit insertion of the strips all around the opening and flush with the edges of the opening. Dry fit them all around. d) Glue the strips into the opening and against the inner edges of the door faces and clamp them with C-clamps through the opening. Be sure that the strips are flush with the cutout edges. e) With these strips in place, the door glass can be installed just like in a normal door using a molding approximately 1/2" deep on each side of the glass panel and secured (nailed) to these strips.
Galleries: Doors Windows Transoms Cabinets Restorations Entrance Make-Overs Screens Accessories Art & Gifts(Note: Click on images with blue borders to see larger view) |
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