Product Design Options
Door + Window Glass
Choosing the right glass options is an important part of the overall window and door selection process. Marvin offers a variety of insulating options, including standard dual or optional triple pane insulated glass, and surface coatings that help manage the amount of light and heat entering and leaving your home. Proper installation and high-quality materials are also key for good energy efficiency. Certain materials can shrink and expand with cold/heat cycles and seals can begin to fail. Once seals fail, the energy efficiency the windows claimed when new is greatly reduced.
Window Glass Options
Double Glass Window Panes
Our standard glazing is dual pane: two panes of glass with Low-E coatings and insulated with argon gas. Compared to a single glass pane, dual pane glass cuts energy costs significantly because of low emissivity coating and the gas filled insulating space between the glass layers. They are sometimes called insulated glass windows.
Triple Pane Windows
Triple paned windows consist of three panes of glass with Low-E coatings applied to the surface. Two glass spaces are insulated with argon gas between the panes to provide insulated glass windows..
Double Pane vs. Triple Pane windows
Triple pane windows work best when enhanced energy performance is a key objective. Triple pane windows are designed to reduce U-Factor as compared to dual pane. They offer a range of Low-E configurations, along with Low ERS, and with either an argon gas fill or air for high altitude applications. Triple pane glass can help with sound abatement and provide more in home comfort in cold environments because the interior surface of the glass is warmer, reducing convection currents.
Available on select windows.
Tempered Glass Window
Tempered glass is considered “safety glass.” It’s manufactured to be up to four times stronger than standard glass. Also, if tempered glass does break, it shatters into tiny pieces that are much less likely to cause an injury than the large, sharp shards of falling glass, like when standard glass is broken.
Building codes often require windows to be made with safety glass if they’re installed in a location where there is an increased risk that a resident could fall and collide with a window. Examples for spots to have safety glass windows include areas where a window is installed close to the floor, in bathrooms near a tub or shower, and stairways. All glass doors and extremely large windows also require safety glass like tempered glass.
Laminated Glass Windows
Laminated glass is also considered “safety glass.” It’s constructed by sandwiching a thin, near-invisible sheet of plastic between two panes of glass. When a laminated glass pane is broken, the plastic holds all of the pieces together. In addition to preventing airborne glass, laminated glass is strong and cannot be cut with a standard glass cutter, so it offers an additional layer of security against forced entries. Laminated glass is also better at dampening loud sounds than non-laminated glass.
Impact Glass Windows and Hurricane Glass Windows
Homes in many coastal regions need extra protection from high winds and flying debris generated from tropical storms and hurricanes. Impact-resistant glass, sometimes referred to as impact glass or hurricane glass, is stronger than standard safety glass. Impact-resistant glass is laminated but made with a thicker plastic inner layer and may contain thicker panes as well. Some impact-resisting glass units are assembled with both laminated and tempered glass.
Bird Glass
Bird-friendly glass is an option to help prevent birds from striking window and door glass. The reflective nature of glass can make window and door areas appear as trees, sky, or open space, confusing birds and their flight paths. Bird-friendly glass works to counteract this and limit bird strikes by adding visual elements to glass through design, etchings, or UV coatings that help to limit the reflective nature of window glass for birds.
Decorative Glass and Window Tints
A variety of decorative glass options are available, including frosted glass windows, to meet the unique needs of each project. Laminated glass is also available in clear, bronze, gray, or green with tinted interlayers.
*Available on Modern and Ultimate Collection products. Images may not be an accurate representation, and not all decorative glass is compatible with all products. Check with your dealer for a recommendation on which window glass design is right for your project.
Privacy Glass Windows
If you're looking for window glass design ideas that maintain privacy and still provide sunlight, then think about decorative glass and tinted glass. Options like frosted glass work well for bathroom windows while obscure glass fits for sidelites next to front doors.
Specialty Glass Options
Our specialty options include glass for unique project needs like sound abatement (STC/OITC), high altitudes, Sea Turtle Conservation Codes (available on Ultimate products), and California fire zones. We also offer laminated glass on certain products that’s designed specifically for hurricane zones. Learn more about our coastal solutions.
FAQs
What is the best type of glass for windows?
The best type of glass for windows depends on your location and the room where the window is located. In coastal regions, impact glass and hurricane glass can be the best option. Inside a home decorative glass windows provide privacy while still allowing light into a space. In some areas, tempered glass is the best window glass because, if broken, the pieces will not have sharp edges like other glass.
When were glass windows invented?
Glass windows became a standard feature in the average home in the 17th century. For the next 300 years, windows were constructed with a single pane of glass, but one pane was not effective at keeping homes warm in the winter or cool in the summer. In the 1950s, residential glass manufacturers started combining two panes of glass separated by a small air space. The motionless air between the panes acted as an insulator and reduced the buildup of condensation in the winter.
What are the different types of bathroom glass windows?
There are several types of bathroom window glass available. Bathroom windows with frosted glass remain a popular options while you can also choose obscure glass windows for as a privacy glass window option. Bathroom windows typically use tempered glass because if broken, the glass will shatter into unsharp pieces.
How to keep birds from flying into glass windows?
Adding bird-friendly glass to your windows or buying windows with bird-friendly glass is one option to keep birds from flying into glass windows. But you can do other things like adding items near your windows to create a visual clue for birds. Moving houseplants farther back from your windows can help decrease any confusion for birds.