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Glass is made from molten sand and various additives including lime and soda ash. Glass has been with us since the Roman times, and today is used heavily in a variety of applications around the home. Most people don't realize that there are actually several different varieties of glass. The type of glass that is most familiar is what is called sheet glass, or float glass. Sheet glass is generally used for window glazing in many older house windows and doors. Sheet glass is relatively easy to cut and work with, but it is not too terribly energy efficient. If you are contemplating replacing a piece of glass and you have an older home, ensure that you buy window grade sheet glass. There is a cheaper grade of sheet glass called horticulture glass, which is really meant for use in building greenhouses. The next type of glass, which most people will encounter in a home, is tempered glass. Tempered glass is heat-treated glass that will crumble as a safety feature if it is broken. Most often you will see tempered glass in storm windows, screen doors, and door glass. A special type of tempered glass can often be found in automobiles, is called laminated tempered glass. This is basically tempered glass, which is laminated between two sheets of plastic, which provides safety in the event of an impact. The important thing to remember about any sort of tempered or laminated glass is that you cannot cut it with a normal glasscutter. This is because as soon as you go to cut it you will shatter the glass. If you are planning to use safety glass in a project then you will need to ensure that you order the glass to the right size before you begin to work with it. Another type of glass that the homeowner may run into is low-e glass. The e stands for low emissivity. Basically this is glass that has a special coating on the one side of the surface, which is selective in what it allows to pass. Generally the low-e glass will allow light to pass while reflecting back heat. Often you will see this sort of glass in new replacement windows for energy efficiency. A type of glass that you may see in high security applications, and in doors, is wired glass. This is glass which has a steel wire safety mesh incorporated as part of the glass during manufacture. The wire will often help to keep the glass pane's integrity even if the glass is broken. The interesting thing about wired glass is that often it will meet fire codes as a fire rated material. In the event of a fire the wired glass will help to prevent the spread of smoke and fire. Tinted glass is another variety that a homeowner may encounter. Tinted glass has a tint to it, which is designed to cut down on the heat from the sun. Often you will see tinted glass in skylights in homes. Tinted glass can be made from regular sheet glass, or laminated glass. The only negative to this is that tinted glass can really cut down on light admitted on overcast or cloudy days. The last major type of glass is something called patterned glass. Patterned glass is most often found in bathroom windows. Basically patterned glass has a pattern impressed on one side of the glass which prevents someone from seeing though it, for privacy. Pattern glass can also be ordered in various tints as well. You may also see pattern glass in architectural applications where light is wanted, but where it would be unattractive to see though the glass. A common application of this sort is when used in privacy walls to separate one room from another. Uttini. “How to Understand the Different Types of Window Glass.” Associated Content. 11 Sep. 2009 [http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/860413/how_to_understand_the_different_types.html?cat=25].
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