Glass Flooring

Giroux Glass is highly skilled in installing strong, safe, and secure glass flooring systems. As demonstrated by our award-winning work on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, no glass flooring design is too ambitious for our skilled team of Union glaziers. Read on for more insight into how these floors work, and how they can make a safe, comfortable, and visually striking addition to your commercial or residential project.

Glass floors are typically comprised of toughened laminated glass, as it has the weight and durability required to support heavy foot traffic. Installations themselves are highly customizable, allowing for many variations and specifications that can be adjusted to best serve the aims of the project as a whole. In general, there are two types of glass floor installations:

Single-panel glass floors

Fixed, single-panel floors are smaller-scale installations most often used to accentuate a particular area of a property: a view into a prized wine cellar or emphasis of a notable landmark, for example, or as a means of enabling natural light to flow between two levels. Giroux Glass has the capability to outfit these installations according to a wide range of size, strength, and functional specifications. They can be small and uniquely shaped for residential use, or designed with the strength to handle and bear the weight of a car in a garage or showroom.

Multi-panel glass floors

Multi-panel glass floors are used to outfit larger spaces, and have a stunning visual impact wherever they appear. They can be designed with visible aluminum, steel, or even glass curtain wall support systems, or be joined together with clear silicone joints for a nearly seamless effect. The floors are as customizable as glass itself, and can be fortified with films, laminates, and/or coatings that retain or deflect heat, glare, and other properties. They can also be made movable to enhance ventilation, ease of access, or both.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a prime example of one of Giroux Glass’ more complex multi-panel glass floor systems. The floor of this landmark structure is comprised of 46 custom-built glass panels made from five composite layers of tempered glass, plus a “sacrificial” glass layer that are easily replaced when damaged. These panels are roughly 3 inches thick, and weigh a combined total of 83,000 pounds. Bolstered by the bridge’s structural elements, each panel is able to support 100 pounds per square foot, allowing up to 800 people to stand on the structure without incurring any damage. That’s more than ample, considering only 120 people are allowed on the Skywalk at one time.

Assessing your needs

Not all floors need to be as massive as the Skywalk’s. Giroux Glass uses a “duty rating” to determine whether a glass floor needs to be single, double or triple glazed. Our experts assess the flooring design to confirm that it will be sufficiently secure, stable, and capable of delivering effective insulation, while maximizing the flow of natural light. Architects, general contractors, property owners and developers often reach out to us at the start of the design process for guidance on selecting ideal glazing solution. It’s our job (and our passion) to be aware of all the latest developments in custom glass flooring.

Here are some of the glass types we have installed as flooring throughout our long history:

• Walkable glass flooring
• Sacrificial glass
• Float glass
• White floor glass
• Colored glass
• Satin glass
• Lacobel (varnished) glass
• Laminated glass floor
• Toughened glass
• Annealed glass
• Anti-reflection glass
• Reflective glass
• Steel-clad glass
• Self-cleaning glass
• Decorative glass
• Matte finishing glass
• Silk screened glass

Every type of glass system has its own benefits, features and specific qualities. Consulting with our expert team will help you decide which kind is suitable for your building and appropriate for your unique glass flooring needs. Giroux Glass assures that every glass type is tested and approved from the manufacturer to meet and exceed both the construction safety requirements and the high aesthetic standards set by our clients.