Frameless glazing is a new trend in the design of facades. It differs in originality and practicality, allowing you to create bright rooms and protect them from external influences. Similar designs can be found not only on balconies or loggias of multi-apartment residential buildings, but also when decorating office premises or private houses.
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Features of the
Such products are increasingly being used for installation on a balcony. They can be classified as cold glazing, since glass is not able to retain heat. So a warm space with these attributes is almost impossible.
The frameless system consists of the following components:
- The upper and lower profile, which forms the frame of the entire structure. These elements are fastened to the ceiling and floor using anchor bolts. The profile has several grooves of a certain size, which allow not only to hold the glass, but also make it possible for it to move freely when the sash is opened.
- The closer guides the glass unit into a special niche to make a turn. The main material for the production of this attribute is plastic.
- Side profiles, which are installed in order to achieve a high level of sealing in the places where the glass adjoins the walls. Also, these attributes can take some of the loads, optimizing the operation of the system.
- Upper and lower latches, which are used to fix the sash in a certain position.
- Glasses. Their number depends on the size of the opening where they are installed. Special grades of glasses are used, which are distinguished by high impact resistance. The minimum thickness of these materials is 6 mm, but high-quality products may be larger in size.
- Glass profile, which is used to fix the glass. Many variants of such products are complemented by special bearings that simplify the movement of the structure. Fastening to it is carried out using polyurethane-based glue.
- Suspension system with rollers.
- Lower and upper drainage cornices, which limit the penetration of water into the structure.
Varieties of frameless glazing
Such systems are quite simple to arrange, but, nevertheless, there are several ways to install them on the market. According to this criterion, they can be divided into the following categories:
Upper bearing profile. In such systems, the glasses are suspended on special roller supports. The bottom flaps are used only as movement restraints. For this, certain mechanisms are mounted on them. A similar installation is used in cases where there is no reliable railings on the balcony
Lower load-bearing base. In such systems, rollers are already used both from below and from above. In this case, the lower base receives the main load. The number of roller supports depends on the type of construction, which allows you to organize the opening like a "book" in a certain direction
Lots of guides. Here, it is already assumed that each sash will be mounted on separate rollers, which allow them to be moved independently of each other. These designs resemble doorways of wardrobes. The cost of building such systems is somewhat lower, but they can be mounted only on straight facades, which is not always possible
Advantages of "transparent" products
A distinctive feature of frameless balcony glazing is the absence of vertical pillars as such. This leads to the fact that they are gradually replacing insulating glass units similar to them, being an excellent replacement for them.
Among the positive characteristics of this type of glazing, several important properties can be distinguished:
- Increased luminous flux. This makes it possible to illuminate the apartment or the balcony itself using a natural source.
- High level of protection against wind, dust and rain.
- Ventilation automation. Many modern systems are equipped with special ventilation ducts, which allows fresh air to enter the room.
- Long service life.
- Universal application. Glazing of this type can be carried out not only on balconies, but also on terraces, verandas and gazebos.
- Relatively simple installation process.
- Aesthetic appeal. Frameless balconies look very original and beautiful, which allows them to fit into any interior, even without using decoration.
Negative sides
Although frameless glazing is very popular, before installing it, you need to find out all the disadvantages of this system:
- High price compared to other types of glazing.
- Low level of thermal insulation. This excludes the expansion of the room due to the territory of the loggia or balcony.
- Constant cleaning. In order for the glasses to always look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, they need to be washed periodically.
- The minimum level of sealing can lead to moisture penetration. In winter, the frames can freeze up, which makes it impossible to use them optimally.
- Frameless structures do not provide for the option of installing a mosquito net, which can cause insects to enter the apartment.
If installed incorrectly, there is a possibility of skewing, which in turn will lead to the impossibility of opening the leaves.
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Preparing the parapet before installation
Frameless glazing, although it does not carry a large load on the base, requires a solid foundation. Therefore, the quality and reliability of operation of the entire structure depends on how well the frame will be prepared.
The preparatory work can be divided into several stages:
- Initially, an analysis is made of the state of the supporting balcony slab and the parapet itself. Please note that if the latter is made of metal rods, then it must be dismantled.
- The final stage is the construction of a new parapet using bricks or blocks. It should be positioned so that the top plate overlaps it by at least 6 cm.
If the integrity of the base is violated, it is advisable to strengthen it. This process is very complex and requires certain knowledge, so you need to trust it to specialists.
Step by step installation
The algorithm for installing glazing without frames involves performing several sequential steps:
First of all, you need to check the condition of all load-bearing elements. Make sure that the parapet is level, the surface deviation is allowed no more than 2 mm. Along the entire perimeter of the balcony, the distance between the base and the top slab must be the same. If these values are different in some places, this will lead to jamming of the sash and the inability to open it
You can even out the distance by applying a reinforcing metal mesh to the ceiling and plastering it.
- After that, the guides are fastened. Before proceeding with this procedure, you need to mark out their locations. At the same time, both frames should be located in the same vertical plane, so this process is very responsible.
- The profile is fastened using dowels, which are located in the drilled holes.
- At this stage, the side posts are mounted in a similar manner to the previous process.
- The final step is to install the glasses in the grooves and fix them with special fittings. It is imperative that when performing such operations, it is necessary to check the operability of the system.
To seal the joints between the profile and the walls, you need to fill them with a special silicone sealant, and when the holes are large, you can use mounting foam.
We select the best option for products
There are many manufacturers of such systems on the market today. Among domestic products, one can single out the brands CTC and Estelle, which have good technical characteristics. The advantage of this frameless glazing is that the sash is fixed to the upper and lower profile, which significantly increases the wind resistance.
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The frames of such systems are made not of aluminum, but of stainless steel. Among the analogues of foreign production, the Lumon brand can be distinguished.
These products are made from special aluminum alloys, in which the composition of impurities is constantly regulated. Frameless glazing of this brand can be installed in openings of any shape. Judging by the reviews of the owners of such balconies, they look luxurious and very practical to use.
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