Does a glass floor work?

gaffer

gaffer

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Andrew Beattie
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I am having a studio built and I am thinking about the floor...

My plan is to buy a sheet of tempered, hardened, toughened and/or laminated glass, 2.7m wide and as long as I can buy to lay on top of background paper, to give a nice, seamless reflective surface for subjects to walk on.

I only get one chance at this - it won't fit in the door - I need to get it in place before they finish building! If it doesn't work I'll need to break it to get it out.

Has anyone here used glass? Is it as good as I am hoping?

Andrew
 
From what I've read on here with glass you risk a double reflection. Also on a 'health and safety' note, glass may not be the best idea. It also will get very cold for your models, perhaps perspex may be a better idea.
 
My reasoning was that perspex is prone to scratching and that I have read stories of "couldn't break the patio window in a fire". But I'm listening.
 
gaffer said:
My reasoning was that perspex is prone to scratching and that I have read stories of "couldn't break the patio window in a fire". But I'm listening.
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I think you'll find that patio windows don't break easily because they're double glazed, which means that the impact is damped by the air and the flexing of the second layer of glass.

And yes, there will be a problem with double reflections, that's inevitable.
 
Toughened (otherwise known as tempered) glass is very resistant to breaking on its surface but quite fragile to its edge. I worked with glass for almost 15 years and on one occasion I tried to break a 10mm thick tempered glass panel with a crowbar after throwing it in a skip. Interestingly I couldn't break it, the crowbar just bounced off! However, I wouldn't consider using glass for your floor. It's heavy, expensive and still possible to scratch. I'd consider tile board or another laminate surface if I were you.
 
Apart form everything mentioned in the above posts, if at any point this studio needs professional models, you will not be able to get insurance cover. You will have to keep the floor very very clean to get the effect you want, because of this it will be very slippery. It's a safety risk that no insurance company is going to take on.
 
Hello Andrew, I have over 30 years experience in the glass industry specialising in glass floors, staircases, lift cars etc.
As previous posters have explained its particularly heavy. Glass weighs 2.5kg per m2 so for example a panel of approx. thickness of 25mm which you will need (laminated composition) weighs approx. 60kg for a panel 1000mm x 1000mm.
You would need to check with your local district surveyor as it may need to be ire resistant and that is when it gets really expensive. P M me if you wish to discuss further or have any other questions.
 
Glass might cause a double reflection, but on the upside, it can be polished. I use it for product jobs, but I couldn't imagine having a piece large enough to stand on. It'll be crazy money.
 
Well my parents paid £1000 for a glass shower panel that was 12mm thick and it took 2 of us to put in place so good luck with the glass option lol :).
 
kiteninja said:
Well my parents paid £1000 for a glass shower panel that was 12mm thick and it took 2 of us to put in place so good luck with the glass option lol :).
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12mm is thick :eek:, I thought I was doing well with 8mm and that required 3off hinges (frameless)
 
One weird consideration could be condensation under the glass causing staining and mould that would be inaccessable.

I would go for jet black terrazzo polished to a glass finish, quite cheap and can be re-polished again and again.
or
A 1" deep waterproof tray type floor area that could be flooded as required (great for electrocuting models etc:cool:) I built a 6ft square one last year for a mess around. No good for what I was doing but loads of potential for unusual setups.
 
If you don't mind my asking, what are the precise qualities that you feel a glass floor will give you. Is it that you could underlight it?, alter the colour under it, if access was possible?, Or is it just the reflective gloss shine to bounce stuff off of?.

It seems a strange and very expensive floor, with limited day to day virtues and flexibility to me, unless there is overiding specific reasoning for it and money is no object.
 
Steve T said:
If you don't mind my asking, what are the precise qualities that you feel a glass floor will give you. Is it that you could underlight it?, alter the colour under it, if access was possible?, Or is it just the reflective gloss shine to bounce stuff off of?.

It seems a strange and very expensive floor, with limited day to day virtues and flexibility to me, unless there is overiding specific reasoning for it and money is no object.
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:agree:
 
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