Essentials to remember when buying frameless glass balustrade

There are a lot of options out there when it comes to frameless glass balustrade systems, here’s a run down of what to look for in a product;

1. Is the aluminium channel anodised? Most of the products on the market have the channel brushed and anodised to look like stainless steel.  This is a excellent metal; extremely strong, durable and light weight.  Proudly invented in Cornwall! Steel rusts, aluminium doesn’t but to protect it against corrosion you should only buy a channel system that is anodised.  There are different levels so make sure it’s to around 20 mircons as this gives a good layer of extra protection.
2. Need drainage? Most places you install glass balustrade don’t need drainage but you might be installing on a flat roof.  If so you’ll need drainage! There are different ways to achieve this but make sure they account for it.  Vantage can supply drain blocks that allow water to pass underneath the channel itself.
3. Side fix or base fix? Systems on the market now allow fixing through both the side and the base of the channel (one or the other).  There are advantages to both and it depends where you are installing and to what.  Side fix is generally used for flat roofs or to fix to the stringer on stairs.  It’s important to remember that with side fix channels you will have external drill holes, this can increase the price as you might want cladding to cover the drill holes.  Vantage does a cladding with our side fix channels but you can always clad with other materials onsite i.e. timber.
4. Speed of installation.  Whether your installation is commercial or residential you don’t want to have to spend a large amount of time installing the balustrade system.  Some products are more time consuming than others so have a look at how they install to make sure you choose a product that is fast to install.