Glass Splash Back

Hi Les

Not trying to be smart or anything mate but how would it go with a pot of boiling water next to it for say 10 to 12 minutes? Like when cooking pasta. Ours may be be thicker. Not sure.

Glass weight m2 = 2 1/2 x thickness of glass

eg: 5mm thick glass = 12.5kg per square meter
6mm thick glass= 15kg per square meter
and so on.

Installing into a on-road van should not be a problem
I wouldn't install in a off-road van.

I was a glass cutter/glazier in my last life
Cheers

Hi Cruiser

What about the heat issue. After all that's why they are placed on the walls behind stoves isn't it.

How would it go with a pot of boiling water next to it?

Phil

vk1dx, toughened glass is no problems with temperature differences, why it's used in shower screen panels a lot, it's a grade A safety glass, and it can handle hot water on cold glass fine.

Standard is 6mm toughened, no need to go thicker (except for aesthetics is some extravagant case), and shouldn't be thinner.

The main thing would be to give good tolerences, usually a couple of mm in a home situ, I would give it some more as it will likely be flexing quite a bit more.
Also, toughened flexes very well, the paint should be ok too.

Cruiser, yes, I used to just remember 2.5kg per mm thickness to the m2.

Thanks I thought there was a difference - "toughened" to "shower screen" etc.

Ours is secured to the wall with great lumps of some kind of silicone looking based goo.

Yes, silicone is industry standard for glass / mirror fixing, particularly neutral cure in a construction grade (Dow Corning is popular).

Other products can possibly damage paints and / or backing layers of vinyl, and especially mirror backings are prone to damage / staining if using acid cure silicone or other type of adhesives for construction (liquid nails, max bond, etc).

vk1dx, depending on how old the shower screen is, it maybe laminated (you can tell the difference between plate glass and laminate if you can't see the edge by knocking on the face, laminated will sound dence compared to plate.

Note sure about your shower screen being fixed by silicon alone though, sounds a bit un-desirable to me. Is glass floor to ceiling?

The shower screen is fairly new and it was the kitchen splashback that I said was secured by the silicon "goo".

Tnx

Phil, yes I thought you meant the splashback was glued in . . . usually, these panels are glued to the wall, little spacers underneath the bottom edge to keep clearance while it dries properly, and removed later.
Then, the whole thing is perimeter sealed to keep moisture out, as liquids from cleaning / spills are nice to keep from getting in there and building up bad bacteria etc.
Usually a coloured silicone is used to compliment the splashback colour and not clash.
It should be done very neatly by an experienced person, using a Windex type spray and what's know as a silicone spatula (or a finger tip :)), there's a bit of a technique experience brings to take excess material off and leave joins very neat.

Most large toughened unframed shower panels are glued into deep channel and silicone (usually translucent) is used for this, and it is very strong and can be done neatly.

I have made a lot of glass furniture in my time using silicone, complete with shelves, drawers, the lot . . . nowadays I make very nice glass display cases using UV curing glue, which is much cleaner and very neat.

Check this out: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.693293264055526.1073741827.423036701081185&type=1

I took it at Hamilton Station cattle yards and they printed it on the back of the glass. 20 plus photos merged into one and every colour in the kitchen is in it. Cost a bloody fortune to make sure it was properly sealed and will last.

Exactly what I'm talking about mate, very nice and can bring out a few stories at dinner time with guests I imagine :)

Good point Peter. Any hole would present a "weak point". And depending on the shape, it can weaken the sheet significantly. No holes is best.

In fact the old Comet plane of BOAC fame (I think) had windows that, due to their shape, developed bad cracks around them resulting in quite a few disasters until they changed the shape of the windows.

Phil

All splashbacks should be "toughened". Holes drilled into any glass to be toughened should be a certain distance from edge of glass, this distance depends on thickness of glass.
Under certain circumstances holes need to be closer to the edge of glass for hardware fitting purposes, for eg: heavy frameless shower screens or a glass door, in this case holes are slotted. If not, it wont make it through the furnace.
The weakest point in any toughened glass in its edge, you can belt the surface face of glass with a hammer and it won't break (unless there are impurities in the glass its self or it has not been toughen correctly, there should be a exact amount of shattered glass pieces in a 100mm square, this is called a "dice count")
Paint on a splashback should be painted on the "non-tin side" then heat cured and then have a protective vinyl cover.
Splashbacks or any type of toughened glass do not crack, they explode!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers

Just to add, The weakest point in any toughened glass in its edge, you can belt the surface face of glass with a hammer and it won't break, you can tap the edge using minimal force with the same hammer and she will explode.
Most installers use "liquid nails" to stick splashbacks on. Fixing glass with screws is a thing of the past and cost quite a bit more.

I used to have a bit of 3mm toughened clear in the retail / trade glass centre I managed for a few years.
3mm toughened was (and still is) rare, this one made by one of our subsidiary companies that made toughened stove top glass.

I'd do a demo with it where I'd whack it hard on the timber entry door frame in the showroom, and I must have done this 100's if not a 1000 times as an effective demo of the toughness of the glass.

Until . . . one day a local priest was in for a talk about a bit of glass to be a wall in a new baptism font, with a large piece of glass in a sunken area so people could see the event underwater.
Well, I told him no probs, we'd be looking at 12mm or maybe 15mm toughened glass for the project.
"Is it strong enough ?" he asked.
Sure, demo went well once, twice, and I gave it a third whack for good luck and sure enough, it broke into tiny particles 8|

Was a good demo of why it is a safety glass anyway, and we glazed his mini indoor pool wall a couple of weeks later.

Yep, can be done fine, light, strong, easy to work with . . . have also seen beautiful photographs laminated to the back of both acrylic and glass, scenes taken by people on travels etc, some are very spectacular and a real talking piece.

Acrylic is fine, but always have to keep in mind, it scratches finely wiping dust from it (not as much of an issue with vertical panels), and you can't use anything abrasive on it . . . neither cleaners themselves like ajax etc, or cleaning pads like scourers, steel wool, or those white microfibre blocks.