How to Make Glass Look Frosted
Frosted glass has a range of benefits, whether you’re looking for more privacy, a touch of style, or to keep out the hot summer’s sun. In this article, we’re going to explore what frosted glass is, what to do if you want your glass to be both frosted and clear, and potential use-cases for frosted glass in your home or office.
What is frosted glass?
Frosted glass is opaque glass that, while letting in a certain amount, blocks the majority of external light from entering the room in question. Not only does this help limit the amount of light and heat, but it can also do wonders for your privacy.
However, you might decide that you want your glass to be both frosted and clear, just at different times of the day. In this case, you’d want something like Switchable Smart Glass, which can turn from opaque to frosted in an instant. It’s operated using a simple ON-OFF system that can even be hooked up to your home or office’s smart devices (such as Alexa or Google Home).
Switchable Smart Glass allows you to gain instant privacy at the click of a button and eliminates the need for you to make a permanent choice between enjoying a view or maintaining your modesty It helps you blend the simultaneous needs for aesthetics and function, while also helping you easily control the amount of light and heat that enters the room.
That being said, there’s no one single style of frosted switchable glass. Here at Intelligent Glass, we offer a range of solutions, tailored to suit different budgets and applications.
Switchable Laminated Glass is one of our most popular solutions, with its more durable nature making it perfect for bathrooms and high traffic areas. For a more cost effective switchable solution we offer our Toughened Switchable Glass, an ideal product for meeting rooms and partitions as well as our Self-Adhesive Switchable Film which can be retrofit to any existing glass surface.
Our more specialist solutions include our Switchable Double Glazing with increased thermal performance and our Switchable Vision Panels, commonly used in both meeting room doors and residential front doors to peak inside/outside without causing a disturbance.
How is Frosted Glass Manufactured?
Out and out frosted glass is manufactured using annealed glass, but our specialist smart glass takes frosted glass to a new level. Due to the diversity of our Switchable Smart Glass range, our products vary in manufacturing process however all of this is done in our specialist facilities at our HQ near Sheffield, UK.
Frosted Switchable Laminated Glass
To manufacture Switchable Laminated Glass, you start with a PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal) layer, consisting of liquid crystal microdroplets suspended in polymer, the core to all our switchable technologies.
The PDLC molecules naturally reflect light away from the surface, but when an electrical charge passes through them, they polarise—allowing the light to pass through and creating the option for frosted or clear glass at will. Then, you enclose this switchable layer between two pieces of glass, producing a durable privacy solution that’s more equipped to withstand bathroom applications and high traffic environments.
Frosted Toughened Switchable Glass
This product, which is perfect for projection applications, is manufactured by bonding the liquid crystal switchable coating onto any piece of toughened glass with the help of UV lighting. Due to only being bonded to a single piece of glass, our Toughened Smart Glass has the quickest turnaround time and is the most cost effective of all of our glass based products.
Frosted Switchable Double Glazing
Switchable Double Glazing allows you to pick and choose between privacy and transparency at the click of the button, while you’ll also benefit from the improved thermal performance that double glazing guarantees.
The (PDLC) switchable layer is coated down on the inner surface of one panel of glass, before being combined with the second panel of glass to form a sealed unit.
Our switchable smart double-glazed windows utilise a warm edge spacer bar with an argon-filled air gap in between to offer greater insulation and performance.
Frosted Switchable Vision Panels
Switchable Vision Panels are powered by a replaceable AA battery pack, meaning they work independently of mains power. This also means they can be retrofit into existing doors with little to no disruption. At the push of a button, they transform from opaque to fully translucent allowing the user to check the occupancy of the room without causing any disturbance to the party on the other side
Frosted Self-Adhesive Switchable Film
Switchable Film is at the core of our entire switchable range. On top of the huge selection of smart glass products we offer, our frosted Self-Adhesive Switchable Film, is a simple and cost-effective alternative to other Switchable Glass products. It is manufactured by applying a self-adhesive cling layer (peel and stick) to one side of the switchable film, giving you a versatile product that can be retrofit to any existing glass surface.
This film is available in widths up to 1500mm which we can custom cut to any size or custom shapes.
Frosted Glass in Action
Let’s take a look at three places where your home or office might benefit from having frosted glass or switchable smart glass.
Bathroom Privacy
It’s a no brainer when it comes to bathrooms, your privacy is essential but its important to remember you aren’t limited to using traditional frosted glass methods. If you have a bathroom on the ground floor then you probably don’t want windows, at least not clear, translucent windows. This is a given. With smart glass, however, you can maintain your privacy while also letting in plenty of natural light. Forget about installing curtains or blinds and instead just enjoy the benefits of frosted glass in your bathroom, with the added benefit of a clear window when privacy is not necessary.
Our Laminated Switchable Glass also works well as a partition between bedrooms and ensuites, maintaining the flow of natural light whilst providing the privacy of frosted glass when needed.
Conservatories
Conservatories are great. They allow plenty of light and heat into your home, making them a bright and yet cosy place to read the paper, have lunch, or even take a nap. But their light and airy nature can also be their downfall.
On extremely hot days, too much light comes in – making your conservatory feel more akin to a greenhouse than a sunroom. On cold days, however, its lack of insulation makes the entire room feel chilly. And if you have plenty of neighbours or live in a busy built-up area, then the clear glass might leave you feeling a bit exposed.
The solution? Frosted glass. Frosted glass protects your privacy and helps keep a certain amount of both light and heat from entering the conservatory. But understandably, you might not want frosted glass all the time. In this case, you could either retrofit Switchable Film onto existing glass or opt for the heat-insulating Switchable Smart Glass Double Glazing, so you can enjoy views of your garden all year round with the option of total privacy in seconds.
Meeting Rooms
You want your office to feel nice and open, rather than blocked off and dark. That means that you may well pick a space with glass meeting rooms. But while these are certainly swish, sleek, and pleasing on the eye, they’re not exactly the most practical solution.
Imagine you have a confidential, highly private meeting; frosted glass is an ideal solution. But while it offers privacy, it lacks functionality and room for growth. Alternatively, you could design a meeting room with a layer of frosted glass and a clear space up above, or give your interior the wow factor with Toughened Switchable Glass. Smart Glass Windows give you the benefit of privacy when needed and transparency on command, with the potential to act as a 4K rear projection screen, creating a truly versatile design solution.
Put Frosted Glass Into Action
Whether you’re looking to revamp your home or upgrade your office space, get in touch with one of our experts to hear more about how switchable smart glass can help you achieve the privacy and light control that you’re looking for.