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GLASS COATINGS
MORE THAN YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT GLASS COATINGS
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If you have ever priced a shower door or partition from
a glass company, you have probably been offered the option
of some type of glass coating that is made to protect
the glass from water stains and/or dirt and grime. Some
companies swear by it. Some companies don't offer it.
There are several different types. This page should break
down all (or almost all) the options as well as explain
the pro's and cons of using a "shielding" coating
on your shower door.
If you don't care about
all the different types and just want a recommendation
on weather to get one or not, I recommend against
using coating on your shower door. (This is my recommendation
only. There are great uses for these coatings. I
am only recommending against them as a general rule
for people who are unsure. I don't have any test
results that say that these products are bad, these
are just my opinions.)
Here are my reasons why i don't recommend the
coatings:
A) I don't think they will last
much longer than 5 years. The coatings might
say they will last the lifetime of your shower or that
if you treat the coatings every year they will last forever,
but what if it doesn't. if you call the glass company
if 5 years and say that your coating has worn off will
they replace your shower? We have had a hand full of people
call within a year of installation and complain of strange
marks or fogging on the glass even with the coating. There
are defiantly more successful installations of the product
than unsuccessful, but when the glass does end up fogging
up and the customer paid for a product that is supposed
to eliminate that, you will end up with having to reorder
a shower.
B) Some cleaners can destroy
the coating. I have had at least one person call
me that worked for a cleaning agency that had cleaned
a very expensive shower with the wrong product and destroyed
their glass coating. The whole shower became foggy and
it couldn't be fixed. At that pont they were looking at
having to buy their customer a new shower or losing their
business. I don't think it was the cleaning peoples fault,
but how was the owner to even know about the coating since
they just bought the house?
C) Too much trouble.
Personally, I don't want to worry about my glass coating.
I want to take a shower and get on with my day. I think
you are better off using uncoated glass and if you develop
water stains you can use some of our cleaning products
like Sparkle
to get rid of that. I have had customers come to me about
maintaining the coatings and besides giving them a page
of paper that says how to clean it there is not much i
can do. It is a delicate product that requires maintenance.
D) Added cost. Obviously everything has
costs associated with them. This is no different. We charge
around 5 dollars a square foot for the coatings that we
offer and that is probably low.
Below is some information about all of the coatings that
i could get info on so that you can choose for yourself.
So you know, these coatings are usually applied at the
factory. They are usually third party products that are
sold to glass fabricators so that they have a product
to offer their customers. Anyone in the glass industry
can purchase the coating supplies, but you need space
and a clean area that is pretty dust free so this is usually
done at the factory.
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| Clear shield. This is a
product that a lot of people offer. We also offer this
product from some of our suppliers. |
Clear
shields web site |
CWshield TM
This product comes from a reputable shower door manufacturer.
They are a good company that we use frequently for framed
shower doors.
Here is the info from their site. This product is really
only offered on their products so it is on here for
information mainly. |
CWSHIELD
INFO FROM THEIR SITE |
| Shower guard is actually a part of
the glass. We are told that it is obscure until it is
tempered. Then it becomes clear. Shower Guard has long
guarantee but doesn't feel slippery to the touch. |
Shower
Guard's Web site |
| Diamond Fusion is one of the more popular
glass coating lines. we have supplied this product as
well as the Clear shield several times with good results. |
Diamond Fusions
web site |
| TPC surface protector is a do it yourself
glass coating that you spray on your shower. Instead of
spending $200, this product is about $14 for nearly a
lifetime supply. It is basically like RainX. We use this
at my house and re-apply about once per year. But in hard
water areas you may need it more often. We remove water
stains first with Sparkle. |
TPC
Surface Protector |
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