When it comes to renovating buildings, there is no shortage of what people can use, whether it be clay, or concrete, or bricks, or marble or even glass. As building technology continues to advance, we see a lot more in terms of innovative designs when it comes to building homes and commercial buildings. One of the building materials which is causing quite a stir is glass blocks.

You have no doubt been to a home or a building which has part of its wall made of blocks of translucent thick glass. This allows light in but in a limited fashion that does not compromise privacy. Offices love glass blocks now because not only are they a sheer attraction, they are also energy savers.

So are glass blocks competing with regular building blocks now? The answer is that while regular bricks are still in vogue in many parts of the world, they are facing competition from glass blocks due to a number of reasons.

One of the reasons why glass is becoming especially attractive to office builders is because it is an energy saver. Regular brick walls cost businesses hundreds if not thousands of extra dollars in additional energy and power bills because offices have to rely on artificial lighting to light their rooms. But with glass blocks, light is allowed in without a compromise in privacy and this means that offices utilize less artificial lighting. This obviously translates to a reduction in lighting costs.

Glass blocks have also proven to be very strong. This is because they are made of glass that is termed as being „tempered“. This is glass that has chemical additives that cause it to be hundreds of times stronger than regular glass. This makes glass blocks compete with regular bricks when it comes to building material.

Finally glass blocks are simply beautiful. They now come in different colors and shades which gives the room in which they form part of the wall an aura that is irresistible. When it comes to modern interior design, it is not hard to see why they have become a part of most new buildings,homes and offices.

So how can one go about getting glass blocks installed? If you have a new building, this is easy. It can simply be part of your building design much in the same way that regular bricks are. But if you already have an existing structure and you want to convert part of it to become glass, then you can consult with an interior designer.

Most home improvement stores have a department that deals with interior design for those who want to remodel parts of their homes such as the living room, bedroom, study and more. Stores such as Home Depot have excellent interior design divisions which are staffed by competent personnel who for an extra fee can even come to your location and install the glass blocks for you. Before you install the blocks,we recommend that you do a price comparison. You can do this easily online.

When it comes to competition for good design, glass blocks have come a long way. We are living in times when visual appearances are very important and more people are insisting on having something out of the ordinary when it comes to their immediate surroundings. For many, they can simply accentuate the room with special flowers, paintings and more. Others prefer something more permanent, such as glass blocks.

Glass blocks come in very many designs, shapes, colors and even textures although all of them are made of glass. Below are some different types of glass blocks:

Standard series Decorative Glass flooring Colors and finishes

Standard series -wave satin -wave endblock -90% curved corner wave -Imported from Germany -Made in USA

Decorative (water organic, arts and crafts, geometric, lined and ribbed) -starburst -Mirage -Neptune -Bubble -Bonzai

Colored -Pastels -Primaries -Earthtones

We now see how many types of glass blocks exist. Their variety is awesome and this caters to any type of design and preference. One would be hard-pressed to find a glass block that they would regard as ideal for their own custom surroundings.

If you want to get glass blocks installed, the first place to look is the home improvement stores. Stores such as Home Depot sell and install almost all the above types of glass blocks that we have mentioned. Most people are not experts at this and that is why Home Depot maintains qualified personnel who for an extra fee, can help you choose just the ideal glass blocks for your immediate liking and also assist you with installation.

Glass blocks have several major advantages. One of them is resilience. Glass blocks are very strong because they are designed out of industrial glass that has been treated to temper it and make it able to withstand great pressure. This makes it an ideal for construction and in some quarters it is actually known as glass brick.

Glass blocks are also beautiful. In some European cities, they are used to construct entire buildings giving the building a very exotic and at the same time futuristic look especially when light bulbs are fitted inside. Glass blocks allow light without compromising on security and that is why they have become a favorite when it comes to office construction.

When it comes to energy saving and conservation, glass blocks have also become a favorite in many quarters. This is because in a glass block environment, there is little need for artificial lighting especially during the day because natural light is allowed into the room. That means that with time, the office begins to realize energy savings in form of lower energy costs. It is hard to realize these savings when all the light bulbs are on 24-7 as is the case with natural brick office buildings.

The best way to go about installing glass blocks is to consult with a handyman. In many cases they will refer you to a home improvement store to choose and buy the glass block designs of your choice first. Then they will embark on the installation process.

Because of the condition of the real estate market, it is harder to sell a home for a good profit. This has resulted in an unbalance between the amount of homes to being sold and the potential buyers who are ready to buy. The real estate financial crunch has not helped either because it is not harder for people to be advanced loans than ever before.

This has resulted in buyers being extra picky and choosy insisting only on the best quality homes when buying. Hence sellers are in pressure to show case only those homes which have a potential to attract buyers. One way to get around this problem is to remodel the home.

Simple additions like copper sinks, wall tiles, glass blocks etc will not only give your home a new facet but also will help you attract more buyers. So if you plan to rejuvenate your home you may have an option to buy glass blocks and use them as wall tiles.

Generally there is a notion that glass blocks are only used in church structures but they have several other uses than that. Glass blocks look appealing on bathrooms, terraces, walls and even on buildings. It simply doesn’t matter if you are a real estate agent or a common seller. Glass blocks will help you give your home a whole new look so that you can sell it off at greater profits.

So what are the uses of glass blocks? Glass blocks can be used in bathrooms as tiles. A bathroom needs to be clean, relaxing and intimate as well. Glass blocks can be considered an ideal choice for bathrooms because they are extremely easy to clean. Glass blocks get along well with any kind of detergents and are easy to maintain. On the contrary, ceramic or porcelain tiles have a tendency to accumulate dirt which then becomes extremely burdensome to clean up without the help of specialized cleaning agents. Hence glass blocks are being widely used today in bathrooms.

Glass blocks are even used on building walls since they add a certain kind of charm and fascination to the overall look. Keeping in mind the fact that technology is constantly advancing day by day, architects insist on using glass blocks in buildings as a form of attraction.

There is another reason for using glass in buildings. Glass reflection tends to deflect heat and hence helps in keeping the space cool. This results in lower electricity bills because people then need a lesser use of air conditioning. Ultimately building maintenance costs are lowered drastically.

Installing glass blocks isn’t much of a daunting task. A quick search online may even land you to pages that explain the easy and quick installation of glass blocks after buying them. For some people installing tiles may be a bit difficult. This also is not a big deal since there are technicians who are just a phone call away. You just need to contact them and your work is done easily!