In the modern construction and architecture industry, glass has become one of the essential materials when it comes to achieving flexibility and imparting aesthetics to structures. Even in previous centuries, glass has been used in various fretwork and carving designs which you can easily notice in historical monuments and buildings. But, there are many situations where privacy is of the utmost importance and. In such cases, the transparent nature of glass material is undesirable.

Frosted glass is the solution to this problem. So, here, we will talk about frosted glass in brief and its types which people should know before making the selection of their project.

Frosted glass is a type of processed glass and has milky translucent surface. It doesn’t permit to view through it. It is widely preferred in homes and commercial building structures as it imparts decorative and attractive look. Also called etched glass, it is produced by rendering one surface of float glass translucent. Thus, it scatters the light that passes through and blurs the vision.

Glass frosting can be used in any home or commercial building project either for privacy purpose or for enhancing the look or for both. There are different types of frosted glass available in the market depending upon their production method.

This type of glass is produced by the process known as sandblasting. In this process, sand or husk is blasted on the surface of the glass with a high-velocity spray machine. Due to the impact of high velocity sand or husk particles, abrasion occurs at the point of contact. As a result, the glass surface is rendered with a rough and translucent look. The degree of translucency can be changed by altering the velocity and the type of sand.

Moreover, different patterns and designs can also be created by masking the part of glass which needs to be left transparent and then blasting the rest of the surface.

Sandblasting glass comes in more attractive and versatile designs as compared to its counterparts. However, frosted glass obtained through sandblasting often require more care and maintenance as it leaves fingerprint marks and therefore, needs to be cleaned on a regular basis.

At a commercial level, glass is made frosted by sandblasting because it is easy to sandblast the whole sheet of glass.

Another popular technique for glass frosting is acid-etching process. Generally, for glass etching process, hydrofluoric acid is used. When the acid reacts with the glass, it causes corrosion on its surface. After completing the process of etching, the glass is thoroughly and properly washed. As a result, the parts where acid etching is carried out become translucent and appear frosted. The benefit is that the etching is permanent and no fingerprints remain on the etched surface.

It has a smooth surface similar to a float glass and can also be produced in various levels of transparency as per the customer’s demand. You can also produce different designs using stencils. This method is more economical but is not considered safe because the acid usage may harm workers.

So, decide what kind of frosted glass you want in your property and accordingly choose the glass frosting service for your project.