FAQ

Safety glass is a glass that does not shatter in pieces on breaking so that there is no significant injury due to small pricky pieces. It is used in places like in frameless shower screens or mirrors in bathrooms or glass splashbacks in kitchen, etc. To achieve these qualities, safety glass has a surface compression of 68.94MPa and minimum edge compression of 66.87MPa. 

Safety Glass, according to Australian standards, are of three types- Laminated, Wired, and Toughened/Tempered Glass. 

Laminated glass is made by stacking two or more sheets of regular glass with PVB (Polyvinyl Butyral) sandwiched in between. So, when the glass breaks, the shards stick to the PVB and do not shatter. Laminated glass is more durable than Tempered/Toughened Glass. And is used in security purposes. The glass in your car windscreen is laminated. 

Tempered/Toughened Glass is made by heating the glass at temperatures of 620 Degree Celsius, and then it is rapidly cooled. This leads to the development of inner stresses which make the glass very strong. This type of glass is 4 to 5 times stronger than regular glass. But, when it does breaks, it shatters into small blunt pieces which are harmless. 

Wired glass is two sheets of regular glass joint together with a wire mesh in between. Although wired glass has the same strength as regular glass when broken, the pieces stick to the wire mesh, and thus this type of glass is also harmless. Also, wired glass has good fire-resistance and thus is an excellent choice for fire-doors. 

Tempered Glass usually comes cheaper than laminated glass. But the strength of the laminated glass is more than toughened glass. 

Framed shower screens are those that have metal around every glass panel. Be it the door or other glass panels in the enclosure. Since metal is holding the glass, thus weaker and thinner glass can be used than used for a frameless shower screen. Australian Standards specify using a minimum of 4mm glass in framed shower screen. 

A semi-frameless shower screen is the one that has metal wrapping on not all the glass panels. For example, the door usually has metal only at the bottom and not on all sides. Semi-frameless shower screen needs a minimum of 6mm safety glass according to Australian Standards. 

Frameless shower screens are as the name defines, screens with no metal used. But, except for a U-Channel or Header. Although there might be metal in the U-Channel or header, it still is a frameless shower screen. The minimum thickness allowed for frameless shower screens is 6mm. 

According to the guidelines, a specific glass thickness can be used for a specific size of the glass. A 6mm glass can be used for a glass panel or door of size 3.0m², 8mm for 4.5m², and 10mm for 6.0m².  

A notch is a hill-shaped cutout in the glass panel. Solid metal clips fit perfectly in these hill-shaped cutouts. But for producing a good grip, caution is taken to produce exact fit notches. 

A metal clip is a solid clip that is very heavy, and that holds the door in place. It is a two-inch clip, and it fits just perfectly into the hill shaped notch. This produces a firm grip. The number of clips used is dependent on the size of your glass panels and the design of your shower enclosure. 

A mickey-mouse notch is called so because it looks like the face of mickey-mouse. It is a rectangular cutout made during the fabrication process and has two ear-like cutouts at the two corners of the glass. Mickey-mouse cutout is used to secure door hinges.  

Two types of hinges come for frameless shower screens: pivot hinges and side-mount hinges. 

Side-mount hinges hold the door from the side, just like the doors of our house.  

Some of the advantages of side-mount hinges are that sealer can be applied to it. Also, it does not need a header or a top support bar. But the disadvantages are it may require a header on being attached to other glass panels. 

Pivot hinges attach the door through the top and bottom hinges. This gives the door the ability to rotate. Only that in frameless shower screen, pivot hinges are usually attached at the corners. This makes it rotate 180 Degrees in both the directions. 

Pivot hinge is bolted up and down; thus, you get a continuous elegant look across. This is good in terms of aesthetics. And the weight drops on the floor below, which is sturdy and thus this is also good. Disadvantages include they need header when the glass does not extend from floor to ceiling. Another one is that it cannot be protected on hinges through the sealer.  

Glass splashbacks. They are more elegant and render a more spacious look. Because of its reflective properties, glass can offer these good aesthetics. Also, there is no grout used. Thus, there is no problem with moulding too, which leads to more hygiene. Also, glass is easier to clean than tile grouts. 

According to Australian standards, 6mm toughened glass is used for glass splashbacks. This glass is also called safety glass or Grade A safety glass. Toughened glass is used as it has excellent resistance to the cooktop heat and because it does not shatter into pieces on broken.

Standard Clear Glass and Low Iron or say StarFire Glass is used for glass splashbacks. 

A glass splashback can be of the length of 3 meters. Splashbacks can be made longer, but it is harder to install. And the minimum height of the splashback needs to be 3 centimetres or say 30mm. Also, any cutout should be cut at least 50 mm from the edge. 

The glass used here is tempered/toughened glass. And toughened glass shatters if cut. Thus, cutouts are made in it when the glass is made. Therefore, proper measurements should be made so that, cutouts for the powerpoints can be made within the glass when it is being made because they cannot be altered later on. 

There are many options when you consider where to install a glass splashback. It can be your laundry or wet area, bathrooms, balustrades, feature walls, shelving, tabletops, and kitchen. 

A glass splashback can be attached to almost any surface. Be it a concrete wall, plasterboard, solid sheet of MDF. It can be installed over tiles too, but it is not recommended. 

Yes, we can, but it is not recommended. Because, first of all, tiles are visible from sides/edges. It does not give a perfect look, and it is thick. Since it is thick, it also covers space on your counter. Thus, it is not always advised to install glass splashbacks over tiles. 

According to Australian Standards, a gas burner should be minimum 140 mm away from the glass. It also says that if the distance is less than that, a fireboard is necessary. If complying with these guidelines, a glass splashback behind a gas burner is safe. Also, an electric burner saves you from all this hassle. 

Virtually any colour glass splashback can be made. It is subject to your vision and imagination only. 

Glass splashbacks are easy to care for. They simply require regular cleaning with a soft cloth and soapy water. You can also use vinegar instead of soap. Both give a shiny clean surface to you. 

Vinyl backing on Grade A safety glass is mandatory by Australian standards for wet area application. But for non-wet areas, vinyl backing is not necessary. 

Yes, it is possible. Australian guidelines specify different methods for sticking frameless mirror onto the walls for wet areas and non-wet areas. Although, you can also use metal clips along with the silicone glue. 

Place blobs of silicone glue on the back of the mirror. These blobs should be about the size of a fifty-cent coin and as thick as a thumb. Place these blobs after every 200mm both vertically and horizontally, i.e. over the whole backside area. Now stick the mirror and support it by placing some kind of support below it until the silicone dries. Otherwise, the mirror will slide down.

Caution must be taken to use only Grade A safety glass in wet areas. Now, draw 5mm thick lines of silicone glue on the mirror from top to bottom. The first silicone line should be 50mm far from the side edge of the mirror. Now draw next line 70mm from the first one and repeat the lines after that. In a nutshell, first line after 50mm and every other line after 70mm. Now stick the glass and provide support till dry. 

Mirror clips are holders made of plastic or metal that are screwed in the wall. They must hold and support the mirror. Usually, four mirror clips, two for the bottom and two for the top are used. These clips are screwed about 3-5cm inside from the side edge of the mirror. While buying mirror clips, the size and thickness of the mirror should be considered. 

A shower panel is a combination of many types of water fixtures like hand shower, head shower, spout, etc. fitted on a single panel. This panel is called a shower panel. Also, some shower panels come with an audio system to listen to music while you enjoy a shower. 

Pressure pump in a shower panel is not mandatory but a personal choice. It comes in handy when water pressure is shallow. Minimum 400 Watts is required to power a pressure pump. 

Pressure pump has a switch, which when turned on, the pump pumps water into the shower panel. When a maximum pressure limit is reached, the pump switches itself off. This maximum pressure can either be set or is fixed. 

Yes, you can replace your fixer and diverter fixtures with a shower panel. But one thing to be kept in mind is the width and height of the previous fittings and the width and height of the shower panel. Filter out shower panels that meet these requirements and get it fixed. 

Bendigo glass is an old entity of the Bendigo glass industry. We are experienced, have in-depth knowledge and can take on any job you have related to glass, mirrors, or shower panels. Our experience has taught us subject knowledge as well as excellent customer relationship building. We promise that there will be no nasty surprises, and the service will be quality and smooth.