Annealed vs. Tempered Glass: Which One Is Best For Your Home?

When it’s time to install new glass panes at home, homeowners often have to choose between annealed glass or tempered glass.

Without a doubt, both types of residential glass offer their own specific pros and cons.

Annealed glass, also known as standard or plate glass, is commonly used in many homes, mainly because of its affordability.

Lately, however, the popularity of tempered glass installations is rising, as it does offer a number of benefits in terms of safety and security.

Let’s make a comparison between annealed vs. tempered glass for homes to help you decide which type to choose for your next residential glass installation.

Some Facts About Annealed Glass

Annealed glass gets its name from the thermal treating process that creates it.

Annealing involves heating glass at over 600 degrees Celsius and cooling it slowly afterward. The process aims to make the glass stronger, more durable, and not easy to break.

Annealing also makes the glass less likely to shatter when going through the internal stresses involved during its preparation for commercial availability. That means annealed glass can withstand all the cutting, drilling, and polishing it will be subjected to during fabrication without incurring damage.

What You Need To Know About Tempered Glass

Tempered glass is primarily known for its strength.

Like annealed glass, the creation of tempered glass involves heating glass to over 600 degrees Celsius. Its cooling process is different, though.

While annealed glass goes through a slow cooling process, tempered glass requires rapid cooling at high pressures. Called “quenching,” this high-pressure cooling procedure is responsible for the enhanced strength of tempered glass.

Annealed vs. Tempered Glass

Let’s compare annealed and tempered glass in terms of cost, durability, safety, and applications.

Cost

One of the biggest reasons why annealed glass is popular among homeowners is its more affordable price.

Annealed glass is a lot cheaper than tempered glass because, unlike the latter, it doesn’t take that long to fabricate the former.

For homeowners who want residential glass repair or replacement on a budget, annealed glass is their go-to option for residential glass.

Durability

While the heating process for both types of glass plays a crucial role in strengthening them, the quenching process for tempered glass makes it a lot tougher and durable than annealed glass.

According to Scientific American, annealed glass generally breaks at around 6,000 pounds per square inch (psi), while federal guidelines set the breaking point for tempered glass at 24,000 psi.

Tempered glass is also better at withstanding strong winds than annealed glass, making them perfect for homes and buildings located in windy areas.

Tempered glass also holds up well against extreme heat and cold, as well as everyday wear and tear.

Safety

No matter how strong any type of glass is, it will always break with the application of the right amount of force.

However, tempered glass is regarded as safer than annealed glass when it breaks.

When tempered glass breaks, it will shatter into hundreds of dull, pebble-like pieces that aren’t likely to cut skin. More importantly, those pieces interlock with other pieces upon breaking and stay together most of the time.

On the other hand, breaking annealed glass will produce shards that are sharp and jagged enough to cause injuries.

Applications 

Considering the tendency of annealed glass to break into jagged and dangerous shards, it would be wiser to use tempered glass in high-traffic areas in your home, like the path from the kitchen to the living room, to reduce the likelihood of injuries when it breaks.

Annealed glass would be great for lighting fixtures, especially if you want diffused lighting at home. You can also use annealed glass for tabletops and cabinets.

For your bathroom and shower doors, tempered glass would be the better choice. Should you ever slip and fall in the bathroom and hit the tempered glass, your risk of sustaining cuts because of it is so much lower.

These are just the most distinct differences between annealed glass and tempered glass. When shopping for glass panes for use at home, always consider their respective characteristics, your home safety concerns, your budget, and the application you have in mind before making a decision.

How to Choose the Best Property When Buying

Purchasing your first home is surely a milestone to celebrate. However, it is also one of the biggest expenses you will ever have to deal with. Therefore, there is no room for mistake: choosing the perfect property for your needs and wants is the utmost priority. Here are a few tips on how to pick your property.

Consider your finances

As we said, purchasing a property is a major expense. So, above all, you need to set your finances straight, create a budget and determine what you can actually afford. Getting pre-approved for a loan is a crucial step as it will let you know how much exactly you can spend. If your credit score is not the best, it might be a good idea to improve it before seeking out a loan to get the best possible conditions.

The location is important

You might have already heard the phrase that in real estate, it’s all about the location. This principle applies in your case too. The safety of the neighborhood, the availability of amenities, the community attributes, the proximity of your workplace or your children’s schools are all things to factor in. If you have the capacities, going for a fixer-upper in a good neighborhood is a better option than settling for a subpar location.

The type of property

Obviously, you also need to consider what type of property would best fit your needs and lifestyle. When talking about home types, we can generally name 4 categories, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, what might be a disadvantage for one person could be an advantage for another. Therefore, consider your options carefully.

Pros and cons of houses

Single-family houses are a popular choice for those families who value privacy and autonomy when it comes to their property. These are some of the biggest advantages of single-family houses. These properties also have an outdoor space most of the time, which makes them ideal for families with children or pets.

However, what this also means is that single-family homes are the most time-consuming and expensive to maintain. Having autonomy over your property means you will have to pay for every single repair and renovation. In addition, you are not always entirely free in your choices when it comes to construction and modification; be sure to check whether the property you are looking at is under a Home Owners’ Association and what their rules are.

Pros and cons of apartments

At the other end of the spectrum, we have apartments that are usually rented out to tenants. This would mean that you don’t actually buy the property, nor do you have permission to modify it to your liking. Any changes you want to make must be discussed with your landlord, and they might also restrict certain activities within the property. The privacy level is also on the lower side, considering you’re sharing a building with others. 

These are the drawbacks of renting an apartment, however, there are also upsides to this living arrangement. It’s the cheapest option in the short term, so if you are not entirely confident about making such a major investment as purchasing a property, this is the right choice for you. Another huge advantage of apartment living is that much of the time, the maintenance responsibilities fall on your landlord. You might also have access to shared amenities such as gyms or pools.

Pros and cons of condos

Condominiums are somewhat of a middle ground between the previous options. Buying a condo is a more affordable option than buying a house, but it still gives you higher autonomy than renting an apartment. When buying a condo, you automatically join the condo association. You gain ownership of the “inside walls,” but all of the maintenance of the shared spaces and the outside structure of the building is taken care of by the association. A similar concept in Australia is called the “strata scheme”. Crucial strata management tasks are often outsourced to companies, meaning you don’t have to worry about maintenance.

This is a big upside to condo living, which makes it ideal for people who are busy or travel a lot and don’t have time for the amount of maintenance a house requires. However, some of the downsides of condos are similar to those of apartments. You don’t get the same level of privacy as a house gives you and you have to share some spaces. The condo association might also limit what you can and cannot do to your property.

Pros and cons of townhouses

Finally, we must mention townhouses. They often provide some outdoor space, which makes them a great choice for people with pets. The maintenance required is not as overwhelming as with houses, given the smaller exterior, but you are still the one responsible for all the repairs, which can become a problem if the structure itself is older. Still, townhouses are a great in-between option. 

What you need to keep in mind here, too, is that Home Owners’ Association rules may still apply; You might not be free to paint your exterior to whatever color you choose, for example. The privacy they provide is moderate since some of the walls are shared with neighbors.

Buying a property is a big deal. There is a lot of forethought that needs to go into this decision and you need to thoroughly inform yourself about all your options. Consider your lifestyle and how much time and money you can devote to maintenance, and the suitable option will be clear.

Book Review - Cozy

In Denmark they call it  Hygee (pronounced Hoo-ga) Hygee is experiences with the people you love, being together in a safe comforting environment. Along the same theme, Isabel Gilles has written COZY The Art of Arranging YOURSELF in the WORLD. 

 When we think of the word cozy we think of a warm blanket, favorite slippers, a special chair or hot cup of tea/coffee. Ms. Gillies explains that being cozy goes beyond objects. According to the author, “cozy is an attitude, not a thing- a shortcut to bringing the most essential parts of ourselves with us where ever we go.” 

For example, the author suggests that making the bed can be cozy. As professional organizers we always suggest to our clients to make the bed daily. Making the bed brings order to the day. You have completed a morning task which will encourage you to do other tasks on your to-do list. Also, a clean made bed encourages you to keep the rest of your bedroom organized as well. While you make the bed, you can use the time to set priorities and plan. Of course, in the evening there is nothing like heading to the bedroom and seeing a clean room and well-made bed after a hectic day. 

Another room that people find cozy is the kitchen. The smells, the people, the heat from the oven or stove all can be cozy. Many times our cozy childhood memories are the family gathered for meals or watching parents cook. The author states, “kitchens are full of stories as anthologies-if spatulas could talk.” Of course an organized kitchen is always helpful. Here is the note Ms. Gilles leaves for her children, “Turn off all appliances, put food away, clean dirty dishes, wipe down counters, does the kitchen look tidy?” 

The book is divided into five parts and we are shown that coziness can be found in many places such as  our travels, in our hobbies, in our alone time, in what we drink and even at our workplace. The book ends with family recipes which adds to the coziness of just reading the book.

What the reader learns is that cozy is not just objects in our home but a way of life. If we can dig deep and look beyond our stuff we can find cozy/safety in our daily life, no matter where we are. As the author states, “Cozy isn’t something that just exists. You have to make cozy happen.” By reading COZY, we have the power to make our lives fuller and happier just by acknowledging the coziness of our surroundings.

Isabel Gillies is a New York Times bestselling author of Happens Every Day, A  Year and Six Seconds and Starry Night.

Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

By Gillies, Isabel

Buy on Amazon

Saving Space: 3 Effective Storage Techniques for a Nursery

Building your baby’s nursery is one of the most exciting milestones you’ll experience on your way to becoming a new parent. But as eager as you are to get the room painted and decorated, it’s important that you don’t forget about an essential aspect—storage. Nurseries tend to be very small, and newborns require a lot of supplies to be comfortable in this room. It’s up to you to find ways to incorporate more storage into this area and keep everything your child needs within reach. Learn these effective storage techniques for a nursery to start off on the right track.

Utilize the Space Under the Crib

The crib may feature up to a foot of space between the frame and the floor, depending on the model. This is the perfect place to store any items you won’t use frequently—like extra clothing or blankets. If you don’t want this area to look unsightly, you can even hide the things underneath with the addition of a cute crib skirt.

Buy a Spacious Dresser

You can also incorporate more storage by choosing the right dresser. While it might seem like these items take up precious floor space, you can do a lot with them. The drawers can be deeper than they appear. This allows you to hide any items you don’t need and protect them from damage. Their compact design also makes it possible to fit more objects without taking up more floor space.

Install Plenty of Shelves

Another effective storage technique for a nursery is to utilize the space along the walls as much as possible. It’s common for new parents to get so caught up in arranging the furniture pieces on the ground that they forget the walls. With the installation of a few shelves, you can store everything from toys and games to books and beloved stuffed animals. This will get these items out of the way while keeping them nice and organized.