Are glass garage doors safe?

Apart from providing the garage as well as the house an aesthetic and classy look, the main function of garage doors is to provide the garage and the house with safety. This is why when choosing garage doors, people look for doors made of sturdy and strong materials. One of the most uncommon materials that are used to make garage doors is glass. But are glass garage doors safe?

Contrary to popular belief, glass doors are extremely safe. Tempered glasses prevent burglars from breaking in, while frosted glasses prevent people from looking into the garage. It also helps insulate the garage and avoid accidents by allowing the owner to look outside before backing up their cars. Additionally, it makes the garage very energy efficient. 

Let’s take a deeper look at what makes glass garage doors a safe option.

Pros and cons of glass garage doors

When it comes to choosing garage doors, people often go for the more traditional options like metal and wood. One material that goes under the radar for most people, is glass. Since glass is associated with being brittle and transparent, people tend not to go for glass garage doors in the fear of being broken in and privacy issues. 

Take a look at the advantages of glass garage doors to decide whether they are safe for you or not

• Tempered Glasses are immune to break-ins:

Although most glasses are brittle and are rightly avoided by homeowners when it comes to garage doors, this is not the case for every type of glass. Tempered glasses are used to make windshields for cars, so they are very strong and resilient.

Modern glass garage doors are made of tempered glass so burglars can’t easily break them to enter your garage. Installing security films behind the tempered glass will ensure that even if the glass is broken, it will not fall apart and give access to any unwanted guests. 

• Frosted Glass doors provide better privacy:

Another reason people tend to veer away from having glass garage doors is they fear people will look through the glass and see everything inside. While this is a legitimate concern, some ways can solve this issue. 

Frosted glasses are so opaque that people can’t look through them to see what’s going on inside. Although these glasses don’t let people see anything happening inside, they allow light to enter the garage just fine. So not only will you be able to protect your privacy, but you will also have a well-lit garage as well. You can choose the color of the tint and the opaqueness level. 

• They provide better insulation:

Metal is a good conductor of heat, so it is very easy for the garage to get very hot during summer and quite cold during winter. On the other hand, since glass doesn’t conduct heat that well, during summer, the inside of the garage remains cooler than the surrounding environment, and vice versa during winter.

• Glass doors are energy-efficient:

Since people nowadays are more aware and concerned for nature, it’s only natural that they ask “are glass garage doors energy efficient?” 

Yes, the best glass garage doors are very energy efficient. Due to keeping the garage relatively cooler during summer and doing the opposite during winter, they ensure the usage of fans, ACs, and heaters are kept to a minimum. 

Also, since the glass doors let adequate light into the garage, it reduces the need to use light bulbs inside the garage during the day. This results in the use of energy being kept to a minimum and increasing energy efficiency.

• It is safer for everybody:

Children are the victims of a lot of unfortunate accidents in the USA every year because adults can’t see them playing outside the garage when backing up the car. While this is an unavoidable problem when it comes to wooden or metallic garage doors, glass garage doors allow the driver to look outside before backing up their car. This drastically reduces the number of accidents. You can read out garage door safety tips to know all about garage door safety.  

• They are not prone to rotting and corrosion:

Wooden and metallic doors are prone to rotting, warping, and corrosion due to weather conditions and age. This is a big security risk as burglars can easily enter your house through a garage door that has rotted and corroded. 

But glass garage doors are immune to all of these problems. They won’t rot, corrode or warp, hence giving nobody a chance to take advantage.

• WindCode technology protects them from rough weather:

One of the worries homeowners have when installing glass garage doors is that they can break during hurricanes or some other storms. But glasses that come with WindCode technology are not prone to shattering during storms, enhancing security. 

• They are stylish:

Last, but not least, installing new glass garage doors will enhance the aesthetics of your home. It will look stylish and classy, and various tints of the glasses will only increase the curb appeal of your home.

But as with everything in this world, glass doors also have some disadvantages. These are:

• Glass garage doors cost quite a lot:

Glass garage doors are quite expensive. On average, glass garage doors cost at least twice the amount of a metal garage door.

• They are harder to clean:

Glass garage doors can get dirty quite easily, and look dirtier than they are. Also, dirt and other stains tend to stick to glass more than other surfaces. As a result, they need frequent cleaning. Additionally, cleaning them is harder and more time-consuming than other garage doors. 

• They are less shock-absorbent:

Although glass garage doors provide excellent security, they can’t absorb shock as well as metals or wood. While metals and wood bend to absorb pressure, glass just shatters. This creates a situation where trespassing might become easier. 

Final Words

Since glass isn’t very common when it comes to garage doors, it is only natural for people to ask “Are glass doors safe?” But once you install the new glass doors in your garage, you will be amazed at how safe, as well as beneficial they are, despite their high costs. 

FAQ

1. Do glass garage doors need to be tempered?

Yes, it would be best if you had tempered glass on your glass garage doors. Regular glass will just break when someone tries to intrude, while tempered glass will fare a lot better in this case. 

2. How much do insulated glass garage doors cost?

The average cost of insulated glass doors is around $4500. But according to experts, this price can vary between $2000 and $8000 depending on the type of glass. 

3. Can a glass door just shatter?

Yes, while uncommon, it has been reported that glass garage doors are just shattering on their own. This can happen if the installation process had any defects which caused the glass to be chipped, among other reasons.