Glass Finishes

Different glass finishing techniques provide different ambiance and visual effects that are fully customizable. The translucency of the glass doors can be treated in multiple ways: sandblasted glass, acid-etched glass and laser engraving. All three options provide a huge range of creativity:

• Sandblasting is a technique that involves blasting sand or any other kind of abrasive material against the glass surfaces while creating frosted or textured effects. The glass finish can be described as cloudy and foggy and provides privacy and translucency for letting natural light come in. Any design offerings are created by masking off the clear glass area while exposing the rest to the abrasive material. Sandblasted surfaces are very sturdy, easy to clean and provide the customer with a privacy level. Pricing for sandblasted doors is normally cheaper than other glass finishes. 

• Acid etching, uses acid solution as its abrasive material of choice. A coating of hydrofluoric is applied to the glass surface and the final glass obscures depends on how long the acid has been sitting on the top surface. By doing so, the treated side becomes uneven and translucent, while the other side won’t let a clear view through. As for the sandblasting, the final product is highly customizable depending on the translucency, the maintenance aspect is easy to clean with standard water and its durability is of its kind. The price for the acid etching is around the same vicinity as the sandblasting technique.

• Laser engraving uses a high-precision laser to map different motives or filigree designs precisely. It is a combination of sandblasted doors with laser engraving motifs. The laser provides endless opportunities to create design finishes that can vary from a single laser design for a more modern feel or a design combination that provides privacy and a desired design. Since the designs are precisely dotted into the glass, the motifs literally become part of the overall glass and therefore, its durability is highly resilient and the maintenance aspect is a breath as well. Pricing for Laser Engraved doors is more expensive since the manufacturing processes require much more machine capabilities, higher energy consumption, and longer manufacturing times. 

Berlin Mitte 2022: “Basic Law 49” at the Jakob Kaiser House, designed by Dani Karavan.
Directly on the Spreepromenade are glass panes on which the 19 articles of the Basic Law are engraved by laser.