Frosted glass texture. colorful lights background
Obscure glass refers to a wide variety of specially designed or treated glass with a level of opaqueness or light diffusion. Techniques range from ancient to ultra-modern, with esthetics to suit the style of any home or business. With obscure glass, you get privacy and separation while enjoying the easy maintenance and sleek style of glass.
Types of Obscure Glass
Frosted: Acid-Etched or Sandblasted
This is the most common type of obscure glass — more or less opaque, with extremely fine and smooth texture and a white appearance. Popular for shower doors, office workspace partitions, retail storefronts, and more, frosted glass provides the functionality of glass with partial or full privacy.
Acid-etched obscure glass has been treated with a special acid solution that alters the physical surface of the glass and leaves a smooth, flat texture with consistent frosting. This is a very cost-effective option with low-maintenance, high-quality results.
Sandblasting uses sand or organic matter such as nutshells to create a frosted effect. Sandblasted glass has more options for visibility levels and even more custom options.
Patterned
Popular options for patterned obscure glass include leaves, stars, geometric shapes, and more. Classic patterns such as Flemish (a flower pattern) or Chantilly (a lace design, as you might have guessed) and Master Carré (a grid of tiny squares) each have their own personality and visual effects. From master bathrooms to luxury office spaces, standard or custom patterns can be applied to create dynamic looks with just the right amount of obscured visibility.
Bubble or Raindrop Effect
These styles produce a fresh and vibrant look that complements the setting for shower and tub enclosures, restaurants and cafés, or any location that benefits from a natural atmosphere and subtle light diffusion. Rain and bubble patterns can vary in the amount of patterning to produce obscure glass ranging from mostly transparent to heavily obscured.
Ribbed or Reeded
For a modern look with clean design, ribbed or reeded obscure glass offers intriguing esthetics with options for visibility. Thin and low-profile ribbing lets some light pass while heavily obscuring vision, while the thicker bands of reeded glass create a three-dimensional effect with more light and less obscurity.
Custom Obscure Glass
We also customize obscure glass with special patterns, or striped and segmented designs using the obscuring methods above. This makes a lovely and personalized option that lets in maximum light while providing the perfect level of discretion and privacy. From shower doors to corporate conference rooms, custom obscure glass lets you achieve the esthetics you want with site-specific functionality.
The glass experts at D&D Glass Works can help you choose the obscure glass that will best suit the esthetics and function of your home or business. Contact us today to explore your options for any budget or style.