Glass Railing

There’s nothing like glass when it comes to expanding your deck view and making your outdoor living space feel bigger. Glass railings give you a strong, sturdy structure around the perimeter of your deck without cutting into your view. They also invite light, which makes your deck space feel more expansive. Glass is a strong and durable railing option that doesn’t require a lot of regular maintenance, outside of light cleaning.

Glass deck railing is made up of (1) glass panels or balusters, (2) rails, and (3) posts, as shown below:

Rails are the long, horizontal bars - most railing systems will have a top rail and a bottom rail made of metal, wood, or composite, but some glass railings don't need a top rail for an especially expanded deck view. Posts are the thick, vertical pieces that give your railing strength. They're also usually made of metal or wood with a composite post sleeve. Glass railing takes its name from the glass panels (or smaller individual glass balusters) that fit between the posts and rails for a wide-open deck view.

If you’ve ever felt a glass deck railing, you know how sturdy and secure they are when installed properly. Glass deck railings use tempered glass panels, which are specially treated to be four or more times stronger than regular glass.

Glass railings use sturdy tempered glass panels or balusters. Unlike other forms of glass, tempered glass has been treated to be especially tough and strong.

Tempered glass is treated with heat to make it much stronger and less breakable than regular glass. First, the glass is heated to an extremely high temperature, then quickly cooled. This forges the glass panel into an incredibly hardened surface that’s at least four times stronger than the original glass. Tempered glass is also designed to break safely - in the rare event that tempered glass breaks, it snaps into small, rounded-off pieces rather than large, sharp shards.

DecksDirect is the best place to buy your glass deck railing systems. Here’s why:

• Real People, Real Service: Every deck space is unique. Instead of an impersonal, one-size-fits-all railing plan, our team of deck project planners builds you a railing plan carefully tailored to your space, your family, and your view. Let our team guide you through your glass railing system options to find the best fit for you.
• Largest in-stock selection: You won’t find more glass railing system options anywhere. We carry a huge set of railing choices, including custom-cut glass panels to exactly fit your space.
• Completely fast: we take pride in our ability to build you a plan that includes every part you need and get it all to your doorstep - fast. You shouldn’t wait for backordered items or delay your project waiting for the fasteners you didn’t know you needed. DecksDirect will keep your project moving so you can start enjoying your dream deck.

Call us at 1-888-824-5316 for a free consultation with an experienced deck project planner who will get to know you and suggest some glass railing ideas to build the perfect plan for your needs.

It can be - but it doesn’t have to be! At DecksDirect, we offer custom-cut glass in both 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch thick panels. That means you can measure out your space, give us a call at 1-888-824-5316, and order up custom-sized panels created specifically to fit your space.

It’s very important to get accurate measurements of your space to make sure glass railings will fit. When measuring for custom glass panels, we recommend measuring all dimensions to within 1/4 of an inch.

We’re always working to make things easier. To make sure you get totally accurate measurements, give our team a call at 1-888-824-5316 - our experienced deck project planners will walk you through the measuring process, making sure you get all the dimensions you need to get started on your project.

Glass deck railing can use either full-size panels or smaller glass balusters. Both give the same main advantages: a better view and more light. Glass balusters are usually slightly more cost-effective, and also allow a natural breeze to flow through your deck. You can also use glass balusters on stair railings, something full panels can’t do. Full panels form a solid barrier around your deck, keeping small objects (like kids' toys) from falling through the spaces.

Both glass panels and glass balusters are great options - if you’re struggling to decide between them, give our team a call at 1-888-824-5316 to learn more about the pros and cons for your specific space and needs.

Each glass deck railing system installs differently. Some glass railings, like Westbury Veranda Glass Railing, have a top and bottom rail to secure the glass panels. Others, like Century Scenic Glass Railing, hold the glass between posts without using top or bottoms rails. 

For baluster-based systems, some railings include dedicated glass baluster connectors. Others, like Fortress AL13 Pure View Glass Railing and Fortress FE26 Pure View Glass Railing, have slots build into their top and bottom rails for balusters to slide into.

No matter your system, DecksDirect’s team of experienced deck project planners are available to help guide you through installation. Just give us a call at 1-888-824-5316 to find a system that you can install with our help.

Each glass railing system uses either clamps or dadoes to hold each glass panel in place. Clamps attach to the front and back of your panels, locking them securely in place. InvisiRail is a glass railing system that uses the clamp method. Most of our glass railing offerings uses dadoes to attach glass. Dadoes are grooves in rails and posts - glass panels slide into the grooves and are held securely in place by the rails and posts.

If your railing system uses full glass panels, you won’t be able to install the panels on your stair sections. However, glass balusters are a great choice for stair railing panels, and you can combine a glass panel railing on the top of your deck with glass balusters on the stairs. Just give our team a call at 1-888-824-5316 to create a plan that will seamlessly blend glass panel and glass baluster railings to cover both your deck and your stairs.

At DecksDirect, we only carry products that create premium, low-maintenance decks. Each glass railing system is strong and secure, requiring very little regular maintenance compared to wood railings that need to be inspected for rot and replaced regularly. The most regular upkeep you’ll have to do on your glass railing is regular cleaning, which is as easy as spraying with a glass cleaner and wiping with a clean rag or sponge. You can also mix two tablespoons of liquid dish soap with warm water and wipe down your glass railings with a rag or squeegee to make your glass railing shine.