Glass blocks cannot be classified as an innovative building material. At the same time, modern technology and the assortment are significantly different from those in Soviet times, when glass blocks were often used in industrial and public spaces.

The building materials market features not only domestic products, but also Western brands (German and Italian quality is the most trusted). There is also a wide choice of price categories.

Glass block - universal material, which can be used both for external and internal work designer finishing. When using this material for construction interior walls and partitions, the aesthetic component is of particular importance. Glass blocks in the interior look original and aesthetically pleasing.

Properties of glass block as a building material

Glass block is hollow volumetric block made of fused glass plates slightly less than 1 cm thick. They come in square, rectangular, triangular and round shapes. Most in demand square blocks having standard sizes 190x190 mm and 240x240 mm with a thickness from 80 to 100 mm. The weight of an individual block depends on the size and averages 3 - 4 kg. In general, a glass block is a glass brick with a sealed air chamber inside.

Physical properties of the material:

• high light transmittance;
• good heat and sound insulation;
• high level of fire resistance;
• high strength and resistance to cracking;
• resistance to condensation.

Glass is a chemically inert material and environmentally friendly. Thanks to the hollow design of the blocks, in case of damage, the fragments will be inside, which is safe to use. They do not require the use of special detergents and easy to care for.

Classification of glass blocks by external surface

Today you can buy not only colorless transparent glass blocks With smooth surface, but also decoratively designed options. Depending on the area of ​​application and the planned design, you can select blocks of different colors (from neutral, calm shades to bright, flashy colors) and with different surface finishes (smooth, corrugated or patterned). The method of surface treatment affects the light transmittance of the glass and its transparency.

Glass blocks are classified according to the type of surface treatment:

• even, smooth;
• glossy, with a mirror shine;
• matte;
• embossed.

Depending on the type of surface, the blocks can have a light-scattering or light-directing effect.

Disadvantages of glass blocks

Unfortunately, ideal materials doesn't exist yet. Despite the advantages and disadvantages of glass bricks, they are also not without flaws. In fairness, let us note the main negative points, which can be encountered when using glass blocks in the interior.

The heavy weight of the block significantly makes the structure heavier, so it is not recommended to create walls with an area of ​​more than 15 square meters. meters. Installation is quite labor-intensive and requires certain knowledge and skills.

Next important point — high cost material. Price Russian manufacturers varies from 120 to 220 rubles per piece, European quality will cost much more, on average 300-500 rubles. Price for decorative blocks with figures and three-dimensional paintings in the internal cavity is around 1,500 rubles. In Moscow you can buy any, including non-standard, options different manufacturers according to the most favorable prices, while for the province find suitable option will be problematic.

It is impossible to hang any decor or shelves on finished walls and partitions made of glass blocks. Although the problem with shelves can be solved by creating special niches.

Features of glass block installation

For those with styling experience tiles or brick wall, the issue of installing glass blocks will not seem difficult. However, you need to know some subtleties.

Installation of glass blocks can be carried out in two ways: at the joint using a special adhesive solution and on a special frame base (module) in the form of a lattice with cells. The second option is easier to implement, but it is not always possible to find a suitable base.

First way. To begin with, a profile is attached to the floor, along which the first block is laid. Rows should be laid away from the wall. Special crosses are installed between the blocks. Taking into account the large weight of the blocks and the long time of reliable binding of the solution to the surface of the block, installation is carried out in stages, making a time interval between every third row.

For structural strength, metal rods are laid, avoiding contact of the rod with the block using mounting crosses. When the installation is completed, the joints are grouted. Upon completion of all installation work You can remove the protective film from the blocks.

Second way. Wooden frame or a module with cells of the appropriate size can be purchased at a hardware store. Before starting work, the frame must be securely fastened to the floor, ceiling and adjacent wall.

With this module, glass blocks are laid using rubber gaskets, and the blocks can be removed and replaced if necessary. This method used to create decorative partitions.

The use of glass blocks in a modern interior

Glass blocks are both a natural, environmentally friendly and modern high-tech material. Glass fills the room with light and visually expands the boundaries. Structures made from glass blocks seem light and fragile. Glass blocks are not afraid of moisture and high temperatures, therefore ideal for the bathroom and kitchen. They are very easy to care for but look very delicate. It is not surprising that this material has become very popular among designers.

Photo examples of how glass blocks can be used in the interior will be presented below. Fresh and original ideas will help your imagination spread its wings and come up with something exclusive for your home.

A panoramic window made of glass blocks in a private house is not only impressive, but also very reliable. The use of colored or corrugated blocks will fill the living room or terrace with special light.

The bathroom is often devoid of natural solar lighting, however, the owners country cottages This can be easily fixed using glass blocks. Such a window is not created for ventilation, but solely for decorative purposes.

A wall with glass block inserts looks like an ice barrier, which makes the interior feel cold. This can be corrected by combining glass with warm wood or a stone.

Glass blocks look very harmonious in the interior of a bathroom. With their help, you can make exclusive shower cabins, fence off a toilet, or create a relaxation area with a jacuzzi.

Another direction of using the material is zoning the space of one room using partitions. Glass block partitions can be various shapes. They are perfect for separating dining area in the kitchen, and to create a cozy sleeping area in the living room.

As decoration, colored blocks are used to decorate plasterboard walls in the hallway. This combination different materials refreshes the interior and serves as a certain highlight in the apartment.

Glass bricks can be used to line the wall along the stairs to the second floor country house. The result is a practical and very decorative coating.

The use of glass blocks in the interior of apartments and houses is very diverse. When planning your design, you need to remember that blocks not only transmit light, but also perfectly reflect and scatter it. Even a small element made of this material will add a bright note to the room.

There are many ways to liven up your interior and give it a truly unique character. One of them is the use of glass blocks. The rich design, color range and good technical parameters of glass blocks have made them an effective element of a fashionable and modern interior.

Advantages of using glass blocks in the interior

Glass blocks offer a world of design possibilities. With their help you can divide the interior and create an interesting decorative effect on the walls, as well as provide additional lighting in a dark room.

Glass blocks will perfectly highlight the style of any interior

Glass block walls will make the space lighter and visually larger

Ideal for rooms without windows

Allows you to create interesting lighting effects

They are a wonderful decorative element

Used as an alternative for wall decoration

Unlimited application possibilities

Glass blocks are excellently used as partitions not only in the bathroom, but also in the living room, kitchen, bedroom and hallway. Used for decorative finishing floors, windows and doorways. Even furniture can be made from glass blocks.

Stylish and modern design bathroom

Shower partition made of glass blocks

Great idea to save space

Window opening made of glass blocks in the bathroom - more light and comfort

Ideal material for internal partitions

For decorating a bar counter or kitchen island

Great alternative ceramic tiles in the kitchen

Decorative design of doorways

Simple solution to do narrow corridor visually brighter and more spacious

Glass walls in the hallway

Bright glass block walls in the bedroom

An original idea for a furniture frame

Aesthetic effect of glass elements

Glass blocks come in a wide variety of shapes, colors and structures. Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you can use various designs glass blocks: smooth, wavy, three-dimensional and luminous (using LED technology).

Individual glass blocks in the wall as a decorative effect option

Bright accents in the children's room

Colored glass blocks will enliven the interior

Glass blocks as a construction finishing material were used back in Soviet times, but after passing through the decades and undergoing significant changes, glass bricks in a new way returned to perform decorative functions. IN modern construction This material has found wide application due to its unique properties and vibrant variety.

Classification of glass blocks

Glass blocks are two glass half-blocks welded together. Hollow inside. They are distinguished by a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, which can be found in the catalog with photos. New production technologies make it possible to produce frosted and colored glass blocks, corrugated and with inserts, which will transform the interior of any room.

• Forms. Available in brick shapes, rectangular, half, hexagonal and corner. The last two are original, the first are the most popular.
• Color range glass blocks in the interior:

1. colorless (from 70% to 90% transparency), colored (from 50% to 70% transparency);
2. matte (transparency less than 50%), transparent (transparent, light-directing, light-diffusing);
3. relief surface (drop, wave, cubes) and smooth;
4. with internal inserts and decorated in style stained glass(after looking at the photo, you can choose options with various decorative fillings);

• Painting technique performed in two various technologies. Color inner surface before soldering the halves or add color when melting glass. This indicator affects the ability to transmit light.
• Scope of application. The three main types are decorative, interior and industrial. A shower room with elements of any kind will be original and unique.

Thanks to your technical specifications glass bricks have a number of advantages that allow them to be used in a variety of directions, and a wall made of glass blocks, made by hand, as structural element will delight not only with beauty, but also with practicality.

Advantages

• They are characterized by increased fire resistance. Withstands high temperatures.
• They are durable, have excellent heat-saving, energy-saving and sound-proofing qualities.

• Moisture-resistant, therefore suitable for showers and swimming pools.
• Glass blocks in the interior do not require plastering, painting, or lining with other materials.
• They have no contraindications for use in residential premises and comply with all hygiene standards.
• Installing glass blocks is easy to do with your own hands.

Glass blocks and interior

For a long time there was an unequivocal attitude towards them - boring, unremarkable material, it emanates a chill, its place is in clinics and catering establishments. Then complete oblivion. Now they seem to have burst into our home as something new, original. Glass blocks in the interior make the room light and spacious. In construction, they are widely used as a finishing material for the design of individual elements, kitchens, bathrooms, and partitions in residential premises. Glass blocks in the interior of the apartment create a unique atmosphere of comfort, as evidenced by numerous photos.

IN one-room apartment original solution will partition for zoning space from glass blocks. If we assume that there is still a sleeping area by the window, then the living room has lost natural light, but thanks to the partition made of glass blocks, there is enough light in the apartment, and the bedroom is hidden from prying eyes.

Glass blocks in bathroom and a shower is in demand decorative material. On the one hand, they are light-proof and at the same time transmit part of the scattering light. Thanks to glass blocks as a partition, the shower room will visually increase in size, and by covering the toilet area with such material, you will add originality to the overall style with your own hands.

Advice! Before buying blocks, check out the room design options in the photo and choose the most suitable one so as not to make bright element dissonance in the overall picture.

Many of us, when we hear the word “glass blocks,” recall Soviet buildings with bluish-green glass squares of glass that served as windows or partitions in various public buildings- from canteens to baths. In those days, it never occurred to anyone to use this building material as decoration. The use of glass blocks was due to the durability, affordability and obvious functionality of the products. Nowadays, this building and finishing material has undergone external changes and is used not only for its main purpose, but also to decorate the interior and facades of buildings. Over the past ten years, the use of glass blocks in the design of residential premises has been gaining popularity - modern designers offer options for constructing practical and aesthetic structures, using glass blocks locally, as a functional decor.

Glass blocks are an excellent soundproofing material, resistant to moisture and have good heat-saving properties. That is why it was so often used in utilitarian rooms for taking water procedures. And these days, glass blocks can most often be found in bathroom design projects, where partitions are created from translucent cubes, window openings are laid out and counters are installed.

The design of a glass block is simple - it is a hollow “brick” inside, the walls of which are 6-8 mm thick. The rarefied air inside the unit provides the product with high sound insulation properties and low thermal conductivity, which helps conserve room heat. As a result, industrial glass blocks are used both for the construction of load-bearing walls inside the building, and for cladding the external surfaces of buildings.

As a rule, glass blocks are produced in a square shape, but there are also products in the form of “bricks”, end (corner) blocks and even round shapes. As for colors, transparent, colorless glass blocks have the advantage, but recently tinted products have been gaining popularity, with various decor inside (pebbles, shells and even herbariums), LED products look especially luxurious and modern. Glass blocks can be different sizes, but still the most popular option are standard forms: 19x19x8 cm and 24x24x8 cm.

Partitions, racks and more

One of the most popular options for using glass blocks in the interior is creating partitions in the bathroom. And there are several reasons for this popularity:

• glass blocks transmit up to 85% sunlight, but at the same time they create a barrier behind which you can retire;
• excellent moisture-resistant properties;
• structural strength;
• relative cheapness of the material;
• ease of care;
• excellent soundproofing properties allow you to muffle the sound of pouring water;
• glass block partitions are able to retain heat, creating comfortable atmosphere for taking water procedures.

In order to create a safe and easy-to-use glass block partition, products with a rounded shape are used in the last row of the building. As a result, your opening, passage or niche in the partition will be ergonomic, safe and visually attractive.

The creation of semicircular partitions from glass blocks, separating the shower space from the common room, has become most widespread in modern design projects. You get a bathroom space isolated from high humidity, but at the same time retain the presence of sunlight in the shower area.

Combining clear and tinted glass when constructing partitions in bathrooms allows you to create not only functional protection of the room from moisture, but also decorate the interior and introduce an element of originality.

Products of different sizes and colors will help to bring originality to the construction of glass block partitions. Here is an original combination of transparent rectangular glass elements with square emerald blocks with a grooved surface.

When creating glass block partitions from colored glass, the main thing is not to overdo it with brightness and maintain harmony in the use of color solutions.

Partially laying out one of the walls of the bathroom with glass blocks will allow you to maintain the privacy of the room, but at the same time create the possibility of using light coming from the adjacent space. As a result, you may not use it during the day artificial lighting while visiting the bathroom.

Most often, glass blocks are used for construction window openings in utilitarian rooms - bathrooms and toilets. This is a logical choice because the result is a window that lets in almost as much light as double glazed windows, but also creates privacy without the need for curtains or blinds. Most often, glass block windows can be found in private urban or country houses.

The use of glass blocks for window decoration allows you to create both panoramic monolithic window openings and entire compositions from small sections with a translucent composition.

The use of glass blocks of different sizes and shapes allows you to build not just window openings, but real decorative elements interior design that can raise the level of uniqueness of design to unprecedented heights.

Creating a glass block window in the bathroom allows you to use the resulting surface as a base. For example, when placing one or two sinks near such a window, you can hang mirrors and even small shelves directly on the glass structure.

Panoramic bathroom windows made of glass blocks can be used to attach various auxiliary elements. In the shower space, these can be handrails or small shelves or mirrors.

But it’s not only in bathrooms that glass block windows can be found. This one brings originality and practicality. inexpensive material into the living room space. In this case, glass products are used not only for their functional qualities, but also as a decorative element.

When converting former industrial premises The use of glass blocks is often seen in living spaces, as a nod to the times when these glass products were used solely for their functional qualities. Here is a design project for a spacious kitchen area With high ceilings and windows made of glass blocks.

Another example of arranging a glass block window in modern premises kitchen-dining room

Even in the interior of the hallway, the use of glass block windows looks organic. Modern and unique.

Windows and partitions made of glass blocks can hardly surprise anyone. But the use of this durable, but at the same time translucent building material as a basis for flooring can bring originality to any interior design. This is exactly the way to design an office with a seating area. The glass roof, complete with a glass block floor, made the room completely airy, bright, and light.

A semi-circular bar counter made of translucent glass blocks? Easily! The design will look especially impressive if you add lighting to the structure - color or monochrome.

Small glass block inserts in the walls are a unique opportunity to add originality to the interior of the room. The room is filled with light, glare plays on the surfaces, but at the same time the walls do not lose their strength and wear-resistant qualities.

Unusual use of glass blocks can be found even in the sleeping area. Windows made of this material can protect your space from prying eyes, but at the same time fill the room with muted sunlight.