Why glass might not be the most obvious choice as a staircase material…

Glass is a material with many talents; on one hand, it is delicate and almost too fragile to touch and yet, layer it together and you will have a chunk of glass that is one of the strongest materials known to man.

Just like paper, wood and trees, the layering together of fine sheets of glass make a product with superior strength; add to this a chemical treatment and you have a material suitable for a staircase. How many other materials do you know that you can strengthen and toughen, without losing any of its visual appeal or delicacy?

Glass staircases are increasing in popularity amongst Airdrie customer but as a material, glass has been prevalent for some time. A natural occurring glass, called obsidian, is found at the mouth of a volcano, the product of the earth’s tremendous fire and melting sand, all under immense pressure.

But, man-made glass – and its secrets – did not make its way to Britain until the Romans arrived. With them, they brought the solutions to many of life’s puzzles and conundrums but they kept the skills and technology of glass making away from public consumption with only their demise in Europe finally forcing the revelation of how man could make and use glass.
But early glass making had one problem; clouding. Unlike the beauty of clear and opaque glass staircases available to Airdrie customers today, early glass blowing left the final product, clouded and dull in some areas. Introducing lead into the process solved this problem, and the production of glass took off. Recognition of itsversatility meant it was now used in wider applications from every day use, to higher grade glass within medical applications.

But 1745 to 1845, was 100 years of stilted growth within the glass making industry for glass factories were heavily taxed on the amount of glass they made and used but, the repeal of these taxation rules of the Excise Act meant that now, truly the glass making industry could not only grow, but blossom. Without this repeal, we would have been many years away from being able to use this material in glass staircases, so thwarted would our attempts at understanding its properties have been.
Apart from panes in windows, glass was not seen as serious contender as a construction material until the Great Exhibition of 1851. A celebration of all things British, this exhibition allowed the up and coming inventors and inventions to show a startled public their dreams and plans. Glass leapt forward in agriculture, horticulture and construction, as well as science and technology.

Modern Day

Many of us could not imagine a life without glass; operating in a fierce global market, glass makers are now able to produce a material that offers so many uses in both domestic and industrial settings. Layering and toughen the material has seen the popularity of glass staircases – including glass treads – as a popular and highly sought after material for Airdrie customers.

Take a fresh, innovative look at this material and see how it can transform your home or business premises, making taking the stairs a delight and a journey.