Glass Partitioning - How to measure up for Glass Partitioning

The first stage in partitioning a space is to measure the existing opening. This seems obvious but there are a checklist of elements that you should use when you are measuring up to ensure you do not forget or overlook important details. The main limitation of toughened glass is that once its made, it is made, it is permanently the size it is, and you cannot plane, shave or trim it down if you have measured the opening incorrectly.

Measuring Up Check List

1)      Measure the height and width, you need to do this accurately to the mm. You should take measurements at 3 different points on both the height and width, measure top middle and bottom for the width, and left right and centre for the height. In this way you can be sure that there is no variance across the room. If there is a variance, you need to take the shortest and narrowest measurements when calculating the size of the glass you need.

2)      Check things are level. Using a spirit level, check that the floor, wall and ceiling are all as flat as you are expecting they should be. It is not uncommon to find that they are not straight and again you need to take this into consideration before you order the glass, as accounting for it just before you start installation will cause quite alot of head scratching! This is especially important if you are fitting a glass door in your glass partition.

You also need to consider

a)      Skirting Board, there are 2 options with skirting board, you can either cut the Glazing U channel fittings into the skirting board so it fits directly to the wall, or you can run a wooden batten up the wall of an equal thickness to the skirting board, and start the U channel from the outside edge of the skirting board. Again accounting for this before ordering the glass is important.

b)      Cable ducting, check that there are no cable ducts running along walls, skirting boards or across the ceiling where the glass partitioning is going to be fitted.

c)       Light positions; it is important to determine whether the creation of new rooms will require additional light fittings and switches or existing light fittings and switches to be moved before the glass partitioning is installed. It is almost always easier to undertake any electrical work before the glass partition is installed.

d)      Pipes, cables and steel girders in the floor; it is important to determine whether there are any pipes or cables running under the floor where the glass partitioning is to be installed. It is unlikely that the installation and fixation of the glazing U channeI would interfere with these if they are present, however the installation of a frameless glass door utilising a floor mounted glass door spring will often require a hole to be made int he door of a depth that could interrupt any pipes or cables running under the floor. Planning of the position of a frameless glass door within a floor to ceiling glass partition wall is therefore important at the measuring and planning stage