![Frameless Glass Decking Balustrade [Sheffield]](http://diomet.co.uk/cdn/shop/articles/frameless-glass-terrace-balustrade-handrail.jpg?v=1789382612&width=3840)
A raised timber deck in Sheffield, guarded with frameless glass in a continuous base channel and a slotted stainless handrail over the top. It is our System 4 frameless glass balustrade, supplied and installed in partnership with a local decking company.
Project overview
- Client type: Residential, in partnership with a local decking company
- Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Scope: Supply and installation
- Product: System 4 frameless glass balustrade
- Glass: 15mm clear toughened safety glass
- Channel: Adjustable base channel, fixed down to the deck structure
- Handrail: Slotted stainless steel handrail over the top edge
- Design loading: 0.74kN line load, BS 6180
- Fabrication: BS EN 1090-2, execution class EXC2, UKCA marked
Get a price for something similar
This is our System 4 frameless glass balustrade, priced by the metre and supplied as a kit for your own fitter or installed by us.
Fixing frameless glass to a timber deck
This is the part of a decking job that decides whether the finished balustrade feels solid or feels like it moves, and it is work that happens before we arrive.
A frameless run has no posts, so leaning on the top of a panel is turned into a concentrated force at the base channel. On a concrete terrace that goes straight into the slab. On a timber deck it goes into joists, and a single perimeter joist is usually not enough to take it.
So we ask the decking contractor to double up or block out the perimeter joists where the channel lands, giving the heavy duty fixings something solid to pull against. Get that right and the run feels like it is bolted to a wall. Skip it and even a well made glass system will flex, because the movement is in the timber rather than in the glass.
It is much cheaper to do while the deck is being built, which is why we would rather be talking to the deck builder early than to the customer afterwards.
Why the adjustable channel matters on timber
The base channel on System 4 is adjustable, and on a deck that is worth more than it is anywhere else.
Timber moves. It settles under load, it takes up moisture and gives it back, and a deck that was dead level in June is often not in February. An adjustable channel lets each panel be set plumb at installation and corrected later if the deck has moved, without taking the glass out or redrilling anything.
The handrail is structural, not just something to hold
A slotted stainless handrail caps the glass along the top. It gives you something to lean on and it ties the panels together, so the run acts more like one thing and less like a row of separate cantilevers.
It also changes the glass. With a handrail across the top, toughened glass on its own is normally accepted, because the rail is still there if a pane is damaged. Take the rail away and the glass has to stay in place after breakage on its own, which means toughened and laminated. That is why a handrail free run costs more for the same length.
Which arrangement your own deck needs is a decision for your designer and your building control officer, against BS 6180 and Approved Document K. Our glass balustrade building regulations guide explains what they will be looking at.
Supplied as a kit or installed
We installed this one, because it is local and because the deck build and the balustrade were programmed together. Most System 4 goes out as a supply only kit for a competent fitter, which is cheaper and travels well.
Either way the glass is cut to the run rather than to standard bays, so the last panel is not an awkward offcut.
Get a price for something similar
Send the length of each run, the height of the drop and a note of how the deck is built, to sales@diomet.co.uk, or call 0114 243 9009. If the deck is not built yet, that is the best time to ring.
- System 4 frameless glass balustrade, the system on this job, priced online
- System 6 DIY glass decking railings, a posted system made for timber decks, at lower cost
- System 7 side fixed frameless glass balustrade, where the glass fixes to the fascia rather than the deck surface
- System 3 stainless steel wire balustrade, where glass is not wanted at all
- Shaped stair and decking glass panels, for cut outs round posts and corners
- Decorative metal deck panels, for screening rather than guarding
If you are not sure which of those fits, our how to get a price page sets out exactly what we need from you.
Before you order
- Glass balustrade building regulations
- Glass quality standards
- Installation
- Material finishes
- Product maintenance
- Our certification and what it covers
Frequently asked questions
Can a frameless glass balustrade be fitted to a timber deck?
Yes, provided the deck is built for it. The perimeter joists where the channel lands normally need doubling up or blocking out, because a frameless run loads its base fixings hard. It is far easier to do while the deck is being built.
Will it move or bounce?
Not if the substrate is right. Any flex people notice on a glass deck balustrade is almost always movement in the timber rather than in the glass, which is why the joist detail matters more than the glass thickness.
Do I need the handrail?
It depends on the glass specification and on what your building control officer requires. With a handrail over the top, toughened glass is normally accepted. Without one, the glass has to be laminated as well, which costs more.
Why is the channel adjustable?
Because timber moves. An adjustable channel lets each panel be set plumb at installation and corrected later if the deck settles, without taking the glass out.
Can I fit it myself?
Most System 4 goes out as a supply only kit for a competent fitter. We installed this one because it was local and the deck build was programmed alongside it.