Frequently our customer’s ask how they can have a deck railing system that does not require a top cap on the edge of the glass. Most deck railing systems actually fall under code requirements for guardrailings. Guardrail codes vary by juridictions and each system is subject to local building codes and engineering for the particular location that it is being placed.
In order to create a deck railing system without a top cap, it has to exceed numerous design criteria and be constructed with glass that will not fail or fall apart even when broken. In order to achieve this, we usually use tempered glass laminated together with Dupont’s Sentry Interlayer. Dupont makes numerous laminates that can be put in between two pieces of glass. This interlayer is different from traditional PVB laminate used in car windshield and standard laminated window glass.
The Dupont Sentry Interlayer is actually structural and will not fall apart, when the glass on both sides of it are shattered. Using this allows for the glass to remain in place and not require a guardrail at the top,
Glass Deck Railing For A Guardrail Application in Marin County, CA Without Top Cap Using Dupont Sentry Interlayer and Tempered, Laminated Glass
Requirements such as windload, exposure, codes, and height off the ground will all affect a glass deck or guardrail. We encourage you to give us a call to discuss your project. We can use a pre engineered system if it is applicable to your situation or work with your project team to develop a system for your particular application.
Please visit Dupont’s Sentry Website for additional information http://www2.dupont.com/SafetyGlass/en_US/products/sentryglas.html
