As well as any construction, glass floor is composed of many separate details – the parts. Let’s list them in bottom-up order.
Base under glass floor is kind of construction’s foundation; it must be reliable, durable and desirable flat. The base may be made of reinforced concrete, wood, steel and their combinations, known as the rule of «the floor pie».
Fasteners are also a very important component because they determines how much will glass floors will be in use, and the more reliable power construction under the glass floor is fixed, the longer the floor will serve.
Power substructure is so a called skeleton on which the glass plates are imposed. This system is reminiscent of the false floor – it consists of height adjustable posts that have four basic sizes and stringer system – supporting profiles, that links posts with each other. Glass panels are based precisely on the stringers. There are strips of highly plastic polyurethane bushing which are pasted to the metal stringers order to avoid contact with the glass. For the glass ceiling standard power construction is made in the form of spatial truss of stainless or structural steel – but only if the architects have decided to decorate the supporting structures «under painting». The most audacious and expensive solution would be to make the power structure from glass instead of steel. It is possible nowadays, but the cost of such construction will be disproportionately higher than the cost of the steel one. But what the power structure from glass gives? There is just one answer – exclusivity. From an artistic point of view appearance of such a system is much higher than ordinary glass the floor. When illuminating such construction joints between the glass plates will become invisible – they will dissolve in the cross-beams of light. The designer will see the glass floor in one piece of canvas, ready for painting.
Illumination is required in order to underline the «transparency» of the structure, «exposing» the idea, inherent by designer or architect in to the base of the full-glass structure. Backlight can consist of neon tubes or fluorescent lamps. If the light allocates a lot of heat, it is complemented by supply and exhaust fans providing a convection under a glass floor.
Pattern is then applied to the inside glass panel by the full color printing, sandblasting, screen printing or application of color film.
Coverslip – thin glass coating of 6 mm thickness, which protects the basic glass plate from abrasion and chipping. If it is used, pattern is applied to the coverslip.
Seams between panels appear due to certain tolerances in the manufacture of laminated glass with edging. Seams are filled with polymerizable silicone sealant (more time-consuming and more reliable process) or with the seal of extruded silicone profiles.
