Custom glass · Montreal
Glass cut to size: tempered, laminated, clear or frosted
Many glass jobs in a Montreal flat are small: a cracked pane in the French doors of a double parlour, a glass front for a kitchen cabinet. Each needs the right glass, cut and finished for its use. We connect you with an independent local glass professional who cuts to measure, says whether it should be tempered or laminated, and quotes it first.
- Plain, tempered or laminated glass
- Polished edges, holes and notches
- Quotes from independent local pros
Three kinds of glass
Tempered, laminated or annealed: which glass for which job
Clear or frosted, on the counter they look alike. How each one breaks decides where it can go.
Annealed (plain) glass
Ordinary glass, cut from the sheet. Fine for picture frames, an old wood sash or a framed cabinet panel. It breaks into sharp pieces, so it stays out of doors and showers.
Tempered glass (verre trempé)
Cut and edged first, then heat-treated. Much stronger, and it breaks into small, blunt pieces. The usual choice for tabletops, shelves, showers and doors. Sizes and holes are final once tempered.
Laminated glass (verre feuilleté)
Two layers bonded to a plastic interlayer. When it cracks, the pieces stay put and the opening stays closed. Used for railings and display cases.
Ordering
Ordering: measurements, thickness, edges and holes
Plenty of Montrealers still bring the broken piece, the frame or a cardboard template to the counter; for an odd shape, it is often the surest way. For a door or a built-in, let the pro measure.
Measure, or bring the pattern
Take the width and height at two or three points, in millimetres or sixteenths of an inch, and trace curves on cardboard. Tempered glass can't be trimmed later.
Settle the thickness
It follows the span and the load: thin for a cabinet door, more for a top or a long shelf. See glass tabletops and shelves.
Choose edges, mark holes
Seamed edges for glass hidden in a frame, flat polished (bords polis) for edges you touch, or a bevel, as on many made-to-measure mirrors. Holes and outlet notches go on the drawing; a glass backsplash is the classic case.
Furniture and cabinets
Replacing the glass in furniture, a display cabinet or a kitchen cabinet
Furniture glass (vitre de meuble) is usually simple: the old piece or its frame gives the size, and the pro matches the thickness and edge. Solid cabinet doors can also be opened up, with glass cut to the routed opening and held by a stop or clips. Clear shows the dishes; frosted hides them.
Ask about cabinet glassSafety glass
When safety calls for tempered glass
Canadian building codes require safety glass, tempered or laminated, in shower and bathtub enclosures, sliding doors, storm doors and railings. Quebec's code is based on the national one, and the pro confirms what applies. For shower glass doors, plain glass is never an option. Beyond the code, glass in a door or at knee height is better tempered.
Glass fitted into a door or window calls for an installer with an RBQ licence in the doors-and-windows subclass; the Régie du bâtiment explains how to check the number on a quote.
What affects the quote
What moves the price of made-to-measure glass
Each piece is cut to order. The quote follows:
- Plain, tempered or laminated, and any frosted finish
- Size, thickness and shape
- Edge work, and how many edges show
- Holes, notches and cut-outs
- Counter pickup, delivery or fitting
The use, the measurements and a photo often let a pro quote without a visit.
Another material
Glass or plexiglass?
Plastic sheet is lighter and hard to break: right for a shed window, a counter shield or the panel around a portable air conditioner. Glass resists scratches and heat, so it wins for tops, shelves, cabinets and showers. See plexiglass and polycarbonate cut to size.
Questions
Custom glass questions
Explore your options
Other glass jobs we can help with
Local pros cut and fit custom glass across the island and nearby, including Montréal, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Verdun, the West Island and Laval.
Tell us what the glass is for
Send the use, the dimensions and the thickness you have in mind, with a photo if you can. We'll pass it to a local glass pro who cuts to measure, and they'll come back with a quote (a soumission).