Laminated Glass: What is It?

When it comes to choosing the right glass for your commercial property, safety and performance should never be compromised. Whether you’re a business owner designing a storefront, renovating an office, or upgrading your building’s security features, laminated glass is a solution worth serious consideration. Let’s break down the ins and outs! 

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass engineered to stay intact when broken. It’s constructed by sandwiching a flexible, adhesive interlayer—most often polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)—between two or more layers of standard glass. This combination is then bonded under heat and pressure in a process called lamination.

The result? A durable, resilient sheet of glass that doesn’t shatter into dangerous shards when broken. Instead, the pieces remain stuck to the interlayer, reducing the risk of injury and increasing overall structural security.

The lamination process involves three key steps:

This method creates a product that not only provides enhanced safety but also aesthetic flexibility and superior acoustic and UV performance.

Using this type of glass in commercial buildings offers numerous advantages to contractors, owners, and renters. Here’s why it’s a smart investment for commercial properties:

The core function of laminated glass is to minimize injury. If the glass breaks—whether from impact, a natural disaster, or attempted forced entry— the glass sticks to its inner layer, reducing flying shards and preventing injury. This makes it ideal for storefronts, doors, skylights, and other high-traffic areas.

Similar to tempered glass, laminated glass is also much stronger than normal glass. Standard glass can easily be broken with a single strike. Alternatively, laminated glass has a stronger bond, making it much harder for intruders to gain entry. This is particularly useful in deterring smash-and-grab thefts or enhancing building security.

The interlayer acts as a sound barrier, making laminated glass excellent for urban commercial spaces where traffic, construction, or pedestrian noise can be disruptive. Offices, meeting rooms, and storefronts benefit from the sound-dampening properties.

Laminated glass can block up to 99% of UV rays, helping to preserve furniture, flooring, merchandise, and artwork inside your building. It also improves solar performance, reducing heat buildup and contributing to a more energy-efficient environment.

Laminated glass performs well in harsh weather conditions. Due to its high level of strength, this kind of glass can be used in commercial buildings where the risk of damaging winds, tornadoes, and hurricanes is high. Its construction helps maintain building integrity even when the outer surface is compromised.

Laminated glass is highly customizable. From tints to frosts to embedding logos, it can be designed to match a brand’s aesthetic without sacrificing strength or performance. 

This type of glass is incredibly versatile, making it a go-to option for a wide range of commercial applications:

At Tashman Home Center, we bring over 60 years of expertise in serving commercial property owners, architects, and contractors across Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Our certified professionals handle everything from consultation and measurements to expert installation of laminated glass systems.

We’re known for our:

Whether outfitting a brand-new building or upgrading your current space, Tashman Home Center is your partner for quality laminated glass solutions that look great and perform even better.

Thinking of upgrading your commercial property with laminated glass? We’re here to help! Visit our Commercial Glass Services page to explore all the ways laminated glass can improve your space.

Have a project in mind? Call us at 323-676-0700 or stop by our West Hollywood showroom to speak with a glass expert today.

The post Laminated Glass: What is It? appeared first on Tashman Home Center.