Glass is not as sturdy and invincible as you think. It is frustrating for many facilities managers to see their first permanent scratch on a lobby door or window since a single mark can make a new and expensive pair look neglected and old. Scratch reducing coatings may not make your glass invincible, but they can certainly change how it handles daily wear and tear like frequent contact with nails, rings and keys.
Why Glass Scratches So Easily
When you look at glass through a microscope at 10x magnification, it doesn't look perfectly smooth, even though it looks that way to a naked eye. Its molecular lattice shows us a complicated honeycomb shape with little hills and valleys. These tiny potholes attract dust, moisture, and other pollutants from your surroundings. Therefore, when sand particles, diamond rings, or particularly heavy luggage rub against glass, it causes these microscopic ridges to crack. This is called mechanical abrasion. Over time, millions of these tiny chips accumulate, leading to glass in these high footfall areas to be chipped or cracked. In short, you need to realize that glass is physically breaking down because rubbing with hard everyday surfaces (heavy bag, diamond ring etc.) causes its honeycomb structure to snap off.
What Are Scratch-Resistant Glass Coatings?
Industrial-grade scratch-resistant treatments are made to smooth out glass at the microscopic level, which makes it stronger and less likely to get scratched. While ClearShield is not scratch-proof, it is a compound made of polymeric resin that cross-links with the glass and forms a strong covalent bond. This makes it non-stick, smooth, and chemically inactive. Everyday contact with things like rings and bags have a hard time breaking the lattice when the honeycomb structure is smoothed out. This makes it stronger than unprotected glass but it is definitely not scratch-proof since serious damage can require replacement or repair.
Do Scratch Resistant Glass Coatings Actually Work?
Scratch-resistant glass coatings are useful for everyday purposes in high footfall areas since they are primarily designed to reduce friction with glass’ uneven lattice. Do note that they do not make your glass impossible to break. So, if you hit it with a hammer or apply aggressive force, it will still break. But, by applying scratch-resistant coatings, you add a powerful shield that prevents chipping from everyday causes.
Where Scratch Resistant Coatings Make the Most Difference
We already mentioned that scratch-resistant coatings for glass are very effective for commercial areas with high footfall like:
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Hotels, especially lobby doors
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Glass elevators
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Glass railings in shopping malls
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Glass-topped restaurant tables
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Display cases in hotel reception
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Glass walls of gyms and fitness centers
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Shower doors in hotel bathrooms.
Every day, the above places are exposed to hundreds of fingerprints and accidental bumps with heavy items. Thus, a protected glass surface is able to last much longer while safeguarding the aesthetic and structural integrity of the glass.
Factors That Determine Performance
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Quality of the Bond with the Glass: If a protective coating is applied on existing dirt and grime build-up on the glass pane, it is impossible for the coating to perfectly bond with the silica network and smoothen the microscopic potholes. This is why professional renovation to microscopically clean the glass is necessary.
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Chemical Makeup of the Scratch-Resistant Coating: Many nano-coatings available on the market act akin to a temporary layer of smooth cement that wears off over time. However, a polymeric resin solution like ClearShield becomes a permanent part of the glass, thus giving it more longevity with daily wear and tear.
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Crosslink Density: In polymeric resin coatings like ClearShield, a higher crosslink density with the glass lattice improves hardness and reduces corrosion of the glass, leading to greater scratch and pollutant resistance.
How Long Do Scratch-Resistant Coatings Last?
As always, the answer depends on where your glass pane is and how often you clean it. You can expect great performance for at least ten years in a normal office, mall, hotel lobby, or home. But if you don't clean it well every week, the performance will go down. The ClearShield glass at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, for instance, was properly cared for and cleaned for almost 20 years, and it still works perfectly. Thus, proper aftercare is the key to making the permanent polymeric resin coating stay effective without the additional charge of a recoat.
Signs Your Facility Needs Scratch Protection
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Foggy Appearance After Cleaning: If your glass looks cloudy even after a professional clean-up, it may be a sign of multiple accumulated microscopic scratches.
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Sticky Surface: Wipe your glass with a clean microfiber cloth. If it looks like it's dragging instead of gliding smoothly, the glass's tiny hills are showing and are easy to scratch.
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Increased Cleaning Frequency: If your maintenance team says they are cleaning your glass more often because of dust buildup, it's time to have it checked.
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High Replacement Rates: If you notice that the glass panes in high-footfall areas like hotel lobbies or malls are being replaced every few years, investing in a permanent glass coating like ClearShield will promise a high ROI by doubling its current lifespan.
Conclusion
Like we discussed, scratch-resistant coatings for your glass is not an immortal shield for all damage. It is, however, an essential tool for facility management due to its ability to convert vulnerable glass panes to smooth, strong, and non-stick surfaces. Thus, investing in a polymeric resin treatment like ClearShield effectively eliminates everyday mechanical abrasions that ruin the aesthetic appearance of your glass in a wallet-friendly manner.