Why decks here keep trading pickets for panels
We install glass railings on decks, staircases, and balconies around Portland, for homes and for businesses. If a railing is part of your project, we'll come out, measure, and leave you a written estimate at no charge.
The railings we build
Residential glass railings
Decks, stair runs, and balconies at home. Tempered safety glass panels set in aluminum posts and rails, or mounted with standoffs where you want less metal in the way. Either way the panels are made for your measurements, and the railing goes from the most demanding piece of wood on the house to the one part you only ever wash.
Commercial glass railings
Stair rails, landings, and patio dividers for shops, offices, and restaurants, built with the heavier daily use of a commercial space in mind.
Frameless glass railings
Frameless systems hold the glass with standoffs or a channel at the floor instead of posts, so from a few steps back the railing nearly disappears. They take more exact measuring and fabrication than a post-mounted system, and that precision is most of what you're paying for.
Custom glass handrails
Angled stair runs, stepped panels, openings that stock sizes were never going to fit. We measure each section and have the panels fabricated to match, piece by piece.
Where glass makes the most sense
Anywhere the railing is standing between you and something worth looking at: a deck with a view, a staircase in an open living room, a balcony over the yard. On a windy deck the panels do double duty as a windbreak, and because the glass is solid, there are no gaps for a kid or a dog to squeeze through, which is something pickets and cables can't say.
What keeps a glass railing safe
Railing glass is tempered safety glass, the same category of glass that goes into car windows and shower doors. It's far stronger than ordinary glass, and on the rare occasion it breaks, it breaks into small pebbles instead of shards. Oregon's building code sets the heights railings have to reach and requires safety glazing in guards, and we build to it. Where breakage would matter most, over a patio, above a stairwell, around a pool, laminated panels are the step up: two sheets bonded to an interlayer, so even a broken panel stays in place until it's swapped.
A few things worth knowing
Free estimates
Measured at your place, no charge.
Tempered safety glass
Every panel, every railing.
Residential and commercial
Homes, shops, offices, restaurants.
Custom fabrication
Panels made to your measurements, not the other way around.
Questions we get about glass railings
What does a glass railing cost?
The quote moves with the length of the run, the system holding the glass (posts, standoffs, or a floor channel), the glass itself, and how much custom fabrication the layout needs. Frameless runs higher than post-mounted because of the precision involved. We measure at your place and the estimate is free.
Is glass safe with kids and dogs around?
Yes, and in a couple of ways pickets aren't. The panels are tempered safety glass, so a break means pebbles rather than shards, and a solid panel has no gaps to squeeze through or rungs to climb. For families who want the extra margin, laminated glass holds together in the frame even when broken.
Can tempered glass really shatter on its own?
It's rare, but it isn't a myth. A tiny imperfection sealed inside tempered glass at the factory can, once in a long while, cause a panel to break without warning. That's part of why railing codes require safety glass in the first place: when tempered breaks, it pebbles instead of throwing shards. If the spot below your railing makes that risk worth engineering out, a deck over a patio, a landing above a stairwell, laminated panels stay in one piece even when broken, and that's the option to ask about when we measure.
How long does installation take?
Measuring comes first, the panels are made to those numbers, and the installation itself usually fits in a day. You'll have the full schedule with your estimate, before anything is ordered.
What's the maintenance, honestly?
A hose, a squeegee, and the same glass cleaner you use on windows. There's no sanding, staining, or re-tightening season. The aluminum parts ask for nothing beyond an occasional rinse.
Can you put glass on the deck I already have?
Often, yes. Glass panels carry more weight than pickets, so it comes down to what your posts and the deck's frame can hold. We look at that when we measure, and if the deck needs work first, you'll hear exactly what and why before any glass is ordered.
If a railing is on your project list
Call (503) 887-8329 and tell us what you're building. We'll measure, leave a written estimate, and schedule the work when the panels are ready. Clear Works Glass, SE Portland. Free estimates. Oregon CCB #261682, bonded and insured.