FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions.

Should you have any glass related questions, please call and we will be happy to assist you.

Each product we offer carries a separate warranty. Once installed (shower doors, thermal units, etc.) we will stand by our installation for a period of one year. The product itself will carry a manufacturers warranty against defect for 1 to 10 years, depending on the product.

There are many good brands on the market. We sell an aerosol can that produces a foam-spray on and wipe off. The most economical glass cleaner is a mixture of 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water and wipe with a newspaper. The newspaper does not leave lint on the glass. When it comes to cleaning mirrors do NOT use abrasives, alkali, ammonia or acids as these destroy the silver backing.

Most often it is in bathroom mirrors were moisture and contaminates in the air attack the silver backing causing discolouring and flaking. Soapy water or incorrect cleaning liquids accumulate on the edges of the mirror eroding the backing. At Commercial Mirror and Glass, we avoid the deterioration by sealing the edges of the mirror.

All insulated units will eventually fail. Insulated glass is made using two pieces of glass bonded together with a spacer creating an air space in the center that produces the insulation. Even when properly installed, heat, cold, expansion, contraction, uv-rays and moisture eventually cause seal failure.

Unfortunately, you have to replace the whole unit (glass portion). Due to the way insulated (double-glazed) windows are produced, both pieces have to be replaced. Sealing a unit has to be done at the factory and cannot be done on site.

Great question with a not so great answer. Shower door manufacturers are terrible at putting their name on their product. Most manufacturers buy their glass and metal from different suppliers. The best place to get parts for your door is from the company you purchased it from.

If you are building a new home, be sure to keep a list of suppliers where your builder received his products from. If you don’t know where your shower door was purchased from, then may the luck of the Irish be on your side. Taking a picture of the part you need and calling/visiting local glass shops would be your best bet. I can look at a part right away and tell if it came from our shop or not. Sometimes, parts can be interchangeable, but not always. Spending the small amount of money to give it a try can sometimes be better than buying a whole new door.

Annealed glass or float glass is the basic form of all glass. When broken, annealed glass will shatter or break into large fragments. The thicker the glass, the more dangerous the fragments. Safety glass or tempered glass is glass that has been processed by a heating it to make the glass stronger. When broken, tempered glass will shatter into small fragments, making it less likely to cause severe injury. Another safety glass is called laminated glass. Laminated glass is when two pieces of float glass are bonded together to keep the glass from breaking apart. Laminated glass is typically used in auto glass. All shower doors, by all NZ building codes, must be tempered and must display the tempered stamp or “bug” somewhere on the glass itself. The “bug” will also display the name of the company who tempered the glass. This may be different from the manufacturer of the shower door, but is still a reference when determining where the door came from.