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Glass railings

Glass Railings for Balconies, Stairs, and Pool Decks

Structural glass guardrail in standoff, base shoe, and top rail systems. Priced by linear foot, engineered and permitted per project.

What you are buying

This is code work, not decoration

A guardrail is a life safety element. It has to resist a specified load at the top rail, it has to survive the wind pressures for your location, and in most South Florida jurisdictions it needs signed and sealed engineering plus a permit and inspections.

That is why railing is the one product on this site where we will not pretend an online number is a quote. The range you see is what real projects cost per linear foot. The actual number depends on the engineering, the substrate, and the inspector.

Systems

Standoff mounts the glass on posts through the fascia or slab edge and gives the thinnest look. Base shoe sets the glass into a continuous aluminum channel anchored to the slab, which is the most common exterior system and the most forgiving. A top rail caps the glass with a continuous rail, which lets you use thinner glass in some configurations and reads more traditional.

Stair runs cost more per foot than level runs in every system, because every panel is a different raked shape and every anchor location has to be laid out on the actual stringer.

Coastal exposure

Within a few miles of the water, hardware finish is a durability decision rather than a style decision. We use 316 stainless in exposed locations and we will tell you when a finish you like is going to pit.

The glass itself is laminated for guardrail use so that a break leaves a panel in place rather than an opening. That is a code requirement, not an upsell.

Specifications

The details on the page

Glass
Laminated tempered, thickness per engineering
Systems
Standoff, base shoe, top rail
Runs
Level and stair
Applications
Balcony, pool deck, stairs, terrace, interior
Hardware
316 stainless in exposed coastal locations
Engineering
Signed and sealed drawings per project
Permit
Required in most jurisdictions
Lead time
6 to 10 weeks including permitting

Scope

What is included, and what is not

The second list is the one that causes arguments in this trade, so it is on the page rather than in the fine print.

Included in the price

  • Site measure and layout of anchor locations
  • Signed and sealed engineering for the run as built
  • Laminated glass, channel or standoffs, and stainless hardware
  • Installation and inspection coordination

Not included

  • Permit fees, which are paid to the jurisdiction
  • Slab, fascia, or stringer repair and reinforcement
  • Waterproofing and coating of the deck surface
  • Structural modification required to reach anchor capacity

Questions

Answered plainly

In most municipalities here, yes, and it needs engineering with it. We handle the drawings and the inspection coordination. The fees are paid to the city or county.

See the whole price list

Every product, every range, with the configuration behind each number.

Open pricing

How the work actually runs

Measure, fabrication, install, and what we need from you at each step.

Read the process