"Richard Faulkner" wrote in message
...
In message , Nick
writes
We have a door leading from the kitchen to a utility room and thence to
the
back garden. It is probably the most used door in the house.
This door is steel framed with individual leaded lights. The problem is
that as cats & dogs return from the garden they batter at the door to be
let in. This has ripped the lead flashings away and the door is now
becoming unsafe.
I'm thinking of removing the lower glazed part (approx. 550 x 1350mm) and
replacing with a single sheet of some clear plastic type material. The
upper glazing is a single sheet of glass of similar dimensions so what I
propose should not be out of character.

I'm thinking of using Makrolon / Lexan (don't know the difference but
suspect Makrolon is a trade name).
Would this be suitable, or can anyone suggest a better alternative?
Thickness would be 10-13mm. Must be clear, *reasonably* unbreakable, and
hopefully scratchproof.
I would intend to fix it by bedding into silicone and c'sunk machine
screws
at 100mm centres.
Any ideas or alternatives please? Also any links to suppliers?

Many thanks

Nick.


I have a security issue with a ground floor flat and my builder has
suggested new laminated double glazed glass for the patio door and
adjacent windows - he tells me that the frames and brickwork will give
way before the glass.

He described it as a piece of "plastic glass" sandwiched between two
normal sheets of glass - presumably as scratch proof as normal glass?

It is normal glass (two sheets of it making a sandwich with a plastic sheet
filler between them). It is recommended for patio doors where there are
football kickers in the garden etc. (they have to be toughened or
laminated). My patio door double glazed units are laminated on the outside
and toughened inside.

They fail (if at all) fairly benignly. Mine developed a crack at the edge
and had to be replaced. A toughened sheet would have shattered. This stayed
secure and was merely unsightly as the crack slowly lengthened.

It depends how you attack them, I guess but I would agree a laminated patio
door unit is not going to be the weakest point in the house.

To cut laminated glass, one side is scored and cracked and a strip of meths
run along the crack and ignited. The heat softens the plastic so the gap can
be opened up enough to get a blade in to cut the plastic. The other sheet
can then be snapped along the line. (I watched it being done once).


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)