Doors, windows and glass
Reflective Glass
Reflective Glass for Bangalore homes — the dimensions, hardware and detailing that decide whether it still works in year five.
Photo: emdot · BY 2.0Overview
Reflective Glass, in plain specification
Written for the decision, not for the mood board.
Reflective Glass is engineered before it is styled. The layout, the services behind it, the hardware carrying it and the clearances around it all get resolved on a drawing long before a finish is picked. Done in that order, the finish becomes a free choice. Done in reverse, the finish becomes a compromise.
The parts of reflective glass that fail first are the parts nobody looks at — hinges, runners, seals, fixings and the edge nobody sealed. That is why our specification names hardware by model and the substrate by grade, and why our estimates look different from ones written by category.
The specification below is the one we issue to the factory and the site, which is why it reads as dimensions and grades rather than as adjectives. It is also what a warranty is enforced against — a specification that cannot be measured cannot be claimed on.
Six house styles
Reflective Glass in six personalities
The same brief resolved six ways. Each carries its own material, finish and detailing.
Photo: Paul Keller · BY 2.0Minimal Reflective Glass
Serene Minimal treats reflective glass as chalk · pale oak · linen: nothing decorative survives unless it also does work. Core: Solid ply with hardwood frame. Frame: Hardwood, 100x62mm. Glazing: Clear toughened 8mm.
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Photo: oskay · BY 2.0Bold Reflective Glass
Bold Contemporary treats reflective glass as charcoal · oxblood · smoked oak: high contrast, confident mass, a single saturated move per room. Core: Solid core with steel insert. Frame: Hardwood with aluminium sub-frame. Glazing: Double glazed 6-12-6.
See this stylePhoto: emdot · BY 2.0Heritage Reflective Glass
Modern Heritage treats reflective glass as teak · cane · antique brass: indian craft detailing on a contemporary frame — jaali, cane, inlay and hand-finished brass, used sparingly. Core: Solid teak. Frame: Solid teak, 125x75mm. Glazing: Fluted glass in timber bead.
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Photo: Aleksandar Ratkovic · BY 2.0Classic Reflective Glass
Classic Luxe treats reflective glass as ivory · statuario · gold: proportioned panelling, cornice and moulding, book-matched stone and warm gilt detail on ivory. Core: Solid core with moulded face. Frame: Hardwood, moulded. Glazing: Clear with astragal bars.
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Photo: wheezinggirl · BY 2.0Scandi Reflective Glass
Indo-Scandinavian treats reflective glass as birch · chalk · sage: pale timber, soft daylight and muted green — nordic restraint adapted for indian light, dust and humidity. Core: Solid ply. Frame: Hardwood 100x62mm. Glazing: Clear toughened.
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Photo: Jocey K · BY-SA 2.0Deco Reflective Glass
Art Deco Glam treats reflective glass as emerald · brass · lacquer: fluting, fans and geometry. Core: Solid core with lacquer face. Frame: Aluminium with timber facing. Glazing: Fluted with brass bead.
See this styleSpecification
Reflective Glass specification, style by style
This is the table we issue to the factory and the site. It is also what a warranty is enforced against, which is why it reads in grades and dimensions.
| Specification | Minimal | Bold | Heritage | Classic | Scandi | Deco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf size | 1000x2100mm | 1200x2400mm | 1050x2250mm, carved | 1000x2400mm | 900x2100mm | 1200x2700mm pivot |
| Core | Solid ply with hardwood frame | Solid core with steel insert | Solid teak | Solid core with moulded face | Solid ply | Solid core with lacquer face |
| Frame | Hardwood, 100x62mm | Hardwood with aluminium sub-frame | Solid teak, 125x75mm | Hardwood, moulded | Hardwood 100x62mm | Aluminium with timber facing |
| Glazing | Clear toughened 8mm | Double glazed 6-12-6 | Fluted glass in timber bead | Clear with astragal bars | Clear toughened | Fluted with brass bead |
| Hardware | Mortise lock, lever handle | Digital lock with mortise | Brass handle, traditional lock | Lever on rose with escutcheon | Lever handle | Pull handle with floor spring |
| Hinges | SS concealed, three per leaf | Heavy-duty SS, four per leaf | Brass butt hinges | SS butt hinges | SS concealed | Pivot set, top and bottom |
| Seal | Rebate seal | Acoustic and draught seal | Timber rebate | Rebate with brush seal | Rebate seal | Acoustic seal |
| Finish | Matt PU | Veneer with satin lacquer | Hand-polished teak | PU paint with beading | Matt laminate | Fluted lacquer with brass |
Before you commit
How to choose reflective glass
Six checks that prevent the failures we are most often called to fix.
- Check the opening size on site before ordering anything. Indian civil openings are rarely square, and the frame absorbs the error only if it is measured first.
- Decide the swing direction with the furniture layout in hand. A door that opens against a switchboard or a bed is a permanent irritation.
- For external doors and windows, specify the glass for the orientation. West-facing glazing without a low-E coating turns a room unusable in summer.
- Ask about the frame-to-wall interface. Water ingress at the frame joint, not through the product, causes most window failures.
- For acoustic performance, the seal and the frame do the work, not the leaf thickness alone.
- Confirm hardware handing and finish at the order stage — the lock, hinge and handle are all handed items.
Bangalore
Reflective Glass in Bangalore
What the city's climate, water, housing stock and society rules mean for this specification.
Most of our work is in Bangalore, and the city sets a few conditions worth knowing before specifying reflective glass. The climate is the kindest in India to timber and joinery — no extreme dry heat, no coastal salt — but the monsoon runs long, and humidity between June and October is what tests every edge, seal and ventilation gap in a home.
Balcony enclosure rules vary sharply between societies, and a few refuse them entirely. Anything involving a balcony gets checked against the society's own rules before design, not after — including in Indiranagar and Koramangala, where older buildings often have their own restrictions.
The mild climate is a genuine advantage: solid timber and veneer move far less here than in Delhi or Chennai, which makes craft detailing more durable and more affordable than it would be elsewhere. It is one of the few Indian cities where that is true year-round.
Hard borewell water in Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Hebbal and Yelahanka leaves scale on glass, chrome and stone within months. Where the supply is hard we specify surfaces and fittings that tolerate it, and we tell the family the honest maintenance routine rather than leaving them to discover it.
For Bangalore homes we hold material with the grade and batch recorded, and we plan deliveries around society access rules rather than around our own convenience.
Sizing
Reflective Glass by home size
Sizing below is what we plan reflective glass to in each home size. These are working dimensions from completed projects, not catalogue minimums.
| Home size | Typical scope | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 BHK | Compact, single run | Compact planning, one clear gesture |
| 2 BHK | Standard, two runs | Standard scope, most common brief |
| 3 BHK | Full specification | Full scope with storage planned in litres |
| 4 BHK | Extended with island or dresser | Extended scope, bespoke elements |
| 4+ BHK / Villa | Bespoke, villa scale | Villa scale, bespoke throughout |
Cost
What moves the price of reflective glass
We quote line by line rather than per square foot, because these are the items that actually differ between two estimates.
- Leaf construction and species of the face.
- Glazing specification — double glazing and low-E coatings are the biggest single variable.
- Hardware, which on a pivot or a sliding system can exceed the leaf cost.
- Frame material and whether a sub-frame is used.
- Site measurement and any civil correction to the opening.
Process
How the work runs
Five stages, with the decisions each one locks.
We measure the space ourselves rather than working from the builder's drawing, note the services, water quality, daylight and society rules, and write down how the room is actually used. Reflective Glass is specified against that survey, not against a catalogue.
Plans, elevations and details, with the specification written as grades and dimensions. You approve an elevation, not a render — this is the stage where changes cost nothing.
Material, finish, hardware and services are locked, and the estimate becomes a line-by-line document. We tell you exactly what this date locks and what can still change afterwards.
Factory production runs to the approved drawing while site work is prepared. Material is checked against the approved sample on arrival, in daylight, and stored correctly until the programme calls for it.
Installation, testing, snagging and a documentation file with drawings, warranties, decor codes and hardware models. A first-year service visit is scheduled at handover.
Living with it
Maintaining reflective glass
The honest routine, and the mistakes that cost the most to undo.
Care and maintenance
- Lubricate hinges and locks once a year with a dry lubricant, not oil, which attracts dust.
- Clean sliding tracks quarterly; grit is what wears a roller and makes a heavy slide.
- Check external frame sealant annually before the monsoon and renew where it has separated.
- Wipe condensation off double-glazed frames in winter in northern cities to protect the seal.
What goes wrong
- Ordering before the floor level and finish are decided.
- Using an interior-grade leaf in a bathroom, where humidity delaminates it from the bottom edge.
- Skipping the sub-frame on an aluminium system, which makes future replacement destructive.
- Choosing an oversized single leaf that no hinge set can carry without dropping.
Detailing
Reflective Glass detailing notes
The small decisions that separate built work from assembled work.
A door reads best when its frame is either flush with the wall plane or expressed deliberately. The half-hearted 12mm architrave is what makes joinery look builder-grade.
Floor clearance should be set for the finished floor plus any rug. Doors planed on site after flooring never look right at the bottom edge.
Pivot doors need a structural head and a level floor. Both are civil decisions taken long before the door is ordered.
Where a door leads to a bathroom, undercut it for return air or the exhaust fan will not move anything.
Questions
Reflective Glass — answered
How is Reflective Glass measured and ordered?
The opening is measured on site after plaster, with the finished floor level marked. Ordering from a drawing dimension instead of a site dimension is the most common cause of a door that never closes properly.
What is the lead time?
Four to eight weeks for made-to-order work. Site measurement, shop drawing approval and factory production are the three stages, and the approval stage is usually the one that slips.
Does it need maintenance?
Annual hardware lubrication, quarterly track cleaning where it slides, and an annual check of external sealant. That is all a well-installed opening needs.
Can it improve sound insulation?
Yes, substantially, but through the seal and frame rather than the leaf alone. A well-sealed solid-core door outperforms a heavier door hung with gaps.
How does Reflective Glass handle Indian weather?
Correctly specified, well. The failures we see are water at the frame junction, timber used externally without protection, and glass chosen without regard to orientation.
Is a warranty provided?
Yes, on manufacturing and finish. Hardware carries the manufacturer's own warranty, which is why we specify hardware by model rather than by category.
Do you work on reflective glass projects across Bangalore?
Yes — Bangalore is where most of our projects are, from apartments along Sarjapur Road, Whitefield and Hebbal to independent homes in Jayanagar, Indiranagar and Malleshwaram. We survey the space ourselves, work within the society's access and working-hour rules, and hand over with a documentation file. There is a dedicated page for our work in the city if you want the full picture.
Does Bangalore's climate or water affect this choice?
The climate helps and the water does not. Mild year-round temperatures are kinder to timber and joinery than almost any other Indian city, so craft detailing lasts. Hard borewell water in the eastern and northern corridors is the real constraint — it scales glass, chrome and stone, and it changes what we specify and what maintenance we ask the family to commit to.
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Planning reflective glass for your home?
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