The question has come up repeatedly – what’s the best way to finish the end and top of my glass block shower wall? The answer – like many things in life is it depends. You may be saying right now, Mike what the H-E-double hockey sticks does it depend on? Well it depends on budget. It depends on the you want. It depends on how much you desperately want to blow up maintenance. It also depends on whether you have access to material supplier who know what the heck they’re talking about with glass blocks.
Let’s look at the 5 most popular options for finishing these walls. At the end – you let me know which one looks the coolest to you.
Option 1 – Finished end and double end glass blocks to step down a wall
This option is by far the most popular finishing approach since it creates an “all glass” look and the bull-nosed edges of the finished glass blocks are easy to clean. These blocks come in 8 x 8 x 3, 6 x 8 x 4, and 8 x 8 x 4 sizes which provide a good degree of design flexibility (although since the 6 x 8 x 4 size was made by Pittsburgh Corning – which went out of business – they’re hard to find now). The double end glass blocks only come in 8 x 8 x 3 and 8 x 8 x 4 sizes (which requires walls which stair step down to be designed in 8” increments only – which can be limiting). So if you love the stair-step wall look you’ll need to remember you must work in 8″ sizes for both the horizontal and vertical measurements.
A finished 8 x 8 x 3 end block in a wave pattern for a glass block wall with a frameless door between them
Option 2 – Glass style caps for the end or top of your wall
The glass style caps are specifically made to fit over straight, curved, 45 or 90 degree angle glass blocks which make them a perfect option to finish the top of any wall (even if it’s radiused!). These glass caps (which are about 1/8” thick) are available in cool grey, snow white and biscuit colors. These units are adhered to the glass block wall with construction adhesive and are a very cost effective approach for the top of a wall. Their drawback is they don’t have an all glass block look and are not made to match other counter or trim materials in the bathroom.
A curved glass block shower wall with style caps to finish off the top
Option 3 – Skim coat of grout or mortar at the top of the wall
The most cost effective solution (which is only used for the top of a wall which is rarely seen) is to apply a thin coating of grout or mortar over the top surface of unfinished glass blocks. These is very cheap to do – but it is not the prettiest approach (but that may be OK if it’s not in view).
Option 4 –Solid surface, marble or granite to cap over the glass block wall
These materials have long been known for their flexibility (they can be fabricated into almost any shape – straight, angled or curved), wide array of colors (which can be matched to bathroom countertops or other trim) and their ability to stand up to water. Their primary drawback (especially in the case of a curved wall) is they can be very pricey and their final design must be coordinated with the exact curvature of the block wall (this can be tricky if it is not done by someone knowledgeable). Note – if you don’t have a curved wall you can get these pieces for a reasonable price – especially if you talk to a cultured marble or granite supplier and ask about their remnants.
A white cultured marble stone was cut in 3″ thickness to cover the end of this modern glass block shower wall surrounding these laminated shower wall panels
Option 5 –Decorative high density wood to finish the end of a shower wall – I bet you thought you’d never see this!
OK so now some people probably think I’ve gone nuts to recommend using wood in a shower but there are several wood species (like teak, Brazilian walnut, and cocobolo pictured below) which are durable and applicable for wet environments. They can be cut to the desired shape and create a unique look. The drawback of high density wood is they are high priced, but boy are they cool to look at!
Decorative cocobolo wood trim to finish off the end of a straight glass block shower wall
Which of these 5 glass block finishing options do you like the best? If you’d like input on glass block finishing units or designing a glass block shower kit for your home call the numbers below.
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Call Innovate Building Solutions on a nationwide basis (877-668-5888) or for a local project their divisions including Columbus Glass Block (614-252-5888), Cleveland Glass Block (216-531-6363), West Side Glass Block (216-398-1020) or Mid America Glass Block (513-742-5900) of Cincinnati or Dayton and Akron (330-633-2900).
President of Innovate Building Solutions a nationwide supplier and regional (Cleveland and Columbus) remodeling contractors. Some of our product lines include glass counters, floors, backsplashes, glass blocks and grout free shower and tub wall panels
David – we do offer the thin glass blocks with the finished end and are what we use for our prefabricated glass block sections. Feel free to call us at 877-668-5888 to go over pricing – Mike
David Steimke
I’m looking for some thin glass block ends which I have seen in the past.
If you folks don’t carry or stock that product, can you please direct me to someone that does.
Matthew – there are times when we use the brushed aluminum channels in commercial window installations. Usually for glass block shower and interior walls we don’t use any type of metal channel. What would be helpful to know is where you’re building this wall and then I can assist you further. Feel free to call us at 877-668-5888 – Mike
Ive seen pictures on various websites of brushed aluminum channels to finish off the edge of a glass block wall. When shopping around for edge finishes, I can only find PVC perimeter channels. Any suggestions?
Tom – thanks for your question. Finishing the top actually depends on the length of the wall. If you wall is multiples of 8″ wide (for example 32″, 40″, 48″ etc.) you can finish the top of the wall with finished rounded ‘bullnose’ end blocks. This makes a nice ‘all glass block’ appearance. However, if the width of your wall doesn’t work out in 8″ wide increments (let’s say you need the wall to be 26″, 42″ 76″ wide for example) then there are 3 ays you can finish the top. The cheapest is to just ‘grout’ over the top (if you do this I would recommend the wall is 80″ or higher so you don’t see this – because it isn’t very stylish). If you want a nicer finishing approach to the top I’d recommend you use either ‘style caps’ (these are glass tiles we offer which mimic the size/shape of the glass block) or a finished ‘solid surface’ type material (say cultured stone, granite, marble) etc. If you want to get really funky we once supplied a job they used and exotic wood (called Cocobola – hope I’m spelling that right) which can be in a wet area and it was soooo stylish. If you need more input feel free to call us at 877-668-5888. We can help with the design/supply of the wall and also some of the materials I mentioned here to ‘trim the top’ out. Mike
Mike Foti
Gary – we don’t ship to Mexico at this point – but we can ship to a place close to the border if this would work for you – Mike
Gary Kahn
Do you ship to Mazatlan Mexico
My U S cell number is 312301-7500
Mike Foti
David – we do offer the thin glass blocks with the finished end and are what we use for our prefabricated glass block sections. Feel free to call us at 877-668-5888 to go over pricing – Mike
David Steimke
I’m looking for some thin glass block ends which I have seen in the past.
If you folks don’t carry or stock that product, can you please direct me to someone that does.
Mike Foti
Matthew – there are times when we use the brushed aluminum channels in commercial window installations. Usually for glass block shower and interior walls we don’t use any type of metal channel. What would be helpful to know is where you’re building this wall and then I can assist you further. Feel free to call us at 877-668-5888 – Mike
Matthew Brickey
Ive seen pictures on various websites of brushed aluminum channels to finish off the edge of a glass block wall. When shopping around for edge finishes, I can only find PVC perimeter channels. Any suggestions?
Mike Foti
Tom – thanks for your question. Finishing the top actually depends on the length of the wall. If you wall is multiples of 8″ wide (for example 32″, 40″, 48″ etc.) you can finish the top of the wall with finished rounded ‘bullnose’ end blocks. This makes a nice ‘all glass block’ appearance. However, if the width of your wall doesn’t work out in 8″ wide increments (let’s say you need the wall to be 26″, 42″ 76″ wide for example) then there are 3 ays you can finish the top. The cheapest is to just ‘grout’ over the top (if you do this I would recommend the wall is 80″ or higher so you don’t see this – because it isn’t very stylish). If you want a nicer finishing approach to the top I’d recommend you use either ‘style caps’ (these are glass tiles we offer which mimic the size/shape of the glass block) or a finished ‘solid surface’ type material (say cultured stone, granite, marble) etc. If you want to get really funky we once supplied a job they used and exotic wood (called Cocobola – hope I’m spelling that right) which can be in a wet area and it was soooo stylish. If you need more input feel free to call us at 877-668-5888. We can help with the design/supply of the wall and also some of the materials I mentioned here to ‘trim the top’ out. Mike
Tom Schwind
How do you finish the top of you glass block wall