Glass guide: glass for conservatory manufacturers

When sourcing materials for conservatories, you need to be sure that you're working with a reputable firm. This is true whether you're buying uPVC, aluminium, timber, glass, tiles or polycarbonate. Anything less risks giving you a bad reputation among customers.

This is particularly acute when looking for toughened or laminated safety glass. The clue's in the name: this is seriously strong, extra-safe stuff.

The trouble is that the market is stuffed to bursting with glass processors supplying these products. How can you know who to work with? Here are five reasons why you should go for us.

Experience

When choosing a glass supplier, there's no substitute for experience. Before committing to a company, you need to be sure they've been around the block and worked with a range of clients.

This is partly a case of seeing how long they've been in business. Longevity can signal that a business is a safe pair of hands.

You should also check for testimonials. Have customers posted good reviews? Are there client testimonials on the website? If not, you're just taking their word for it – and potentially putting your own business at risk.

Accreditations

Safety glass is a carefully regulated and accredited material – and with good reason. Cutting corners could lead to an injury or worse.

This means you should always buy materials from an accredited supplier. In our case, this means the Kitemark seal of approval and compliance with BS EN standards. We also hold the ISO 9001:2015 certification – the internationally recognised standard for quality assurance.

Everything under one roof

These days, one of the tricky things about the construction industry is that supply chains are so fragmented. One company provides the hammer and another provides the nail. Add supply chain disruptions to the equation and your business could be caught short.

At ToughGlaze, we do everything under one roof – from cutting conservatory glass to treating it, from firing it to sending it your way. This gives you peace of mind and clear lines of accountability in the unlikely event that anything goes wrong.

Communication

Whatever the scale of your conservatory business, you're likely to have specific requirements. You need to be sure that a glass supplier is flexible enough to meet these. But as well as flexibility, you need good lines of communication.

If a supplier dodges your questions, look elsewhere. But if they're as transparent as the glass they're selling, you stand a good chance of getting the materials you need when you need them.

Versatility

Sometimes, people want the glass in their conservatories to have a little extra: coloured glass, frosted glass or even smart glass that changes from transparent to opaque with the touch of a button.

All of these can be found in the ToughGlaze catalogue. We can laminate glass with a coloured interlayer. We can sandblast the glass for a frosted effect. And we can provide switchable glass panels for high-end builds. 

In short, we do it all. And because we do it all right here, at our state-of-the-art glass toughening plant in Bedford, you avoid production delays and supply chain mishaps. Ready to secure a clear advantage over the competition? Explore our products online or get in touch for a quick quote.