New glass block system is easy

One of them is somewhat bizarre a playhouse for my children. But the process of building with the glass block intimidates me, as I have never laid brick or block before. Are there some tricks you can share that will enable me to use this wonderful product that is sturdy but allows abundant light to get into spaces?

Wow, did you hit the nail on the head, not once but twice! Glass block is a wonderful material, but until recently it was extremely difficult to work with. It was installed in the same manner as brick and block, using mortar and thin reinforcing steel.

If you think laying brick and block requires skill, you have no idea how much more it takes to lay glass block in mortar. Brick and block have an invisible characteristic that actually helps masons install them. It is called suction. Brick and block are porous, and when they come into contact with the wet mortar, they instantly absorb some of its water. It's similar to the way paper towels absorb spills. This suction allows the mortar to stiffen rapidly so that you can continue to lay course after course without disturbing the work in place.

Glass block has no suction whatsoever. Consequently, the mortar mix must be of the perfect consistency neither too wet nor too dry. And, usually, if you lay more than a few courses at a time, the accumulated weight will squeeze the mortar out from the lower courses before it has a chance to stiffen.

You can try to acquire the skill of a master mason, but I think you'd do better to put the glass block together the way I did recently when I built a greenhouse for my wife's orchids. The glass block is the exact same one that has been used for years, but the manufacturer has developed precision plastic spacers that create perfect horizontal and vertical spacing for the block.

Instead of using traditional mortar to connect one block to another, you simply use clear silicone caulk. I was amazed at how easy it was to assemble the block. In fact, it was so easy that my 12-year-old daughter helped with the entire job. Not only did she apply all of the silicone to the blocks, she actually placed blocks in the walls. This amazing technology is simple and effective, and the end result will take your breath away.

Once all of the glass blocks are in place and the silicone has cured for a short time, you grout the spaces between the blocks with a mortar-like material. It is nearly identical to sanded grout you might use for ceramic tile floors. Because of the super-smooth surface of the glass block, it is very easy to wipe the excess grout film from the surface. Once the grout hardens, you can come back with a damp sponge and remove any light grout film. I also recommend you take an old cotton towel and buff the surface of the blocks to make them crystal clear.

Do you want to know how easy and fun it really is to use this new system? When my daughter and I installed the last block, we both looked at each other and said, "What can we do next?" We started thinking of cool projects, and yours was one we discussed. The glass block system has special 90 degree outside corners that would easily allow you to build a square or rectangle playhouse for your children. I used special 45 degree angle block corners to create a cool clipped corner inside my greenhouse.

One off-the-wall project I thought up was using the glass block to create two or three walls of a dog house. As crazy as this sounds, it just may have some merit. The glass block, silicone and grout are 100 percent waterproof. In colder climates, when the sun is low in the sky, the glass would allow sunshine to warm the interior of the shelter. An insulated concrete slab could capture and retain the heat. A large roof with generous overhangs would stop the summer sun from making the dog house into an oven.

I'm sure you will uncover lots of cool projects in which to use this new glass block system if you stop and think about it. This new glass block installation system is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. I discovered it at a recent convention and was immediately impressed, since I knew how hard it was to install glass block using traditional mortar. The plastic spacers are so well engineered that the individual glass blocks will remain perfectly spaced as long as you apply the correct amount of silicone caulk.

The most important step in the entire process is getting the first course of glass block both level and plumb. The manufacturer recommends -- no, insists that you build a curb off the ground to install the first course. I did this by using a 2-by-6 piece of redwood that I got perfectly level using cedar shims. This level base made the installation proceed with absolutely no problems.