What is Slumped Glass?
Escape Glass manufactures New Zealand's only toughened slumped glass product. Slumped glass refers to glass that is patterned or textured.
Each piece is handcrafted and custom-designed to meet individual customer needs, drawing inspiration from New Zealand's stunning scenery, nature, wildlife, birds, and Kiwiana.
Every piece is made to order, ensuring each project is unique.
We offer a wide selection of distinctive pattern glass that enhances both interior and exterior designs with elegance. Unique patterns and textures add privacy and decorative elements to projects. Common applications include splashbacks, cabinet glass inserts, doors, door inserts, shower enclosures, balustrading, railings, partitions, glass furniture, privacy windows, and accent windows. Various safety glass forms can be fabricated from patterned slumped glass, such as insulated glass units, tempered glass, and laminated glass. Decorative pattern glass is increasingly popular in homes, and our experienced reps can show you how to incorporate slumped glass into your design.
To create slumped glass, we heat and mould it in a kiln or specialised glass slumping furnace. The temperature and heating time depend on the glass thickness and type. As the temperature rises, the glass softens and becomes malleable, reaching a point called the "slumping temperature," where it sags and conforms to the mould beneath it.
Gravity plays a crucial role in this process. As the glass reaches its slumping temperature, it gradually flows and slumps down due to gravity. The slumping rate can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and the time spent in the kiln, allowing artists to achieve different degrees of curvature and contour in their final pieces.
Slumped glass offers artists and designers a wide range of creative possibilities, enabling the creation of functional objects with unique, organic shapes. This technique is commonly used in art glass, interior design, architecture, and commercial applications like lighting fixtures and decorative panels, adding elegance and sophistication to various environments.
Simply put, slumping is a technique where items are made in a kiln by shaping glass over moulds at high temperatures, allowing us to customise patterns and textures for you.
WILL IT LOOK HANDMADE?
Due to the handmade nature of Escape slumped glass, larger patterns may vary slightly from samples. When selecting textures, note that images and patterns may not align perfectly from panel to panel. The moulding process can cause random variations in background textures, and expansion, contraction, or toughening markings may be present in the final product.
Slumped glass has two texturally different sides with corresponding visual differences. For splashbacks, the smooth side faces out while the textured side adheres to the wall. For showers, we recommend the textured side faces into the bathroom and the smooth side faces the water for easier cleaning. All Escape slumped glass has fired edges, so no additional edge work is necessary.
WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU MAKE IN SLUMPED GLASS?
| Splashbacks Windows Doors Headstones Memorial Plaques Art Platters and Trays Mirrors |
Showers |
WHAT COLOUR CAN I HAVE?
Tinted glass is available in green, bronze, and grey, subject to availability. Despite the tint, the glass remains transparent.
Our slumped glass can also be colour coated in opaque and metallic paint. We work with Resene and Dulux colour ranges to apply almost any colour to the back of the glass, ideal for matching walls and cabinetry. A metallic element is added to each colour to highlight the 3D texture of our glass patterns. We use clear glass where possible and neutralise the original colour to counteract the natural green tint. Please note that placing a piece of glass over a paint swatch will not provide an accurate representation of the final product.
WHAT ARE THE SIZE SPECIFICATIONS?Escape Glass is available in 6, 8, 10, 2, 15 and 19mm thick clear float glass.
Maximum panel sizes:
6/8mm - 3200x1250mm
10/12mm - 3100x1200mm.
Of course you can, talk to us today on the various ways of making this happen and how it can be done. We can add shapes, letters and logos to any and all slumped glass.
WHAT PATTERNS ARE AVAILABLE?
We have over 35 slumped glass patterns
GLASS PATTERNS can be viewed here.
One of the most popular patterns in the range is Subscape. It gives the appearance of subway tiles without the grouting. This pattern comes in a variety of sizes and colours. Other popular choices include Natural Escape (Ferns), Conformity wavy lines and Schist Rock. 
CAN YOU MAKE MY GLASS ANY SHAPE? CAN IT HAVE CUT OUTS? HOW DO I MEASURE IT?
We offer standard and countersunk holes, plug cut-outs, radii, corners, curves, and special cutouts. Circular hole diameters should not be less than the glass thickness, and their total area should not exceed 10% of the panel's overall area.
A flat glass border (10 to 40mm wide) is provided where necessary for easy installation, ideal for channels in showers.
Escape Glass requires finished/tight glass sizes for all panels, with a tolerance of plus or minus 3mm. We will make all required allowances. For custom shapes, templates must be provided, clearly marked with hole diameters and cutouts. Each job is judged individually, regardless of size.