hey guys.
let me first tell you my setup. its a false floor with 3 windows. the floor is going to be overlayed with vinyl. i'm just wondering what do you guys use to hold the plexiglass.
is there a border that goes around the cutout of the window that can hold the plexiglass in place? can you guys post some tips and places to buy them.
thanks
dave

 

First decide if you want the window flush with the floor or recessed a little into the floor. I much rather prefer recessed, but thats my opinion. With a recessed window you can make a panel which sits on the glass to protect the glass. This panel is made to be flush with the floor when installed. It can be removed for show. Very useful especially when installing windows on a floor.

Window flush: router out a lip for the window on the top side of the floor. You want the plexi to be bigger than the opening (how much bigger kind of depends on the window...I'll just say an 1" for my example). You want to make the routered lip deep enough for the window to sit flush with the floor. This will be equal to the thickness of the plexi plus any other material which may affect the height of the plexi in relation to the floor height.

Window recessed: router out a lip for the window on the bottom side of the floor. Instead of making it the same depth as the plexi, just router out a lip so the glass will be recessed 3/8" to 1/2".

I prefer bolts but you can use screws. Make sure that the hole in the plexi is bigger than the bolt/screw - it needs a little room for expansion/contraction. The bolt/screw should not grip the hole in the plexi (if that makes sense). I recess the windows...use bolts from the bottom and flush mounted T-Nuts on the top.

Another good option is to just flush mount plexi on the sub-floor (the structural flooring) and then make a thin trim/finishing panel with viewing holes/windows to lay on top of your floor structure. This can be a little simpler depending on what you are doing. It avoids having to deal with some finishing issues that can happen by mounting the glass on the visible/finished panel.

 

thanks