Tools and materials
- glass bricks,� the amount you need depending on the size of the wall. Always buy a few extra in case some break.
- metal profiles
- hacksaw
- sticking paste
- spatula
- wedges, between 5 and 10 mm thick
- drill, rawlplugs and screws
- sponge and rags

Characteristics of the material
o glass bricks generally come in standard sizes, and the most common one is 19 X 19 cm and 8 cm thick. They also come in 24 X 24 and the same thickness.
o There are models for every need. The most common bricks are transparent. You can also find them in colors, in bubble-type glass, beveled, bronzed, grooved and gridded. In some cases they are reinforced with wire or sand.
o Usually one buys bricks by units, depending on their needs, but they also come in preinstalled panels which make the job easier.
o To set up the bricks and make the structure stronger, you use iron plates, metalic profiles or cylindrical metal rods 8 mm in diameter, placed horizontally or vertically in each row.
o These bricks provide good thermal and acoustic insulation, so sometimes they can be integrated into exterior walls.

Using profiles only
o The first thing you must do is erect the structure or frame. It will consist of as many profiles as you need to place on the ceiling and the wall or walls, depending on whether the partition will stretch from one end to the other or there is a space in the middle acting like a door.
o These profiles tend to have a U shape to facilitate the insertion of the first rows of bricks.
o Cut the profiles according to your needs. To join one with another, cut with a mitre joint.
o Hold the profiles in their respect places and mark the drilling spots if you do not already have holes prepared.
o Drill keeping in mind the kind of material the ceiling or wall is made of: brick, plaster, tile or laminated plaster. Depending on the material, you may or may not be able to use the drill's hammer effect.
o Put the first row of bricks in place. Then on top of them the metal or plastic profiles. Each model of brick has a groove for its corresponding profile.
o For the last row, the one that reaches the ceiling, you must cut one of the walls of the profile to form a U if you have trouble fitting in the bricks. Later you can seal it again with silicone.
o To reinforce the structure and waterproof it, spread out lines of silicone.

Using cement glue
o You can also erect the partition without using framing profiles. To fix the bricks to the walls, floor and ceiling, use cement glue for the structure and to cover joints. In at least one wall you can also insert� the vertical rows in a small groove that will act as a guide.
o Begin by placing the first row. Decide which direction to begin the rows from, right or the left, so as to start all the rows in the same place.
o Spread a bed of cement glue 1.5-2 cm thick.
o Put the first row of bricks in place. When you finish, place on top of that the metal rod or corresponding profile. Before buying them, find out what kind of profile or rod fit into the grooves of your bricks.
o If you are going to use vertical rods, also place one between each two bricks.
o Finish the rows with cement glue. Try to place some in the lateral edges before setting the next brick in place, but the main thing is to do it horizontally.
o Between bricks, both horizontal and vertical, place several plastic or metal wedges with the thickness you have determined for the joints.
o Complete the entire structure. If the partition does not go from wall to wall, you can finish off the visible part with a plastic, metal or wooden profile. To finish up, apply cement glue or some other kind of adhesive.

Finish the seams
o This is very important because it reinforces the structure and helps waterproof the zone, especially if it highly exposed to water, as in the case of a bathroom, kitchen or exterior wall.
o Trap the excess paste. If you need to apply more, do it with a spatula or trowel. Begin by finishing off the horizontal seams, then do the vertical ones.
o Clean off the excess with a damp sponge, and when it has dried wipe the surface with a cloth to make it shine.

A tip

Despite its composition, a partition or wall made of glass bricks cannot bear any load of the weight of the house. So if necessary finish off the top with a lintel that can stand the weight. On the sides, or at least one of them if the other remains open, you should reinforce with a metal profile screwed to the wall or with a small groove as wide as the bricks.
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