Glass railing systems compared
Spigot, base shoe, standoff, and post and clamp: how each one holds the glass, what you see, and where each works best.
Every frameless glass railing does the same job: it holds a panel of safety glass upright, strong enough to act as a guard. What changes from one system to the next is how the glass is held, and that decides the look, where it can be fixed, and how much of your deck it takes up.
At a glance
| System | How it holds the glass | What you see | Best for | Glass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spigot | Two spigots a panel, fixed to the deck or the side of the slab | Nothing along the top or bottom | Decks, pools, balconies | 12 mm tempered |
| Base shoe | A continuous aluminium channel along the bottom edge | One clean line at the floor | Balconies, stairs, interiors | Laminated tempered |
| Standoff | Round pins that fix each panel to the face of the deck or stringer | Glass outside the deck, pins on the face | Decks, stairs, landings | 12 mm tempered |
| Post and clamp | Clamps between posts, tied together by a top rail | Posts and a top rail | Long runs and stairs | 10 mm or 12 mm tempered |
Spigot
Each panel stands on two short posts, called spigots, fixed to the deck or to the side of the slab. With nothing along the top or the bottom, the view stays open, which makes spigots a good fit for pools and for decks with a view. Our spigots are black chrome: a deep black with a mirror polish.
Base shoe
A continuous aluminium channel holds the bottom edge of every panel. It gives the cleanest line of the four. The channel can sit on the floor, on the face of the slab, or be set into the slab so the glass rises straight out of the floor. A recessed channel is best planned before the slab is poured or the floor is finished.
Base shoe uses laminated tempered glass, with a brushed or polished stainless cover, or matte black.
Standoff
Round pins fix each panel to the face of the deck or the stair stringer, so the glass sits outside the walking surface and you keep the full width of the deck. That counts on narrow decks and stairs. Standoffs come in brushed stainless, polished stainless or matte black.
Post and clamp
The glass is held by clamps between posts, and a top rail ties the run together. It is sturdy and well suited to long runs and stairs. The glass is 10 mm or 12 mm tempered, and the posts are 2″ (50.8 mm) square.
Choosing for your project
- A deck with a view: spigots, or standoffs to keep the whole deck clear.
- A pool: spigots. Your city’s pool enclosure by-law sets the height and the gate rules.
- A balcony: base shoe on the slab face, or recessed in a new build. See glass balconies.
- Stairs: base shoe, standoffs, or post and clamp.
- Inside the house: base shoe, for the cleanest line at landings and open floors.
- A long run: post and clamp.
Whichever you choose, the guard height follows the Building Code for where it goes. See how high a glass railing needs to be in Ontario.
The top of the glass
The top edge can be left frameless with a polished edge, finished with a slim top cap, or paired with a separate handrail on stairs. Post and clamp railings carry a top rail.
Glass and finishes
All four systems take clear glass or Piana Ultra Clear, our low-iron glass, as well as grey, bronze, black or frosted glass. Railing glass is thick, and thick clear glass shows the most green at the edge, which is where low-iron glass makes the biggest difference. See low-iron glass and clear glass.
To see how many panels a straight run takes, try the run layout.
Have us come measure, free.
We measure at your home or site at no charge, then send a written quote.