Frosted Glazed Doors

A frosted glazed door passes daylight but breaks up the view through it, which is exactly what a bathroom, en-suite, study or downstairs WC needs. The obscuration is in the glass itself, either acid-etched or sandblasted, so it cannot wear off the way a film applied later will.

Where frosted glass is the right answer

Use it anywhere you want the room to feel bright without being on show. It is also the sensible option for a home office on a hallway, where a clear glazed door would leave you visible from the stairs but an unglazed door would make the corridor dark.

Other obscured options are reeded glass, which is more decorative, and tinted glass, which darkens rather than obscures. Frosted leaves come in oak, white primed and black. The parent range is glazed doors.

Light without a view through

Frosted glass is the practical answer to the single biggest objection to glazed internal doors, which is that you can see through them. An acid-etched or sandblasted surface diffuses the light so brightness passes into a dark hall or landing while the shapes beyond stay indistinct. That makes frosted leaves the usual choice for bathrooms, ensuites, downstairs cloakrooms, home offices and any door where borrowed light is wanted but privacy is not negotiable.

Levels of obscurity and pattern

Obscure glass is graded by how much it hides, and the difference between a lightly etched pane and a fully sandblasted one is significant in use. Fully frosted panes give the highest privacy and the softest light. Partly etched and banded patterns let a clear strip through at eye level, which suits a study or a kitchen where you want to know if the room is occupied. Reeded and tinted alternatives change the effect again, so compare reeded glazed doors and tinted glazed doors before settling.

Safety glass, ratings and fitting

Glass in an internal door must be toughened or laminated safety glass, and factory-glazed leaves arrive already compliant. Never re-glaze a certified leaf on site: if the door needs a fire rating, order a purpose-made glazed fire door and follow the fire door guide. Measure the opening carefully using how to measure a door, since glazed leaves cannot be trimmed as freely as solid ones. Compare the clear option in clear glazed doors, browse everything in glazed doors, and see the solid alternatives in unglazed doors.