The Acrylic Glass in 2022 : Properties, Use, The Advantages and Disadvantages They Don’t Tell You

Not all mirror wall stickers are made of real glass. Acrylic glass is a good alternative to normal glass. But is it better or worse than real glass? In this article, you will learn about the properties of plastic glass and how it can be used and processed. We will also explain the advantages and disadvantages of plexiglass compared to normal glass and why we love to use acrylic wall stickers.

What is acrylic glass?

Acrylic glass is also called plexiglass or art glass. This is a transparent plastic sheet. So, acrylic glass is not in the traditional sense because it is made entirely of plastic.

Plexiglas is the best-known trade name under which acrylic sheet is available. However, Plexiglas refers to the brand name for an acrylic glass of Evonik Rohm GmbH and, thus, only one type of acrylic glass. Acrylic glass is the manufacturer-independent, general name for PMMA. However, the properties of transparent plastic glass differ only slightly between manufacturers. Therefore, acrylic glass has the same properties, regardless of whether it is Plexiglas or another type of acrylic glass.

The exact chemical name for acrylic “glass” is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA for short). Transparent plastic has been manufactured since the late 1920s.

What is acrylic glass used for?

Acrylic glass is popular in many industries because of its break resistance and impact strength. In addition to its use as a glass substitute, the material is used in almost all areas of industry and also in medicine.

Do-it-yourselfers are mostly familiar with Plexiglas as an alternative to glass, for example, in glazing windows and as a cover for greenhouses in the garden. A frequent field of application is also facade construction or use as advertising space for company signs. Still, Plexiglas is also often used for shower enclosures, room dividers, and picture frames. Areas of application in medicine are, for example, prostheses, contact lenses, eyeglass lenses, or dentistry. Many household items are also made of acrylic glass: for example, salad bowls or spice mills.

Especially for home wall decoration, wall stickers with acrylic glass are suitable because of their break resistance, lightness, and reflective properties.

What is the best way to clean acrylic wall stickers?

Acrylic glass or plexiglass is very sensitive on the surface. To keep it in good condition for a long time, you should be careful when cleaning the plastic glass. It can be scratched by existing dust particles when dry cleaning. You should always wipe the acrylic glass with a damp cloth.

Special microfiber cloths are best suited for cleaning, which you moisten with lukewarm water mixed with hand dishwashing detergent. You can then simply wipe the acrylic sheet with a damp cloth.

Antistatic plastic cleaners are also recommended, as they are specially formulated for cleaning plastics. On the other hand, very sharp and chemical agents should be avoided, as they can attack and damage the surface of the Plexiglas. You should also avoid softening, abrasive, or solvent-based cleaning agents (for example, nitro, glass cleaner or acetone).

Instead, use mild cleaning agents for acrylic glass and always test them on an inconspicuous area before use.

A tip: You can remove small scratches on the acrylic glass yourself. To do this, use special hand polishing pastes available in stores. 

What are the properties of acrylic glass?

Acrylic glass differs significantly from normal glass. Unlike conventional glass, it thus offers some advantages to real glass but also has disadvantages. It would be best to consider all the properties when choosing the right glass.

What is the difference with normal glass?

Unlike acrylic glass, the traditional normal glass is made of soft and brittle glass, which is known as soda-lime glass in the trade. It is the most widely used type of glass.

The advantages of acrylic glass

Break-proof: The acrylic material is very break-proof and impact-resistant. This makes it almost unbreakable and extremely durable. Thus, it offers a great advantage over normal glass, which is very sensitive to shocks and can quickly crack, break or even shatter.

Light: In contrast to normal glass, acrylic glass is very light because the material is much denser. When used for wall stickers, it is, therefore particularly well suited for diy 3d personality wall stickers.

Weather resistant: Acrylic glass is very insensitive to weathering. Neither intense heat nor ice, snow, rain, or hail can harm the plastic glass. It is both frost and heat-resistant.

Translucent & UV-resistant: At 92 percent, the light transmission of acrylic glass is even higher than that of normal glass. It is also stable against UV rays and absorbs radiation.

Non-hazardous: Compared with normal glass, acrylic glass has a relatively non-hazardous cutting edge that you can’t cut yourself on. Nevertheless, it is advisable to polish the edges well after processing the acrylic sheet in your own work.

Customizable: The acrylic glass can be customized. It is available in transparent, semi-transparent, as well as opaque glass and colored versions. Thermal transmittance can also be customized.

Easy processing: Glass made of plastic can be processed in many ways. For example, it is suitable for cutting, drilling, gluing or casting.

The disadvantages of acrylic glass

Sensitive to scratches: although Plexiglas is very strong, it is also very easy to scratch on the surface because the material is softer than normal glass. Small roughening and scratches can already occur during cleaning. Therefore, they can hardly be avoided in the long run.

Dust attracting: The plastic glass easily charges electrostatically and then quickly attracts dust. As a result, you will have to spend more time cleaning it and removing the dust to keep it clear and beautiful.

Hard to clean: You must always be careful when cleaning so as not to scratch the acrylic glass.

The most important questions in brief

What is acrylic glass?

Acrylic glass is also called plexiglass or art glass. It is made entirely of transparent plastic and resembles conventional glass, especially in sheet form.

What is acrylic glass used for?

Acrylic glass is mostly used as an alternative to conventional glass and is used for glazing windows, for use as advertising space, or glazing wall stickers.

Is acrylic glass heat resistant?

Acrylic glass is both heat resistant and weather resistant. Neither ice, snow, rain or hail can harm this plastic.

What are the properties of acrylic glass?

Acrylic glass has many advantages: It is break-resistant, lightweight, translucent and UV-resistant. It also has a non-hazardous cutting edge, which reduces the risk of injury.

What are the disadvantages of acrylic glass?

One disadvantage of acrylic is that it is sensitive to scratches and attracts dust. You need to clean it more often and be careful not to scratch it when cleaning.