Totally get where you’re coming from about the historic vibe—my place is 1920s brick, and I agonized over this exact thing. I ended up going with black aluminum and honestly, with the right finials and posts, it blends in way better than I expected. Glass was tempting for the view, but yeah, those water spots are relentless. If you’re not up for constant cleaning, aluminum’s a solid compromise... plus, it’s a lot less stressful when the grandkids are running around with sticky hands.
Honestly, I feel you on the sticky hands—my niece left a full-on handprint mural on my friend’s glass fence last summer. I keep thinking, is it weird to just embrace the smudges as “art”? Black aluminum sounds way less stressful. Did you have to do any weird prep to get it to match your brick, or did it just work?
Didn’t have to do anything wild, honestly. The black aluminum just kinda worked with the old red brick—almost like it was meant to be there. I was worried it’d clash, but it actually gave the whole yard a cleaner look. Plus, zero stress about fingerprints... which is a win in my book.
I get the appeal of aluminum—definitely low-maintenance and it does look sharp with brick. But I keep circling back to glass for a couple reasons:
- Visually, glass just disappears, which can make a small yard feel way bigger.
- From a sustainability angle, recycled glass panels are out there now, and they’re surprisingly durable.
- Downside: yeah, fingerprints are a pain, but honestly, a quick wipe every so often isn’t too bad.
Guess it depends on whether you want the fence to stand out or blend in. For me, the eco-factor tips it toward glass, even if it means more cleaning.
Has anyone had issues with glare or heat from glass fencing? I love the idea of it “disappearing,” but I’ve heard in some spots, especially with a lot of sun, the panels can reflect light in weird ways or even get hot to the touch. Does that actually happen, or is it more of a myth? I’m also curious how glass holds up if you’ve got kids or dogs running around—scratches, chips, that kind of thing. Aluminum seems a bit more forgiving on that front, but maybe I’m overthinking it...
