Obscure Glass
Standard privacy-level 5 obscure glazing — the maximum privacy option.
Privacy level 5/5
Obscure glass is the maximum-privacy option in the range — a heavily textured surface that reduces a person or object on the other side to an indistinct blur of colour and shape, with no readable detail even at close range. It's the glass we specify by default wherever a door glazes directly into a bathroom, WC or dressing area, and the one most requested for ground-floor entrances that sit close to a neighbour's window or a busy pavement.
Because privacy is the entire point of this glass, we grade it clearly against the other options in the range rather than leaving it to guesswork: obscure sits at level 5, the highest privacy rating we offer.
Best for
- Bathroom-adjacent doors
- Ground-floor entrances
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What privacy level 5 actually looks like
At level 5, obscure glass blocks recognisable detail even when someone stands directly against the glass in good light — you'll see movement and a general silhouette but no facial features, clothing colour is muted to a vague blur, and reading anything through it is impossible. This is a meaningfully higher privacy level than frosted or satin, which soften detail but don't eliminate it as completely.
Where it's required rather than just preferred
Obscure glazing is the standard specification for doors opening onto or adjacent to a bathroom, en-suite or WC, where building regulations require a minimum level of obscuration for any glazing at low level. It's equally common on ground-floor entrance doors close to a shared path, communal stairwell or a neighbour's window, where full privacy matters more than a decorative look.
Light transmission trade-off
The heavier the texture, the more light it scatters and absorbs compared with a lighter obscure like frosted or satin — obscure lets through noticeably less usable daylight than those options, though still considerably more than a solid panel. For hallways that rely heavily on the door for natural light, it's worth weighing that trade-off against the privacy gain before specifying obscure as standard across the whole door.
Coastal durability and cleaning
As with every glass option we fit, the textured surface sits sealed inside the double-glazed unit rather than exposed outdoors, so Cornwall's salt air has no effect on the obscuring pattern itself — only the flat outer pane is exposed to weather, and that cleans exactly as any other glazed door would with water and a soft cloth.
Cost and where to save it for
Obscure is one of the more affordable glass options because, like frosted and satin, it's manufactured by texturing standard toughened glass rather than by hand-assembling decorative elements. Most customers use it selectively — a bathroom-adjacent side panel or a lower door panel — rather than across a full-length vision panel, reserving a lighter obscure option like satin where some daylight still matters.
Pairs well with
Bathroom-adjacent and close-neighbour entrance doors, plain modern door styles, chrome or black hardware.
Obscure Glass — questions we get asked
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