Most customers picture us going to a warehouse, grabbing pre-made glass off a shelf, and bringing it to a job. That’s not how this works.
A real glass company makes a lot of what it installs. Here’s a quick tour of what we fabricate in-house at our Gretna shop and what we order in from suppliers — and why the difference shows up in your project’s quality and timeline.
What We Cut and Finish In-House
Most flat residential and commercial glass gets cut, edged, and finished right here on Westbank Expressway. That includes shower glass panels, mirrors, glass shelving, tabletops, cabinet glass, picture frame glass, and glass for cut-to-size online orders.
The shop has cutting tables, edge polishing machines, drilling stations, and the tools to handle pretty much any flat glass job. Custom dimensions, custom shapes, custom edges — all done by hand by people who’ve been doing it for years.
What We Order In
Some things make more sense to order in.
Insulated glass units (IGUs). The double-pane sealed units used in modern windows are made by specialized manufacturers using equipment we don’t have. We order to spec and install.
Auto glass. Windshields, side glass, and rear glass are vehicle-specific and produced by major auto glass manufacturers (Pilkington, PGW, AGC, etc.). We stock the most common windshields and order specific vehicles as needed.
Large architectural glass. For commercial curtainwall, structural glazing, and oversized panels, we work with commercial glass fabricators who specialize in those products.
Specialty glass types. Low-iron, decorative patterns, security glass, fire-rated glass — these come from specialty suppliers.
Why In-House Fab Matters
When we fabricate in our own shop, we control the timeline, the quality, and the cost. A typical custom mirror or tabletop we can have ready in days, not weeks. If we find an issue during fabrication, we fix it on the spot rather than sending it back to a supplier.
The shop also means we can handle one-off custom jobs that bigger glass companies turn away — odd shapes, weird thicknesses, replacement glass for unusual furniture. If it’s glass, we can usually figure out how to cut it.
Got a custom glass project? Text us a photo at (504) 368-8826. If we can make it, we will.
Tempered Glass: A Special Case
Tempered glass is heated to over 1,100°F and rapidly cooled. The process makes the glass 4x stronger and changes how it breaks (into pebbles instead of shards). Required by code for shower glass, tabletops, glass railings, and anywhere within 18″ of the floor.
The tempering oven is a major piece of equipment. We don’t temper in-house — we cut, edge, drill, and prep, then send the glass out to a tempering facility, then receive it back. That step is what makes tempered glass take a few extra days vs. annealed.
How This Affects Your Timeline
Knowing what gets made in-house vs. ordered helps explain timeline differences. A custom mirror or tabletop: a few days. A tempered shower panel: a week to ten days. A windshield for an unusual vehicle: depends on stock. A commercial curtainwall fabrication: weeks to months for major orders.
When we quote your project, the timeline reflects all of this. Most residential jobs are in the days-to-weeks range. Commercial timelines depend heavily on the specific glass involved.
The Person Doing the Work
When you order glass from us, a real person at our shop in Gretna is doing the work. They’re cutting your panel, polishing the edges, and double-checking measurements before it leaves the building.
That’s not how every glass company operates. Some companies — even ones with shiny showrooms in Metairie or Mid-City — are essentially distributors. They take your order, route it to a wholesale fabricator, and deliver. We do plenty of in-house fab because it’s faster, cheaper, and we trust our own work.
Ready to Get Started?
Star Glass Inc. serves Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, and the greater New Orleans metro. Reach us any way that works best for you:
Call or text: (504) 368-8826 Email: glass@starglass.com
Visit us: 1000 Westbank Expy, Gretna, LA 70053