Luxembourg has a number of glaziers. Yet the quality of the service, the skills available and the guarantees on offer vary considerably from one firm to the next. Whether you need a made-to-measure mirror, a shower screen, façade glazing or help in the middle of the night, here are the 7 things to check before you hand your project to a glazier in the Grand Duchy.
1. Is the firm qualified and a member of the Luxembourg trade bodies?
A serious glazier in Luxembourg belongs to the Chambre des Métiers (the chamber of skilled trades, CMF) and/or the Fédération des Artisans (the craft trades federation, FDA). Those memberships guarantee compliance with Luxembourg trade rules, professional qualification and conformity with the standards in force. Always ask for the R.C. number (the Luxembourg trade register entry) and the Luxembourg VAT number.
2. Does the firm have its own workshop in Luxembourg?
A glazier with a workshop of its own in Luxembourg can manufacture to measure, hold glass in stock and turn orders round faster. A pure reseller or a subcontractor has to order from abroad, which stretches lead times and can complicate guarantees. Give preference to a firm that manufactures locally.
Made locally
Vitralux Bradtke runs a 1,500 m² workshop in Howald with 10,000 m² of glass permanently in stock. Every piece is cut and prepared on site, which secures some of the shortest lead times on the Luxembourg market.
3. Is there a genuine 24/7 emergency service?
Broken glass does not wait for office hours. Check whether your glazier has an emergency number that answers at night, at weekends and on Luxembourg bank holidays. A glazier with no emergency service will leave you stranded on the very day you really need one.
4. How wide is the range of services?
A glazier who offers only a handful of basic services will not be able to answer more specific needs: fire-rated glazing, security glass, UV printing, structural glazing, acoustic glass and so on. The broader the range, the more complete your point of contact is for every project you have, now and in the future.
5. Are there verifiable local references?
Ask for references from projects completed in Luxembourg. A good glazier can show you photographs of real work: apartment buildings, houses, shops. Be wary of firms that cannot show a single local project, or that use generic pictures found on the internet.
6. Are the quotations clear and itemised?
A good glazier gives you a written, itemised and dated quotation setting out the type of glass, the dimensions, the edgework, the installation conditions and the timescale. Be wary of verbal quotes and vague estimates: they leave room for nasty surprises when the invoice arrives.
7. What is the firm's reputation online?
Read the Google reviews and the customer testimonials. A high rating backed by a large number of reviews is a good sign. Be wary of profiles with very few reviews, or with aggressive replies to negative feedback.
Vitralux Bradtke ticks every one of these boxes: member of the CMF and the FDA, a 1,500 m² workshop in Howald, a 24/7 emergency service through depannagevitres.lu, more than 20 services, references such as K2 Kirchberg and Royal Hamilius, written quotations as standard, and 160 years of Luxembourg history.
