How to Build and Design Window Grills

An important detail in façade design and an essential system in house safety, window grills are features that should not be ignored while designing a house. Examples of grillwork have been seen since ancient times in gate designs, railing designs, staircase railings, etc. in different materials according to the prevalent culture.

From ornate woodwork to flexible metal work to using invisible grills, contemporary Window Grill Design is a vast canvas. However, for home window grill designs, metal has an advantage of being the most sturdy, difficult-to-breach, cost effective barrier which can be shaped into any desired pattern. Though there are many window grill design catalogues available over the internet for reference; here is an example of how to style a simple window grill which can be used for a single window.

What do we require?

• Materials:

1. Tata Structura Hollow Sections 35x35x5 mm (frame)
2. MS Flats 30x5 mm (mullions)
3. Square bars 10x10mm
4. SS primer
5. Enamel paint
6. Cement plaster (cement 1:5 sand)

• Tools and equipment:

1. Measuring tape
2. Chalk/ dark pencil
3. Set square/ Triangle ruler
4. Spirit level instrument
5. Angle grinder
6. Electric Welding Machine
7. Flat Paint brushes
8. Safety gear

How to Build:

1. On a piece of paper, sketch out your desired pattern for a window grill, ensuring that it is not too closely placed to affect visibility. The grill frame should be the exact size of the finished window opening.

2. For the grill frame- form a neat rectangle on the floor of the desired size using 35x35x5 mm angles. Confirm they are at right angles using a set square and weld the corners using an electric welding machine.

3. On the vertical sides, weld in two MS angles pprox.. 4” long leaving 3” from top and bottom ends for holdfasts.

4. Mark the positions for horizontal steel with a chalk and using an angle grinder, cut 3 lengths of 30x5 mm MS Flats to fit into the frame.

5. On the MS Flats, drill holes through the centre at marked points using a drilling machine.

6. Now, cut the 10mm MS bars along the vertical dimensions and pass them through the holes drilled on the horizontal flat bars to complete the mesh.

7. Check that the horizontal and vertical members fit perfectly into the frame and are not shorter on any ends. Hammer in any members that have shifted positions from their marked points.

8. Weld all the joints in place.

9. Clean the surfaces and apply primer before applying two coats of enamel paint to prevent corrosion. Our window grill is ready.

10. On the outer side of the window opening, chamfer away the brickwork where the holdfasts shall be positioned. Lift the finished grill in place so that it is flushed with the outer wall and the holdfasts are in the wall cavity. Fill the cavity with wall plaster and level the surface.

Our Single Window Grill is in place!