Service · Tampa, FL
Florida Glass & Kick Plates in Tampa
Vinyl-backed panels for the splash zone and the one wall that catches the rain. Blocking the view at ankle height costs you nothing.
The panel that is not really a screen
Florida Glass is screen mesh laminated to clear vinyl. No air passes through it, no insects, no splash, no debris. Functionally it is a transparent panel that happens to be built on a screen substrate, and it belongs in exactly two places on a pool enclosure.
Place one: the kick plate row
The bottom two to three feet of a cage takes every bit of the physical abuse the structure receives. Pool splash, chair legs dragged across it, foot traffic, pool poles, dogs leaning and pushing. It fails from damage rather than age, which is why the kick plate row often needs attention while the panels above it are still perfectly sound.
Putting Florida Glass there solves it permanently and costs you nothing you care about, because blocking the view at ankle height is not a loss. Ten years plus of service life against five to eight for the standard mesh it replaces.
Place two: the wall that catches the rain
Most Tampa cages have one exposure that takes wind-driven rain, and it is usually the wall that makes the enclosure unusable during a summer storm. Florida Glass on that single wall turns the cage into a space you can sit in while it rains. On the other three walls it would be the wrong product entirely.
Cost
| Item | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Kick plate panel | $70 – $130 | Panel size and height |
| Full kick plate row, one story | $420 – $1,000 | Panel count |
| Single wall, full height | $500 – $1,200 | Wall size |
| With a full rescreen | Itemised separately | Usually the best time |
| Aluminium kick plate instead | $95 – $180 / panel | Solid, not transparent |
| Service life | 10+ years | vs 5–8 for standard mesh |
Florida Glass versus a solid aluminium kick plate
Both remove screen from the impact zone. Florida Glass stays transparent, so the cage still feels open and light reaches the deck. Solid aluminium is tougher, cheaper to repair if something hits it hard, and completely opaque. For splash and pets, Florida Glass is usually the better answer. For a cage that takes genuine physical abuse, aluminium wins.
Combining with pet mesh
If you have dogs, Florida Glass on the kick plate row and pet mesh on the row directly above it is the strongest combination we install. The solid panel handles impact and splash, the pet mesh handles claws and leaning at chest height, and standard mesh above that keeps the airflow.
Where we install it
Across the service area, most often on waterfront cages in Apollo Beach and on family cages in Riverview and Brandon.
Questions
Florida Glass & Kick Plates FAQs
Screen mesh laminated to clear vinyl. Nothing passes through it — no air, no insects, no splash, no debris. It is effectively a transparent panel built on a screen substrate, and it belongs on the kick plate row and on the one wall that catches wind-driven rain.
$70 to $130 per panel depending on size and mounting height. A full kick plate row on a single-story cage typically runs $420 to $1,000. Doing one complete wall full height runs $500 to $1,200. It is usually cheapest fitted during a full rescreen.
Because the bottom two to three feet takes all the physical abuse and none of the view. Splash, chair legs, foot traffic and dogs all happen at deck level. Blocking the view at ankle height costs you nothing and stops you replacing that row repeatedly.
Ten years or more, against five to eight for the standard mesh it replaces. It is not degrading from UV the way an open weave does, and it is not being torn because nothing can get a claw into it. On the kick plate row that longevity is most of the value.
On the kick plate row, no, because airflow at ankle height is not what cools an enclosure. If you wrapped an entire cage in it, absolutely yes, and we would talk you out of it. Airflow is most of why a Florida pool cage is pleasant to sit in.
Florida Glass stays transparent so the cage feels open and light reaches the deck. Solid aluminium is tougher and cheaper to repair after a hard impact but completely opaque. For splash and pets Florida Glass usually wins; for genuine physical abuse aluminium does.
Yes, and that is the second place it belongs. Most Tampa cages have one exposure that takes wind-driven rain and makes the space unusable during summer storms. Florida Glass on that single wall fixes it. On the other three walls it would be the wrong product.
It can scratch if something abrasive is dragged across it, and that is the main practical downside compared with open mesh. It does not cloud or yellow appreciably in normal use. Cleaning with plain water and a soft cloth rather than anything abrasive keeps it clear.
That is the strongest combination we install for dog owners. Florida Glass on the kick plate row for impact and splash, pet mesh on the row above for claws and leaning, standard mesh above that for airflow. Each zone gets the product suited to its actual problem.
Yes. We can replace just the kick plate row on an otherwise sound cage, priced per panel. It is a common standalone job, particularly on cages where the lower panels have been damaged repeatedly while the upper mesh is still fine.
Related
Other enclosure work
Get a price for your cage
Free on-site panel count with every opening written down, including the roof. Flat written price before any work starts.
Mon–Sat 7:00am–7:00pm · Licensed & insured · Hillsborough County & south Pasco