I was adjusting the glass door assembly on my fireplace and noticed that the back was covered with some kind of insulating material. It looks kind of like a cross between foam and fiberglass. Guess maybe I’m paranoid, but any chance of this being made with asbestos? The screen came with the house so I don’t know how old it is, my guess its anywhere between the 50s and 70s.

Just moved from condo to first house. Have a couple of questions about glass. 1. Shower has sort of a clearstory window with a heavily textured glass surface. Upon returning home from work the second day after moving in, I discovered a golf ball had been drive through my window. Nobody confessed (actually I have not even met any of my neighbors yet), so I'm just going to get it replaced myself. I like the look of frosted (sandblasted?) glass. Is there any advantage of one over the other? 2. I have several sliding glass patio doors. Should I ever have to replace any glass, does the glass have to be tempered or laminated? In general, what are the partictular applications (around the home) where each type would be used? Thanks.