Ever thought of a simple piece of furniture that becomes the statement of your elegance? Or that demonstrates your choice and becomes the canvas of your lifestyle? Think of a sleek and modern glass table top. It not only adds more sophistication to your living space but also complements the sense of interior decoration.
Either it’s your dining hall, the kitchen or the guest area, a gleaming and well finished glass table top can positively enhance the ambience. It means that you always have to take care of a few things before choosing the right top for your expensive table.
Requirements
Choosing the right glass table top is not that simple, which, if goes wrong can spoil the look of your decorated lounge. Right glass type, appropriate thickness as well as the pertinent finishing can be the key factors in this regard. Let’s have a look on what are the requirements to keep in mind while doing so.
Glass Type
There are several glass types which offer you durability and appearance. Below is a modest comparison of different available glass types to make it easy to choose the right one for you.
Clear Glass
Mostly used for outdoors, clear glass offers an attractive emergence to the furniture or countertops placed outdoors such as in patios and outer decks. The natural light lets it shine perfectly offering a clear view through the glass top.
Those who prefer a sense of openness, can reflect their taste through a clear glass. It also helps enhance the feel of spaciousness, especially in narrow places. What you need to do is to just choose the right thickness and dimensions, and you are all set to go.
Frosted Glass
Frosted Glass is basically, a glass that contains a frosted effect. It is a finish type that is applied underside by a process that is technically called sandblasting. In addition to the aesthetic sense, a frosted glass also helps you hiding the scratches, or blemishes of wooden or metal frames thereof.
It is commonly said that frosted glass is a less durable choice. Although, a frosted glass can be comparatively less durable than laminated glass but depending on the thickness, frosted glass is also enough durable itself.
Tinted Glass
If you are about to choose a glass table top that is mainly going to be used in daylight, one should keep in mind that sunlight can often damage the finish of your furniture. It not only can fade the polish and colors, but also can deteriorate the fabrics. Tinted glass table top offers a safety layer against the ultraviolet sunrays. You can choose from a wide shade range from bronze to blue and gray to dark gray.
Low Iron Glass
A high clarity glass made of silica offers an appearance that is crystal clear. The toughened low iron glass table top is known for safety and durability. The low content of iron removes the greenish blue impact from the glass top making it more clear. The surface of the table or countertop visible through the glass looks more vibrant in colors and true to its natural look because of the transparent content of a low iron glass.
Choosing low iron glass can increase your hassle of cleaning the table top more frequently as it is defamed for showing the water stains and fingerprints more than any other glass type. So be ready for it.
PlexiGlass
If you are more concerned about the finish of your glass table top, plexiglass sheets are for you. These are the sheets which are used as an extra protection layer. These acrylic tops, help the glossy finish to last longer and maintain the fresh look of your precious table top. It also helps preventing the direct damages to your furniture. Though it’s a bit expensive than the regular glass.
Glass Thickness
Thickness of your elegant glass table top is another key factor to keep in mind. It will not only add the safety to your décor but also makes it lasting longer by enhancing the durability.
Usually, the glass table top is tempered, but whether it should always be? The short and sweet answer is NO, if you select a right thickness for your glass table top. ½” of thickness is strong enough that it doesn’t need to be tempered even when used in larger dining tables. ¼” thick tempered glass is the standard for safety and is the most used option for coffee and dining tables of every size.
Glass Edges
Someone said; If you see the edges, get them polished. Having the glass table top edges polished or beveled is not only about the appearance but it is also the concern of human safety, so give it the due importance.
Flat Polished
Flat polishing of glass edges is a treatment that provide a finely clean appearance. It turns the sharp edges into sleek lines with a beautiful glossy finishing impact.
Pencil Polished
Featuring the slight curves, the pencil finish provides your glass table top edges with a ground smoothness and a shiny safer finishing impact. It is more friendly with the aesthetic application shaping the curves near to 1 or 2 mm symmetrical sloping on the faces of the edges.
Beveled Edge
In addition to safety benefits, up to 45 degrees angled edges also provide an appealing look to the human eye. The rightly angled edges satisfy the aesthetic sense by blessing the glass table top with a traditional appearance.
Measurements and Shape
Let’s have a look on how to measure the right required size of glass table top for different shapes of tables.
Round
Measure from the center of the table to one edge to get the radius and then double the size.
Square and Rectangular
Measure shorter by 1/16” of the actual dimensions and you are good.
Oval and curved
For curved surface, explore the point where it starts to curve from and measure to the farthest edge.
It it’s an ellipse oval, please use the calculator. Even for the race track ovals, you will to add a few more dimensions. So we recommend to consult the professionals for that purpose.
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