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What You Need to Know About Installing Glass Shelves at Home

Admin • Jun 20, 2018

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Types of Glass for Shelving

Several types of shelving glass are available. The type you choose will depend on personal preference and safety considerations in your home.

Annealed Glass

Annealed glass is the basic flat glass used on windows, cabinetry, or tabletops. Annealed glass undergoes a cooling process to enhance its durability. While this type of glass is versatile and easy to work with, it breaks into large, sharp pieces that can cause severe injury. As such, anneal is best for use in out-of-the-way shelves.

Tempered Glass

Tempered glass is stronger and less likely to break easily. If it breaks, tempered glass will shatter into small pieces that are easier and safer to clean.

However, tempered glass cannot be cut once it is tempered, making it difficult to create complex custom shelving design using this type of glass.

Due to the demanding tempering process, tempered glass is usually pricier.

Laminated Glass

Laminated glass consists of layers of glass with vinyl sandwiched in the middle.

Laminated glass offers more safety, as it does not break into shards or fragments. Rather, the glass cracks but remains stuck together.

Laminated glass shelving is UV-resistant and may be suitable for areas in your house that are regularly exposed to the sun.

Decorative Glass

Decorative glass comes in a wide array of patterns and textures. A popular choice for glass shelving is acid-etched glass.

Acid-etched, or frosted, glass is essentially annealed glass treated with acid to give the glass a satin-like feel and opaque appearance. Consider acid etched glass if you are looking for something more distinctive than clear glass.

Take your creativity a notch higher with patterned glass. This type of glass is sturdy, and the embossed patterns can add a touch of sophistication to your shelving.

Ideas for Glass Shelving

While glass is a naturally beautiful and versatile material, you will get the most from your glass shelving with a little forethought and design creativity.

Bring in the Light

Before installing glass shelving, identify areas that receive plenty of natural light. Ideally, you should position your treasured glass shelving adjacent to windows to accentuate the inherent elegance of the glass.

Show It Off

Look at glass shelving with less of a functional eye and more of a decorative one, especially when installing it in the living room. Unless you have books that you really want to show off, save your glass shelves for displaying artwork, photos, and precious memorabilia that you want to draw attention to.

Go Beyond the Living Room

Do not limit glass shelving to the living room. This space in your house is certainly perfect for highlighting your treasured collectibles, but you can also use glass shelving as a stylish storage solution.

Consider installing glass shelving to add a touch of chic to your bathroom, spruce up your bedroom, and bring in an element of elegance to your kitchen.

If you are feeling bold and want to do something unique with your shelving, you won’t go wrong with glass. Start on the right foot by sourcing for high-quality and durable glass from a reputable glass specialist.

At Monterey Glass Specialists Inc. , we offer a wide array of glass products for different applications within the home. Call today to discuss your shelving project with our glass installation experts.

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