Glass Tops in St. Louis, MO
Glass Tops for Homes
Expensive furniture deserves protection. Glass tops will protect your furniture from everyday wear and tear. Glass tops will allow the beauty of the surface of your table to show through while providing a layer of protection against scratches, spills and unintentional heat sources.
Your desks, credenzas, coffee tables, end tables, dining room tables, dressers, and nightstands will remain beautiful for years if you protect the surfaces with glass.
Types ofGlass Tops
Protective Glass Tops
Protective glass tops are usually cut from 1/4″ glass. Martin Glass will cut rectangular-shaped glass tops from the dimensions you provide. If the surface shape has rounded corners, curves or a more intricate design, you will need to provide us a pattern of the glass so we can cut to your desired shape. If you do not want to measure your top or if the top is a special pattern, you can bring your small furniture pieces to our shop for our technicians to use as a template to cut. We will then fit the glass exactly to your furniture. If you prefer, our technicians can come to your home or office to make the necessary patterns and then deliver your furniture tops.
Heavy Glass Tops
Heavy glass is a term used by glass companies for glass that is thicker than 1/4″. Contemporary home decor now uses 3/8″ to 3/4″ thick glass for dining room tables, accent tables and desks. There are a number of available standard sizes, shapes and edge finishes available. Shapes include squares, rectangles, circles, ovals and octagons. We can also special order heavy glass tops to your exact dimensions if it is a complex pattern or non-standard size. If you are interested in a heavy glass top, we would be pleased to provide you with a list of the available options.
Glass Shelving
Glass shelving adds function and elegance to bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and more. When glass shelves replace existing wood or metal shelves, the area becomes more spacious and open. Add appropriate lighting above the shelves or within the cabinet or bookcase, and glass shelves will become the central point of the room.
Tempering
Annealed glass will withstand normal usage, but if you want a stronger safety glass, you may want to consider tempered glass. We can special order any glass you desire to be tempered. For a tempered glass top, the glass is first cut, the edges are finished and then the top is “tempered.” Tempering is a process where the glass is sent through a high-temperature furnace and then rapidly cooled. This process changes the molecular structure of the glass, which results in a glass that is four to five times stronger than annealed glass and is able to withstand more wear and tear. If your tempered glass were to break, it would break into small round pieces, eliminating the danger of sharp edges. Please contact us for recommendations on safety requirements.
Color Options
Clear
Most protective and heavy glass tops are fabricated from clear glass. If looking “through” the glass, practically no color is noticeable. However, looking at the edge of the glass, you will see a green hue.
Bronze or Gray
Also available for glass tops is gray or bronze glass. Bronze is often used on natural wood furniture. Gray is often used with contemporary chrome furniture. The bronze and gray tints are significantly noticeable, but are not opaque.
Starphire
Starphire is a brand name for low-iron glass. The edge of a standard glass top appears green and the intensity of the green color increases with the thickness and overall dimensions of the glass. The edge of a glass top made from Starphire glass is nearly colorless, but has a slight blue hue.
Finished-Edge Options
PROTECTIVE GLASS EDGES
Polished – Polishing is a process where the corner of the glass is smoothed, while the edge remains glossy.
Beveled – A bevel is a margin around the perimeter of the glass. The surface of this perimeter is polished and slanted down toward the edge of the glass giving a decorative appearance.
Heavy glass edges
Flat Polish – This is the most common and least expensive edge for heavy glass tops. The corners of the glass edge are smoothed and the entire edge is polished giving a glossy appearance.
Pencil Polish – In a pencil polish, the edge of the glass is rounded and polished, similar to the shape of a wooden pencil.
Ogee Edge – An ogee edge is a curved, rounded edge giving a contoured “S” shape.
Waterfall Edge –A waterfall edge resembles a rolling waterfall and is a series of three pencil edges giving a dramatic finish.
Beveled Edge –A bevel edge is a margin, ranging from 1/2 inch to 1 ½ inches wide, around the perimeter of the glass top. The surface of this perimeter is polished and slanted down toward the edge of the glass giving a decorative appearance. A beveled edge can also be combined with an ogee edge.
Chipped Edge – As one of the newer edge profiles, the chipped edge offers a distinctive look. The glass edge actually appears to have been “chipped” away. The edge is slightly finished so there are no sharp points. However, the edge is not smooth.
