Glass for shelves

[Harlan Messinger]

There's so much information in the Yellow Pages and online directories about places in my area that deal in glass, but I can't figure out who would really carry what I want. Everything I find in the Washington, DC area seems to be industrial or for big projects. All I want is two custom-cut sheets of 1/4" thick glass to lay into the top of my dresser, light or medium blue or purple, sufficiently opaque (frosted or coated, I guess) for the drawer contents not to be visible. I supposed it should be tempered to avoid easy breakage.

Going by their web sites, neither Home Depot nor Lowes carries sheet glass, nor does Michael's Crafts.

Any ideas?

[Harlan Messinger]

Or--can this be obtained online?

[Gideon]

If you want custom cut colored glass, be prepared to pay dearly. If, in addition, you want custom cut tempered glass, you'll pay even more.

Colored glass is a specialty item and you pay due to the fact that it isn't carried by many sellers. Tempered glass is not stocked to be cut by the seller - the glass must be cut first (almost always at the factory) and then tempered. The tempering process for glass produces glass which does not accidentally break in long straight lines, which produces those dangerous long shards. But that process also prevents the glass from being intentionally broken (ie, "cut") in long straight lines.

If you do spend the megabucks on this project, don't forget to include rolling (and possibly polishing) the corners and edges of the glass before it is tempered.

You didn't specify what you are attempting to accomplish. Clear quarter inch glass cut to size, with rolled and polished corner and edges, and then lightly sandblasted to achieve an opaque finish is fairly reasonably priced. Of course, it can shatter unless you pay for tempering. Ask around at good hardware stores in your area and you'll find many leads for custom glass cutters.

If you are lucky, you may be able to find tempered glass shelves in a size which meets your needs. Check retail outlets for bookcases, entertainment centers and other furniture with glass shelves. If you find shelves that are the size that you need, then look into the cost of ordering "replacement" shelves. (For a lower cost unit, it will often be less expensive to buy the entire piece of furniture just for the shelves.) Sandblast if you need it opaque.

You can also look for thick plexiglass style materials. Colored to suit you needs, or opaque. It would be much less expensive and a lot easier to lift out of drawers.

Or you could just hide your p*rn supply or stash of dope somewhere other than the bottom of the drawers. :)

Good luck, Gideon

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Going by their web sites, neither Home Depot nor Lowes carries sheet glass, nor does Michael's Crafts.

Any ideas?

[Joseph Meehan]

Try:

Reflections Glass & Design Mirrors, Glass Tops, Frosted, Beveled, Tempered Shower Doors. Washington, DC 20009 [phone] Email: inforeflectionsglassdesign.com

[Joseph Meehan]

I hit send too soon. What you are asking for is not all that simple and is likely to be a little on the expensive side.

[Norminn]

A glass shop that advertises windows, mirrors, shower enclosures. We shopped around for glass for a kitchen project, and found colored (opaque) glass in red, blue and green. Our shop cut a clear pressed pattern glass, then sent it out to be tempered for our application. They can also have it sandblasted. The greenish tint of plate glass looked pretty neat sandblasted on one side.

[Norminn]

We had glass cut, tempered, to use for backsplash behind our cooktop, with plain laminate behind it. It took two pieces because of the up/down pattern and space wider than the sheet of glass. About 6' wide, joint sealed with clear silicone not visible unless you really look for it. It was cut at the local shop, sent back to mfg. to be tempered, all edges ground. Whole deal cost fifty-something. We did this to cover up old metal tile, and I didn't want tile and grout to clean or to tear out the wall. Contact cement to hold laminate to tile. Clear silicone to hold glass in place and keep moisture and dirt from getting behind it. Works beautifully.

[Harlan Messinger]

I had no idea it would be so involved or so expensive. I've had plastic sheets cut before, and assumed this would be similar.

This sounds like a great solution. I still have to figure out where to get clear tempered glass.

Do you spread the silicon over the entire surface, or zigzag it on?

[Harlan Messinger]

Looks, promising, thanks!

[Norminn]

clipped

Grinding the edges makes a little bit of an angle where the two pieces fit together. At either end of the backsplash is a wall (L) and side of oven cabinet (R). Just braced it in place to hold it, and ran clear silicone around all four sides just like doing any other joint. When that was set, I put clear silicone on the seam, scraped excess off so it was flush with surface. The joint is much finer than a grout line, so with pattern of glass it doesn't show. The pressed pattern faces the wall, so smoothe flat side faces out and is a jiff to clean. If I get tired of the pattern of the glass, I can take it out easily. Have thought about putting wallpaper or a patterned laminate behind plain glass. Glass might not work with an oven vent under it, but our oven is a wall oven.

[Gideon]

I'd say you got an extremely good deal. I have seen much higher quotes for much smaller applications.

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We had glass cut, tempered, to use for backsplash behind our cooktop, with plain laminate behind it. It took two pieces because of the up/down pattern and space wider than the sheet of glass. About 6' wide, joint sealed with clear silicone not visible unless you really look for it. It was cut at the local shop, sent back to mfg. to be tempered, all edges ground. Whole deal cost fifty-something. We did this to cover up old metal tile, and I didn't want tile and grout to clean or to tear out the wall. Contact cement to hold laminate to tile. Clear silicone to hold glass in place and keep moisture and dirt from getting behind it. Works beautifully.

[mm]

Besides what Gideon said, call one of those big places in the Yellow Pages. If they don't do it, ask them for someone who does small orders. I've found that the "bigger" the place is, the more wholesale the place is, the nicer they are. That doesn't guarantee they'll have it or know someone, but they advertise that they do glass and they'll most likely be happy to talk to yuo.