Glass Tabletop

[rzaleski]

I recently moved and upon transporting my dining room table, I broke the glass top. I believe the old piece was tempered glass. I'm not sure the thickness. Here is a link to it:

I have found many places online that sell glass, but it costs a lot for delivery (about 100-200 dollars). Pier 1 sells a glass tabletop and they have some in a local store. The one for sale is a little smaller than my old tabletop, but I don't mind. It will still fit my current table, but with less overhang. The only problem I have with the Pier 1 tabletop is that it is non-tempered. Here is a link to it: Pier 1 says that non-tempered is the industry standard for tabletops. Is this correct?

I have read that tempered breaks into smaller pieces, whereas non- tempered breaks into larger (sharper) pieces. Tempered also is stronger. Non-tempered can chip without ruining the whole piece, but tempered can chip and destroy the whole table.

Should I go with the non-tempered, or should I look around for tempered because of the safety concerns?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Do you live so far from a local glass store that you can't just call them, ask for advice, order it, and drive over to pick it up or have it delivered? Or, haven't you opened the yellow pages and looked under "glass"?

[Malcolm Hoar]

If you have kids around on a regular basis, I would definitely go for tempered. If you only have reasonably careful adults

0.5 inch non-tempered is reasonable.

You might try calling a local glass shop if there's a decent one in your area. Some have good prices and you'll have the full range of choices - size, thickness, tempered, or whatever. You'll likely get good advice from someone that really knows what they're talking about.

[MRS. CLEAN]

it:

it:

You must be out of your mind.

Never use nontempered glass. Cutting an artery gives you five minutes until death.

Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.

[charlie]

i think you'll find most interior tabletops are untempered. i cut them up all the time, and haven't found one yet.

exterior tabletops are tempered.

did you wind up with a couple 5 gallon bucket of tiny pieces? if not, then it wasn't tempered to start with, and you can replace it with an untempered piece.

i'm not sure i'd want a tempered dining room table. you wouldn't want it to explosively deconstruct if you dropped a knife on the edge. you would rather it chip instead.

regards, charlie

[rzaleski]

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Time to get on the phone! Not only can you have the thing made locally, but you can even have it etched with images of Elvis. :-)

[rzaleski]

it:

it:

[rzaleski]

It broke into fairly big pieces. Only about 1/2 of it broke, the rest is still left in tact.

I was thinking the same thing about a tempered piece. I read somewhere that it would get destroyed (as you described) if it simply chipped.

I'll try to find a local glass place and see what they think.

Thanks, Ryan

[Goedjn]

If I was planning on running children, I think I'd go with acrylic, polycarb, or laminated glass, depending on my budget.

[Malcolm Hoar]

The touble is, the kids (and their toys) will scratch the acrylic or polycarb to the point that it looks horrible.

You can probably work out how I know this with complete certainty...

However, the wood surface of our coffee table is still in pristine shape despite the now crappy sheet of polycarb sitting on top of it!

[MRS. CLEAN]

it:

it:

Think something of it.

[Goedjn]

In that application, I'd use plate glass. It's fully supported, so nobody's likely to kill themselves even if they break it. (well, ok, to be honest, in that application, I'd use pressboard and a tablecloth...)

[Malcolm Hoar]

Yeah, but the material was available in exactly the right size, for free. Just one of those little gems of good fortune. I was however, quite surprised at the speed with which the kids were able to ruin it. And, to be fair to them, they're generally a lot more careful than average.

[Frank Ketchum]

I would recommend young Elvis for this.

[HeyBub]

Virtually every bit of glass in your home is untempered. Windows, drinking utensils, picture coverings, mirrors. The only things I can think of that MIGHT be tempered are patio doors and TV picture tubes.

You're living in a nest of hazards. Ramp up your prayers and have tourniquets in every room. Maybe two.

[Steve B]

wrote

A non-tempered piece of glass can kill you. Or your wife. Or a child. Or anyone who just happens to hit a shard the right way.

If this is not enough of a concern to you, but cost is, buy el cheapo non-tempered glass.

You can always have more kids, and you don't like your in-laws that much anyway. Right?

Steve

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Jeez...I thought *I* was blunt sometimes. :-)

But, you're right, at least about the in-laws.

[RicodJour]

If I have to replace/repair something I like to upgrade it. In your situation I'd go with the tempered. It's far stronger, does explode into a million, safer pieces when it goes, but it takes a pretty good impact on the edge to do it. Unlikely that you'd ever break tempered that thick by hitting it on the face.

Call a local glass shop and price both flavors. The stuff's really not that expensive. The polished edges add about as much to the cost as the tempering.

As an alternative, call a Broyhill store/distributor and price a replacement top. Since they get deliveries from the factory the shipping shouldn't be a factor.

R

[Norminn]

Patio sliders are notorious because people walk or fall through them. My son had a close call with glass from storm door when neighbor child broke the glass. With small children around, I would put plexi in storm door.

We have a table with glass top which is tempered. Not thick plate, as it is supported by wood. Perhaps the thick plate can't be tempered?

We had glass cut to use as backsplash behind our cooktop. After cutting, the shop sent it back to the factory to be tempered.