Glass Kitchen Countertops, What's All The Fuss About?

Glass kitchen countertops are very popular these days, but the price makes them out of reach for a lot of people. The versatility of a glass countertop is a great benefit, any shape can be made as well any number of textures.

Glass breakfast bars are where these tops are used most, because the main countertop area is impractical for clear panes. Not to worry, these tops also come in a wide variety of colors, so if you really want all of you tops to be glass, you can. Glass can also be back painted to make clear glass an option for cabinet tops.

You may also be interested in a glass tile countertop instead of a solid piece of glass. This is a good idea if you're not interested in paying the high prices for a solid glass countertop. Glass tiles are not inexpensive, but are much less expensive than the solid panes. This can be a DIY project which will also save you a ton of money.

Why Glass Kitchen Countertops May Be Good For Your Kitchen:

These tops can be good because they are easy to clean, non-porous, durable, and come in many different textures and colors.

• Glass is easy to clean, but not to keep clean. Glass without a texture shows fingerprints, dust, and other unsightly blemishes easily. Glass is very easy to clean and not much of a chore when compared to other countertop materials, such as ceramic tile. Glass is non-porous so there will never be any worries when it comes to staining.
• The porosity, or lack thereof, of glass has several benefits over all other countertop materials. Glass is arguably the most hygienic countertop because germs and bacteria cannot penetrate into the glass and multiply, making them easy to kill. Staining is almost impossible with glass because, yet again, nothing can penetrate the surface.
• The durability of glass is similar to stone, when the glass is thicker than 1 inch, and tempered. Tempered glass may also be a code requirement in your area, and of course tempered glass is more expensive than non-tempered.

  Why would tempered glass be a code requirement? Well, when tempered glass breaks, it breaks into thousands of pieces. When non-tempered breaks, it breaks into several large pieces which increases the potential for serious injury should the top break.

• The selection of colors and textures is very good. The textures can give you a unique appearance, over and above what non textured glass already provides. Textured glass kitchen countertops also give you the advantage of hiding dust and fingerprints, which means you have clean them less often.

  Colors selection is good as well. The color of the glass itself is limited, but if you get clear glass and back paint it, the colors are endless. Back-painting is less expensive than "through color" glass.

• Glass countertops can endure high heat without damage. It's always a good idea to use trivets with any countertop but in the case of glass tops it's not as huge a problem. Glass can take the occasional hot pan without worry, so if you happen to pick up a hot pan and need to set it down quickly you won't have to worry about what happens to your top.
• The ultra high end appearance that glass kitchen countertops exude. As these tops are not that common they always get people talking. Think about it, in how many kitchen have you ever seen one of these countertops? Probably not many, if any at all. If you are dead set on finding the most unusual countertop, glass would be near the top of the list.

Why Glass Kitchen Countertops May Not Be Good For You:

• These tops cannot be cut on. Although the tempered glass is almost impossible to scratch, damage can be done to both the countertop and cutting utensils. Cutting should be done on a cutting board to avoid this.
• Glass kitchen countertops are expensive. This countertop can cost anywhere from $75 to $175 per square foot, not per lineal foot.

  Glass is not a common countertop material and is considered a specialty material. As with most specialty items it comes at a higher price. Glass requires a skilled company who has extensive knowledge of cutting, edging, and installing these tops. That is where most of the cost comes from. Glass itself isn't expensive, it's the manufacturing, the finishing, the texture, and the installation that drives the cost.

  One way to get some of this countertop material into your design without spending thousands is to use it in a small area. The most common area would be the glass breakfast bar,or at the end of a peninsula.

  Most designers recommend using glass as an accent piece rather than a full kitchen top, glass can be overwhelming in an entire kitchen. This way you can get a great material into a smaller budget, and a glass breakfast bar is at the top of my list.

• Glass can break. Yes all glass kitchen countertops can break. This is pretty hard to do but it is glass after all. The only way you could ever break one of these tops is to drop a very heavy object from very high up. It's not much of a concern in most homes, as long as there is some care taken when working around them.

Why not at least entertain the idea of a glass kitchen countertop, you may be surprised at how well one of these tops fits into your design. It just may be the detail that puts your kitchen over the top, and becomes the talk of the town.

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