Glass Counters for Kitchens
Having a glass counter in your kitchen is one way that you can make your kitchen look really special and different. Glass kitchen counters have a character and look all of their own and are still a relatively new feature to have, when installing a new kitchen or giving a kitchen a make-over. What’s more they’re incredibly tough and heat resistant as well as being available in a range of colors.
Technical Information
Whilst they can come in various thicknesses a typical glass kitchen counter will be a 12mm (about half an inch) thick single pane of safety glass. It can be bought in its normal clear/transparent form or with an opalescent frosting. You can also have a colored glass kitchen top; the coloring is added by baking a ceramic coating to the underside of the glass pane at 6500C.
When the glass processing is completed it can permanently bonded to a lightweight substrate with an aluminum edge; that can also be colored to complement or contrast with the glass itself.
Where the glass meets the edging it is normal to have the glass beveled and polished; which even with a ‘frosted’ glass will result in a degree of transparency - which aids cleaning the counter surface along the edge. If not bonded to a substrate the glass counter - it will still be given a beveled edge for safety purposes.
Glass Counters in your Kitchen
Glass kitchen counters cannot fail to catch the eye of anyone that sees them. Due to the fact that clear glass is highly reflective, using clear glass kitchen counters can create a lightness and brightness in a kitchen that will completely change its appearance.
Alternatively, a frosted-glass will add warmth to a kitchen. Depending on the size of your kitchen you could have glass counters made in different colors for different parts of the kitchen. The different colored areas could then be used for different operations in your kitchen for example - clear glass for food preparation stations, red for drink preparation areas, blue for around the sinks etc.
Glass Kitchen Counter Care
If you are considering having glass kitchen counters fitted you might be interested to know a bit about looking after the glass panes after they’re been installed. The best news is that, being a smooth surface, glass is incredibly easy to clean - meaning that you can always have scrupulously hygienic kitchen counters.
While the glass used in the manufacture of kitchen counters is toughened safety glass you should not use the surface itself for cutting or chopping any food substances; always use a chopping board for food preparation - which is always more hygienic than using any type of kitchen counter.
Also, using a chopping board will reduce the risk of scratching the surface of a glass kitchen counter which, like any other type of surface, should be avoided. Glass kitchen counters can be cleaned with a mild detergent, or any of the usual domestic kitchen counter cleaners and anti-bacterial sprays, with a sponge or cloth. The use of strong abrasive or chemical cleaner should be avoided as they could scratch the glass surface or attack the surface of the glass.
Frosted Glass Kitchen Counter Care
If you opt to have a frosted glass kitchen counter you need to be aware of some extra points when looking after the surface. A frosted glass surface is slightly rough to the touch compared to a clear glass top. Subsequently it will be more prone to staining, which may be removed by also using a glass cleaner along with your normal kitchen counter cleaning products.
Cleaners containing acids or silicones shouldn’t be used to clean frosted glass; particles of these cleaners could be difficult to remove form all of the slightly roughened surface leaving them to act for too long a period in the case of acids - or accumulating, in the case of silicone based cleaners. Most suppliers of glass counters also supply specially formulated cleaners for frosted glass kitchen surfaces.