It’s spooky week witches! Which also means that we are almost through the first month of table top season. And you would not believe how busy we have been with it this year. Two years ago, I wrote a blog by the same title,  but as we’ve been going through table top season, I realized that maybe we should bring it back for a reboot. So ghouls and gals, here is the 2020 Reboot of October is Table Top Season!

Why a Glass Table Top?

Before anything, you should probably consider your options when it comes to table tops.

Glass tops are great for both modern, and contemporary designs. With the ability to be placed on any base, glass tops have great versatility and design fluidity.

Glass is also perfect for protecting other surfaces, like your wood dining tables, end tables, coffee tables – you get the point. Water stains, pen marks/indentations, and oil stains, we do not welcome you here!

Glass also makes for a really easy, and cleanable surface. Some wood tops you have to be really careful with or use a proper wood cleaner. For glass, the quick swipe of a rag and all is good!

Glass Thickness

Now that you’ve decided that you would like a glass table top, congrats to you, now we need to decide what thickness of glass you need.

For protective surfaces, we suggest ¼” glass. ¼” is thin enough that it is easy to move and doesn’t over take your existing furniture, but also thick enough that it won’t crack under pressure. Literally.

From there, we have 3/8” thick glass, which is what we use for glass standing on a base without full support underneath. We also use 3/8” glass for shelving.

For larger tables that need a little more stability, ½” and thicker is the next step up. ½” glass is quite heavy, but a piece of ½” ultra clear glass is really pretty.

Clear Vs Ultra Clear

I feel like if I don’t touch on clear vs ultra clear glass at least once in a blog post, then I didn’t actually write a glass blog.

Standard clear glass, the glass that we have been used to seeing our whole lives, has a green colouration to it. Which was ok – but we have more options now. And some (me) would argue that said options are better.

If you are going for a large glass top on a base, I highly recommend ultra clear glass. Ultra Clear glass is a low iron glass that doesn’t have that green colouration that standard clear glass does. As glass gets thicker, and larger in size, it reflects in on itself and becomes darker.

Standard clear glass will take on a heavy green appearance, and will have a dark, almost black edge.

Ultra clear glass will be clear all the way through, with a light blue edge. Ultra clear feels lighter in a room, and won’t distract from your base. It also won’t clash with other colours you may have in the space.

Smoked Glass and Mirror

For when and where you need something a little different, smoked glass is a nice alternative, and for scratched wood surfaces, grey and bronze glass can be a real life saver.

Smoked glass goes great over wood tones, and can help minimize the appearance of scratches on wood surfaces. So no, your existing dining table may not be done for just yet! It may just need some smoked glass over it to protect it.

Another type of glass I get asked about often is for smoked mirrors. Mirrors can be a really cool medium for a protective top, but fair warning, glass can scratch when having objects moved on and off of them, and mirrors can reflect back those surface scratches.

Antique Mirror

Slight detour from glass tops since we were just talking about mirror, I have seen a couple of antique mirror end tables recently.

Antique mirror is a creative way to incorporate variation and colour into your furniture. And with our antique mirror hand crafted in Kentucky and custom cut in house by us, you are always getting a custom piece.

We have six different

Shapes

Ok – back to table tops!

When thinking about getting a glass table top, especially a custom made one, there are SO many options in regards to shapes.

They most common ones that we come across are squares, rectangles, and rounds.

Square tops are great for four chair seating in breakfast nooks and small dinning areas.

Rectangles are the ideal social gathering table shape. We are not social gathering in 2020 but we can still pretend, right? With their elongated shape, rectangles are able to seat multiple people and is easy to share meals and stories over.

Rounds are the chameleons in this ring. Smaller rounds are perfect for four person seating, and larger rounds are great for social gatherings! The really nice thing about round tables is that seating is not set in stone. You can always add another chair or four. Sometimes five. I have seen people squeeze in an extra seventh.

More knights are always welcome at the round table.

When I was first drafting this blog at the beginning of the month, I was going to dis oval shaped tops. Not even going to try and lie. I thought that oval table tops were out and never to be seen again.

I. Was. Wrong.

I don’t know how, I don’t know when – but oval tops have made a comeback guys.

Now, ovals really are interesting little buggers. Part circle, part rectangle – all custom and unique. Because ovals can change by the curve, there is quite literally endless options for how your oval looks.

 

I have been so busy with table top orders this past month, I’m glad to get this blog out to you guys! October may be coming to a close, but table top season isn’t over yet, so if you have any questions, call us or stop in to our showroom and get inspired!