Size Limitations and Seam Sizes in Glass Counters

Glass countertops in your kitchen can create a beautiful and delightful feel that ties in wonderfully with a professional interior decorating design.  It is not true that installing glass countertops means you will have to handle them as through they are fragile.  Modern glass countertops are made to withstand a tremendous amount of heat, weight and normal, day in and day out wear and tear.

But it is true that installation of glass countertops is a meticulous process that is often best handled by professionals.  Unlike tile or other countertop materials, your glass counters will be delivered in large glass plates that will install in one step.  But the seal and the fit of each plate requires strict planning and preparation so the installation process goes off without a hitch.

The size of the glass panels you will receive will be limited by the thickness of the glass and by the difficulty of installation.  If you are covering a very large counter area, to do that with one single glass panel introduces much more opportunity for mistakes or accidents.  In that kind of situation, you may need to install several adjoining glass countertop panels.  Planning and measurement are crucial because the seam sizes between these adjoining panels should be virtually invisible.  It is also essential that the seams are sealed tightly so that there is no opportunity for liquid, dust or food to get down between the panels of your glass countertop to compromise the installation.

Routinely glass countertops are ordered in thicknesses of about a half an inch.  If you ordered an unusually large size of glass countertop panels, you may need to increase the thickness so that the countertop panels don’t buckle during installation.  But this adds to the weight which increases shipping costs and difficultly in installation as well.

The edges of your glass countertop plates will be beveled and polished.  This makes it easier to bond the sealant that will fill the seam sizes between the glass countertop and the surrounding walls or appliances.  In many cases, you may select a glass countertop design that shows off the edging with a decorative and classy framing.  In those cases, the seam sizes between the glass panels and the surrounding edges may be larger to allow for room for decorative sealant.  As long as the end result is an installation that is tight so there is no chance of leakage from the glass countertop and the underlying materials, your installation will last many years and hold up to plenty of use such as you would expect in a kitchen setting.