Custom Glass Shelves for Your Home or Office

Glass shelves can quickly enhance the beauty of any room by adding that professional look and feel for both home and office environments.

Glass shelves are great for storage, display areas, and adding a clean look to an area. 

Unlike wood shelves, glass shelves allow light to filter through to open up and highlight the areas below the first shelf.

Things to consider when using glass shelves:

1. How is the shelf being used?  Is it for display or storage?  The more weight you plan on having on the shelf, the thicker the glass should be.
2. How is the shelf being supported?  If you’re using shelf pegs on the short ends of the shelf, the recommended span will be smaller than if you use brackets, which will allow a longer length with smaller spans between supports.
3. Are the shelves being used in a situation where liability is a concern?  In a retail location, customers who are injured by a broken shelf is a valid concern.

How Thick Do They Need To Be?

The typical homeowner will use 1/4″ thickness in smaller shelves such as a medicine cabinet.  Kitchen shelves are typically 3/8″ but can be 1/2″ as well.  Display shelves in family rooms can be 3/8″ but are usually 1/2″ or even 3/4″, depending on how bold you want them to be.

Shelves will hold more weight with more support.  The following chart is a good rule of thumb for the pounds per square foot a shelf will hold, depending on the support available.

 

 

 

So a 3/8″ shelf with supports every 2 feet will hold 45 pounds per square foot. Support for shelves vary, depending on the look you’re trying to achieve.

Can I Install Them Myself?

Most of the shelving we install has support installed by the contractor, but we do have options available.

Shelf standards and brackets are the common way of supporting shelving. Shelf pegs, grips, and channel with end caps are also available.

In most cases, where except where liability is a concern, we recommend annealed glass. 

Tempered glass does add some strength to the shelf, but if the glass breaks, everything on the shelf (and most likely everything under it) will be damaged.

We offer all thicknesses and supports and custom installation is always our pleasure.

Alamo Glass and Mirror is a full service residential and commercial glass company. We have an extensive inventory of glass and glass related products.

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Residential & Commercial Glass Products & Services in Dallas, TX

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