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How to choose the right glass for your next project
Over the last several years, WallGoldfinger has seen a drastic increase in the use of glass in corporate furniture. "We've done more glass in the last three to four years than we did in the previous 20," says Purchaser/Project Coordinator Tim Swartz. The trend toward glass is also evidenced in glass suppliers increased volume, which has forced added employees and equipment. But, with so many options out there (and there are a lot), how do you choose the right glass for your next corporate furniture project?
Tim has worked at WallGoldfinger for 25 years, first as a woodworker then woodshop supervisor then in the office coordinating projects and for the last seven years as the lead purchaser of supplies like glass. He breaks down the terminology and shares his expertise on glass here.
"The most popular glass we order and the glass that we most often recommend is ¼-inch thick, satin-etched top surface, low iron, back-painted glass for both aesthetics and cost. Satin-etched glass, also called acid washed, provides enough of an etched finish on the top of the glass to eliminate glare while still being easy to keep clean. Low iron is greatly desired because it reduces the green hue that iron in glass creates, or, in other words, is a clearer glass. Finally, back painting offers the versatility of endless colors that can be seen through the low iron glass to match an office design. Often we're asked about tempered glass, a stronger glass that breaks into cubes rather than shards for safety reasons, but one we find generally unnecessary. One exception is if a glass is used without a substrate material underneath, but that is unlikely when it comes to boardroom furniture.
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Top, we gathered some glass samples to show the different types of glass available. On the bottom of the stack in the top image is laminated glass. It has a white plastic layer between the sheets of glass, but the glass isn't low iron so thus appears green in hue. Above it in the stack is satin etched (also called acid washed), low iron glass back-painted white. The smaller sample on top of that is very similar but not etched and thus appears a brighter white but also will be a very reflective surface. And finally, the small sample at left of the stack is an example of ceramic frit printing. In the images below, we're showing a small sampling of the past glass work we have done. See the rounded inside corners on the hatch lid?
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An up and comer in the glass world is ceramic frit printing where the back of glass is printed with an image, pattern, corporate logo or whatever you desire. It is then tempered, or heated, to melt the ink into the back of the glass and then used in corporate applications. It too comes in a variety of etched surfaces and is low iron.
Laminated glass provides a colored plastic layer between two sheets of glass. We've seen laminated glass used when seeking a metallic finish, such as bronze or silver, but pretty much any color is available. It is also popular when the glass will be seen from both sides, such as a divider between workstations.
UV bonded glass is used for display cases, surrounds or other applications where glass panels need to be glued together to create box shapes without other materials holding them together, such as metal.
We're also seeing some interest in glass marker boards and magnetic glass marker boards, which clean easily compared to traditional white boards.
One glass we don't recommend is sand blasted glass (versus etched). It is virtually impossible to remove fingerprints from sand blasted glass and thus not a good choice for furniture.
When choosing glass for your project, there are two other important constraints to note. The first is that interior cutouts must have rounded corners. Glass will crack if interior cutouts are made square. The radius inside rounded corners has to be at least the glass thickness, so a ¼-inch glass will result in an inside corner with a ¼-inch radius. Secondly, due to glass manufacturing tolerances, a 1/16-inch space should be expected between panels and other materials, such as metal or veneer. Glass edges are also flat polished, creating a slight bevel on the top and bottom edges. This is for safety so the edges aren't sharp but can increase the appearance of spacing between panels."
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