Glass Countertops

Thickness

Glass we fabricate: 1/4in (6mm) and 3/8in (10mm) for protectors and tabletops; 1/2in (12mm) for back-painted tops on a substrate; 3/4in (19mm) for bar tops, raised returns and anywhere the edge is on show. Slab products: nominally 2cm (3/4in) and 3cm (1-1/4in) depending on the manufacturer’s line. 

Glass type

Tempered for any countertop, bar top or vanity top it is roughly four times the strength of annealed and breaks into blunt fragments. Annealed is acceptable only for a loose tabletop protector that sits on a supporting surface, and we still recommend tempering. Slab products are not glass in the safety-glazing sense and are not tempered.

Glass clarity

Standard float (clear) a visible green cast on the polished edge and over pale colours, more pronounced as thickness increases. Low-iron (“ultra-clear”) near-colourless edge, true whites and pastels. At 3/4in we specify low-iron for any light back-paint colour.

Maximum span

Glass laid on a full substrate is continuously supported, so span is not the limit the substrate and cabinet run are. For a raised bar return in 3/4in tempered, plan on standoffs at roughly 24-30in centres with an overhang no greater than about 12in past the last support, and more support for a public or commercial bar. 

Edge profile

Flat polished (square, most common on back-painted tops), eased/pencil polish (softened arris, safest around seating), bevel (typically 1/2in, catches light, traditional), mitred (two pieces mitred and joined to read as a thicker slab without the weight). Slab products take stone edge profiles eased, bullnose, ogee cut by the slab fabricator.

Hardware finish

Standoffs, brackets and support posts in matte black, oil-rubbed bronze, brushed nickel, polished chrome, brass and stainless. On Cape Cod, stainless or powder-coated hardware holds up better than plated finishes in salt air, especially in a screened porch or pool-house bar.

Back-paint & texture

Any colour matched to a paint chip; metallics and pearls available. Surface options: standard polished float, acid-etched/satin (hides fingerprints, softer look), or a kiln-formed texture on the underside for a rippled, water-like effect. Textured glass cannot be back-painted flat the texture is the effect.

Heat behaviour

Tempered glass tolerates a large thermal differential far more than annealed but the back-paint and the adhesive under it are the limit, not the glass. Cement-bound slab: best heat tolerance of the three, still vulnerable to thermal shock at a cold spot. Resin-bound slab: the lowest heat tolerance here; a hot pan can scorch or discolour the binder permanently. Use trivets on all of them.

Scratch behaviour

Glass sits around 5.5 on the Mohs scale harder than a kitchen knife, which is why knives dull on it rather than scratching it. What does scratch it is anything harder: grit, quartz sand, a dropped ceramic bowl base. On Cape Cod that means beach sand tracked into the kitchen is the real enemy. Cement-bound slab scratches more readily than glass; resin-bound sits in between.

Sealing & maintenance

Glass and resin-bound slab: no sealing, ever. Glass ammonia-free cleaner or dish soap and water. Cement-bound slab: sealed at install and resealed on the manufacturer’s schedule typically annually in a working kitchen and wiped promptly after acid spills.

Cutouts

Every hole, notch and cutout in glass is machined before tempering a tempered panel cannot be drilled or cut afterwards without shattering. That makes accurate templating non-negotiable. Slab products are cut on site by the slab fabricator and can be adjusted.