You are proud of your cherished dining table or sideboard - how do you make sure the wooden surface is not ruined by careless guests or family members?

Wood is soft, porous, and flammable so can easily be scratched, stained, or scorched, A protective glass tabletop is the best way to avoid damaging your treasured furniture.

1.Wood is soft & scratches easily

Even hardwoods like Oak and Ash are relatively soft and can be scratched by knives & forks and pottery. 

2.Wood is porous & stains easily

Wood is a porous material that can be stained by fluids like coffee or water. It can also be affected adversely by variations in humidity. A wise precaution is to protect the wood with French-Polish or polyurethane - but these surface treatments can still be damaged by heat.

3.Wood is flammable & scorches easily

The characteristic cellulose content of wood makes it easy to scorch or burn when subjected to heat, Even shellacked wood can be marred when a hot object is placed on the polished surface without a trivet or placemat.

4.Wood fades under uV light (sunlight)

The pigment of furniture is easily bleached when exposed to sunlight (UV light) for prolonged periods. The result is especially obvious where the table is partially exposed to sunlight and patches of light and dark wood are revealed.

For all the above reasons - protective glass is the way to achieve the peace of mind that your valuable furniture is safe from damage.

Protecting a wood table with glass – discover the benefits!

Glass thickness commonly available architectural glass is made in thicknesses from 1/16 right up to 3/4":

Our recommendation is to use 1/4″ thick glass for almost all tops. The only exceptions are that 3/16″ thick glass is strong enough for small tables (less that 24″ across) and can be used if it is needed to match existing tips or shelving.

The only other thickness possibility for protective tops is that 3/8″ thick glass is recommended for large conference table tops that have holes for electrical outlets or notches and other complex cuts. The extra thickness is necessary for extra strength.

Glass type – annealed or tempered

Customers concerned about safety should choose tempered rather than annealed glass. Tempered glass is 4 times more impact-resistant (it is very hard to break even when struck with a hammer) and when it breaks it forms harmless popcorn fragments rather than jagged shards.

Tempered glass is also heat-resistant. We highly recommend using coasters or placemats to protect your glass from scratching but tempered glass can withstand large temperature gradients before cracking. So it will be safe to place a skillet or saucepan on a tempered glass tabletop. This is why tempered glass is mandated for stove backsplashes and for oven glass.