Glass Countertop Review

Here's my glass countertop review which includes a run down of the properties and pros and cons of glass countertops. We'll also look at whether or not a glass countertop is right for your home.

This page is part of the countertop designs series.

Glass countertop properties

Glass

Look for a specialist glass countertop fabricator near you. Thinkglass is a good example.

Aesthetic choice - Glass comes in myriad shapes, sizes, designs and forms. There are crushed glass countertops, countertops made of a single slab of glass or recycled glass countertops. There are also several varieties of glass graded according to their opaqueness, sturdiness and the kind of composition it has. Glass can also be used with other materials for a completely different look. If you want to get creative with your kitchen countertop glass could be an ideal option.

Another design possibility with glass is having a fabric or printed film laminated onto the glass. The design possibilities are endless.

Seams - Glass countertops are usually fabricated based on your exact dimensions. Since they are an entirely manufactured material, they may be created in any shape or thickness desired. So the best part, you do not have to worry about visible seams if your kitchen allows installation of a countertop in one piece. So before ordering the countertop, be sure to check that you can move the completed countertop into position.

Stain resistance - Glass is non porous so completely stain resistance whether its food, wine or coffee.

Heat resistance - Glass is heat resistant so you don’t have to worry about glass reacting to a hot plate or some freshly made pot of coffee. Your glass countertop wouldn’t show any sign of wear and tear even when exposed to substantially high heat.

If you use laminated glass, check with the fabricator about the heat resistance of the laminating layer.

Scratch resistance - Even though glass countertops are extremely durable and heat resistant, they do scratch so you'll need to use cutting boards for chopping.

Cleanliness - One reason why many people love glass countertops is the convenience of cleaning and maintaining them. All you need to clean it up is a dry or wet rag and your countertop is brand new again. Although clear glass may show up water marks, if you have a finish that introduces some pattern water marks are less likely to show.

Cost - The cost for a glass countertop is based on a number of variables such as overall size, thickness, type of glass, any added artistic details or colors and so on. A rough (very rough) ballpark range for glass countertops is anywhere from about $60 to $300 per square foot. Some sources put cost at the higher end of this range.The cost for a glass countertop is based on a number of variables such as overall size, thickness, type of glass, any added artistic details or colors and so on. A rough (very rough) ballpark range for glass countertops is anywhere from about $60 to $300 per square foot. Some sources put cost at the higher end of this range.

Glass Countertop Review - My experiences with a glass countertop

So far, I haven't come across a glass countertop and yet I have a feeling they'll become more common. Maybe one day I'll come back and be able to add an experience of my own to this glass countertop review.

I've had a kitchen which had a glass backslash which worked really well as it's easy to clean any cooking splashes off the glass. I've also had a glass table in my time. I remember having to dry the surface thoroughly to make it look clean.

Glass countertop pros and cons

Glass countertop pros

Glass is probably the most versatile countertop material when it comes to aesthetic options. The fact that it can be laminated means that you can have it in any colour and essentially make it look like anything else. It’s also very heat resistant and non-porus.

Glass countertop cons

The main disadvantage with glass is that it can break or chip and if this happens it’s difficult to repair (although I’ve repaired a few glass ornaments very successfully with super glue designed especially for glass). The other problem can be that glass countertops have to be kept very clean to look at their best. Smears and fingerprints show up easily.

Is a glass countertop right for your home?

We'll finish off this glass countertop review by going over some observations to help you decide whether or not this countertop is right for your home.

If you want to do something different with your countertop you’d be hard pushed to find a material more versatile than glass. If you’re planning to see your home soon it might not be the best option as it is perhaps slightly non-standard and also more costly than other options.
And remember if you don’t want to get your countertop made out of glass there’s several other locations you can use such as our backsplash or a trivet.

So that concludes my glass countertop review. I hope you've found it useful. See below for more countertop material reviews.