Looking to add some classy coffee and end tables to your home décor? You won't go wrong choosing glass accented pieces. There is something about coffee and end tables with glass tops. They shimmer when the light hits them and can even be completely stunning when they capture the last rays of a sunset during an evening gathering.
But before you run out and buy a glass top coffee and end tables set, you need to consider what work you will put the tables through and if they can handle what you need them to handle.
How much weight can they take?
The amount of weight a set of coffee and end tables can handle is going to depend on the type of glass and the thickness of the glass used in their construction.
Go Tempered
The best bet is to choose tempered glass. Tempered glass has gone through a special heating and cooling process that hardens the glass more than regular glass. This means it can handle some bangs and bumps without shattering into thousands of pieces.
Don't get me wrong, tempered glass is still glass, but it is just glass that doesn't break as easily as regular glass would thanks to special treatments. This means it can put up with a little more weight and abuse from use. This is important in coffee and end tables, which are almost always in use.
If you are purchasing new pieces, you shouldn't have a problem finding out what kind of glass is being used in their creation. Ask for tempered glass. But if you are shopping for antiques or order items that do not have the type of glass written on them, you can either ask a glass dealer or just avoid any risk and have the glass in the tables replaced with pieces of tempered glass to know you are safe.
Check the Thickness
Another thing to keep in mind is how thick the glass is. The thicker the glass, the stronger it will be and the more it will be able to withstand just because of its mass. Unfortunately one side effect of this is that the thicker the glass is, the heavier the table will be.
If you are looking at older tables and find some with very thick and heavy glass, you may want to take a close look at the rest of the table to see how the legs and rest of the frame are holding up to the weight.
Cleaning Tempered Glass
Once you have a set of glass coffee and end tables in your house, you are going to want to keep them looking beautiful. This is easily done. For the most part, you will be able to use a clean cloth to wipe any dust off the tables. If there is dirt you may want to add a drop of mild detergent to water and use a damp cloth.
If you really want the glass to shimmer like a gem, you should add a little rubbing alcohol to the cloth that you are wiping across the table to bring out the shine in the glass. Just don't get this on the frame of the table.
