This summer, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary by getting a new kitchen table and chairs. (Romantic, isn’t it?) We were actually long overdue for upgrading this, as we were still using the table I got in college — an oak table bought on clearance from Wickes Furniture in 1995. Chairs from Sam’s Club purchased a few years later became a “close enough” match to the table.
We never did anything special to protect the old oak table, and the finish lifted and wore with use. Over the years, joints in the Windsor-style chairs loosened, and some broke. We repaired chairs and considered stripping and refinishing the tabletop. Eventually, talk turned to simply replacing the set with something new, especially a larger table that would give five of us more room to sit around it.
After visiting a few furniture stores in the area, we picked out a dining room set at Carson’s Furniture that the entire family loved. A week later, we were all swooning over the bigger table and sturdy chairs that didn’t creak and squeak! We love the look of this set’s black-and-tan style — our kitchen has black cabinetry, and the new set really brought our entire kitchen together.
Whenever you have something new that you’ve invested some money in, aren’t you inclined to try to keep it as nice and new-looking for as long as possible? It took more than twenty years for my old oak table to really look worn out, but no one wanted to put the first scratch or dent in the wood of this new table either.
We discussed getting a piece of glass cut for the tabletop, and I called around to several local glass shops. The least expensive (Herb’s Glass in Elgin, Illinois) was $181 for annealed glass and $324 for tempered. The glass shop explained that annealed glass was better for a tabletop, and that was more budget-friendly too. The glass shop’s edge-polishing machine was being repaired, and they said to get in touch in a few weeks.
The weeks went by, and everyone in the house was babying our new table. The kids were putting magazines under their homework papers to avoid digging pens and pencils into the wood when writing. We bought washable cotton placemats
We were constantly worried about making the first scratch or nick in the table. I remember sitting around the new table with our extended family, all of who were complimenting the new table and chairs. I mentioned we were thinking of putting a glass top on, and my aunt commented that it seemed a shame to cover up such a beautiful wood surface. Indeed, the natural look of wood is part of the reason to get a wood table, isn’t it?
And then, it happened.
The crazy thing is, no one in the house knows how this happened. Worse, this little fingernail-size dent is right in front of my seat at the table. I swear I didn’t do it! This little dent looks much worse in the photo than it does in person, but it was the decision point for us — we would order the glass top.
Perhaps it would be different if we had both a kitchen table and a dining room table, but our kitchen table gets used every day. We eat all our meals at it, and occasionally, silverware gets dropped and beverages get spilled. Our children do their homework and art projects on this table. Halloween pumpkins get carved. Pinewood Derby cars get painted. I use it for sewing projects and electronics projects. Life happens at our kitchen table.
We ordered the glass. Part of the reason this glass shop has the lowest prices in the area is that they do not deliver, and you must pick your orders up. I would guess neither my husband nor I hadn’t driven as slowly and carefully as we did with that giant piece of glass as we did the day we brought our babies home from the hospital..!
I had done some reading about the pros and cons of laying the glass directly on the tabletop versus using clear plastic glass spacers
The glass shop gave us enough plastic spacers to use, and we prefer the nearly-invisible clear look of them, so we used them. We are planning to move the glass spacers every few months so they aren’t stuck in exactly the same places indefinitely.
This brings me to my next, surprising issue. I naively thought that a glass top would keep the wood surface completely clean, but strangely, food crumbs do gather in the space between the wood and the glass:
(How does this happen? Really!) Our new table is beautiful, but crumbs under the edge of the glass are not. While we could move the glass and clean them out, the glass weighs close to a hundred pounds, and it’s not the easiest thing for one person to move alone. Here’s what I’ve been doing to get the crumbs out:
I’ve been using the brush attachment for our vacuum cleaner (it’s very soft, not scratchy) and working the edge of the brush under the glass. It wiggles the crumbs loose and sucks them up. Voila!
I thought I’d share our experience with my readers, as this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for when we were deciding whether or not to glass-top our wood table. If I had it to do over again, I would consider having the glass cut 1/4″ wider than the tabletop to help keep the crumb-collection to a minimum. As it is now, though, the tabletop is cut exactly to match the dimensions of the table, and we’re really happy with it.
I also love being able to wash the table, something I rarely did with our old wood table. Water is no friend to a wood finish, but I can wipe the glass down after meals with a dishcloth, hot water and dish detergent. A little Windex makes it spotless! Beverage spills don’t run into the cracks between the table’s leaves.
I don’t expect the glass to continue to look perfect — glass can easily be scratched too, but at least the wood has more protection now. We do still use the cotton placemats with meals as it helps reduce the sound of plates, glasses and silverware clinking on the glass.
Our college-age daughter is also happy. After claiming dibs on our old couch earlier this year for her future apartment, guess who’s claimed a “new” (old!) kitchen table and chairs for her place too?
Mandy says
I’ve had a glass top on our kitchen table for nearly 40 years. They told me not to use spacers, so I didn’t. I’ve never had a problem and the glass is cut to size and the tabletop is veneer. The top looks as pretty today as it did the day they delivered it. They did tell me to be careful about hot and cold, as it could cause sweat to trap between the glass. When I serve hot soup, or very cold dishes, I use insulated trivets at each place setting when I serve. I’m using the same set of trivets I bought at Kmart almost 40 years ago too. My only problem after all these years is that the chairs are starting to need repair in the glue joints. Your set is really beautiful. I just really wanted to warn you about the temperature problems and let you know how our glass top worked for us.
Coupon Maven says
Mandy, 40 years is impressive! That is really great to know, as I am just not sure, long-term, which way would be better (spacers or none.) For now, ours are in, but I’m thinking of taking them out. This table is solid wood – it’s a butcher-block style construction of many pieces blocked together. We do still use potholders or trivets on top of the glass as I know about the danger of extreme temperature changes with it. Thanks for the compliments on the set too — we love it. So much that I didn’t bother posting a photo of the shape the old set was in :)
Lorraine says
I was watching HGTV and one of the homes they showed had a wood dining room table with a glass topper. I was so excited to see this as we’ve just ordered a custom dining table for our kitchen. And can’t tell you how happy I was to find your blog. I’m hooked! With two active Granddaughters who visit often, I want to keep my new table from being marked and damaged. I also don’t want to turn into the grandmother who is always worried about scratches and water marks. Want my Granddaughters to continue to love visiting. Just don’t know about spacers or no spacers.
Gloria says
I am very late to this discussion, but… I have a gorgeous, very large mahogany dining table that I decided to protect with a glass top. I did not use spacers. Major mistake. Any time anyone spills a liquid near the edge of the table, it instantly wicks underneath the glass – and there is no way to remove it or dry it up. And sometimes it moves under the glass further across the table top. Ultimately, it removes the finish. After a year, I had them come to put spacers under the glass. They only lift the top by a fraction – so I’m very worried the problem will continue.
Renae Satre says
Thank you so much for sharing! You just sealed the decision to use spacers when I order the glass for my new set:)
hammars says
You could probably use a straw to push the crumbs out too. I use a straw to push the tiny bugs out between my glass patio table and its frame. It was the only thing I could think of that would flatten out and be flexible.
Coupon Maven says
That’s a great idea too1 I will have to try it — that’s even easier than dragging the vacuum out :)
DJ says
Gorgeous table! I love the idea of protecting your investment. Considering that keys or other hard objects might bump that glass top eventually, as well as the cost involved, what are your thoughts on Plexiglass? Not sure it’d look nearly as nice as the glass though.
Coupon Maven says
The biggest issue with Plexiglas, I think, is that it scratches SO easily. Even sliding papers across it can create little swirl marks. I think setting hot items on it would be an issue too because it could melt. We still use trivets and potholders on the glass top, but the glass is also thicker than Plexiglas would be.
On the upside, Plexiglas is a lot lighter in weight than glass, and I think it would cost less. It also bends, so putting spacers under it likely wouldn’t keep the Plexiglas entirely off the surface of the table, as the rest of it would bow down.
shirley says
I bought a 1/2 ” thick table pad to put over our dinning table. I hesitated not to get one at the beginning because it costs over $200 for it but it is totally worth it. My chairs on the other hand did not have a cover on it and they all have scratch marks.
Aileen says
What about pone of those little craft pipe cleaners for getting the crumbs out? I have a coffee and end tables that we recently purchased and we have been rolling these thoughts around. Leaning more towards putting glass on all tables but now the question is to space or not to space? lol lol
Thanks enjoyed your posting.
Chris says
The problem I have is after a few months of having glass on the table you can see old rings from dishes. I took the glass off and the wood table is fine but the other side of the glass has rings.
Coupon Maven says
That’s why we use washable cotton placemats like these at dinner. It helps keep dishes from banging on the glass too at meal times.
Dan says
Hi Jill, great article! I’m about to add glass to my kitchen table and a desk and had a question, did you go with regular glass or tempered glass? I’ve done some research and have seen pros and cons of each. My local glass guy has recommended 1/4″ regular glass but gave tempered glass as an option. What did you end up going with?
Coupon Maven says
We went with annealed glass. The glass shop we used said they typically use annealed for tabletop glass. They also had tempered, but the tempered was about $150 more than the price of the annealed piece we purchased.
Rita Lombardi says
Thank you for such a great informative article. It has helped me in making my decision to protect my dining room table.
Coupon Maven says
You’re welcome — glad you found it helpful!
LINda says
Wondering if you ever considered plexiglass? Was trying to cover my table as well to keep the kids from damaging it.
Coupon Maven says
I never really considered it — plexiglas scratches SO easily. Plus, it bends easily, and I was concerned about the plastic surface bonding to and damaging the finish of the wood underneath if plastic was in constant contact with it.
Grab a sample of it and beat it up in your kitchen, normal-style — drop silverware, dishes, keys on it, write on top of it with pen and markers, spill nail polish on it — do all of the things that might happen to it when it’s on the table (with kids!) See how durable it is under normal wear & tear.
Glass scratches too, but it’s a lot more durable and scratch-resistant than plexiglas. It’s been about a year since we put the glass on top of our table, and we have a few scratches on the surface of the glass now, but they’re not terrible — and if whatever made these marks scratched the glass, they certainly would have scratched the wood too:
Donna says
An obvious solution to a common problem! I too love the look of a wood table and didn’t want to have to baby it. I also never wanted a glass table again, but I bought one anyway! I sure wish I had read your article before making that purchase!
MoMo Rodriguez says
Excellent article! Thank you so much for your valuable information. I am in the planning stages of buying a glass table top cover and this article helped tremendously!
VM says
Thanks for the detail your table looks nice, I was looking online for ideas to put a glass top on my dining table, I am considering using 3 M double sided transparent tape on the edges to avoid having any gap between glass and the wood and to give the glass and wood some separation. Wonder if its a good idea.
Coupon Maven says
I would worry about the tape lifting the finish off the wood.
We move the glass about once a month on our table to clean it — I don’t take it off entirely, just slide it to one side, then the other. We are still using the little clear dots to separate the glass from the table, and I just move the positions of the dots each time we move the glass.
VM says
Thank you for your feedback, we got the glass top and had it 1/4 inch wider than the table and have transparent silicon buttons places under. I was worried that the glass would slide, however with the weight of glass it does not slide easily. with the glass the wood grains also look awesome. Its looking great thanks to you )
Coupon Maven says
Glad to hear it’s working out for you! Getting the glass slightly larger than the tabletop is the one thing, in retrospect, that I’d have done differently to avoid getting so many crumbs under the glass. Good luck with it :)
Kent says
I used silicon buttons on a set of cherry wood end tables and the silicon etched into the finish. I just spent $300 getting them refinished. The tables cost $800 apiece. The service man who refinished them for me told me not to use anything under the glass.
Ann says
I agree with you on this one… my new table I want a glass top but it has leafs that go on each end and my husband says that when we use the leafs the table will be an even and glasses will fall over… Anu comments or suggestions on that matter?… I thought about just pushing the glass piece down to the one end when the leaves are attached and putting a tablecloth over the whole thing then just letting the table be uneven on the one end… it’s not every day that the lease will be added obviously holidays and on occasions where they’ll be a larger number of people… My table is currently 78 inches long when the leaves are attached it will go to 106… quite a bit of difference…
Coupon Maven says
I always keep the leaves in our table (we like it large and our kitchen is big enough for it) but I believe someone else lower in the comments simply had two or three pieces of glass cut for their tabletop that are the same dimensions as the table halves and leaf. They take the center piece of glass out when the leaf is out. Maybe that would work for you as well.
laura Garverick says
Quick question — I’m ordering mine this week and just wanted to clarify: Did you order it so that the glass was 1/4″ wider than the table on side, or 1/4″ total (so that each side would have 1/8″ overhang)? And in your experience, did this stop the crumb problem? Thanks!
Coupon Maven says
I would aim for 1/4 inch on each side. Ours fits the top exactly and continues to get crumbs under it to this day. Perhaps someone else can chime in with what worked better for them. :)
v clark says
thank you so much for this article you answered all my questions through the article and the comments. i know exactly what i will do now
Glenda says
Getting a glass top for a pub style kitchen table (wood)…..are the spacers recommended? I was not thinking I needed them…….is there ever an issue of that glass cleaner somehow seeping under glass?
I know that a a silly question….but curious.
Coupon Maven says
I did so much reading about this, and the jury really seems to be out on whether or not it is necessary. As I noted above, we did decide to use the spacers.
We never get glass cleaner seeping under the glass, but I spray it in the middle and then wipe with a paper towel. If someone spills a beverage near the edge of the table, it CAN seep under the glass. With the spacers in, it’s pretty easy to slip the edge of a paper towel into that space though and “suck” the spill out from the gap.
Brandon says
How thick is the glass table top?
Coupon Maven says
About 1/4″
Jill says
Is there a problem if one was to bevel edge the glass and do so if the glass was a quarter inch larger than table top?
Coupon Maven says
I myself would be concerned about chipping the edge if it was a full bevel that hung over the edge a bit, but it’s up to you. Do you have children who might accidentally push their chairs into the table with force? (We do :)
Diane Sagnotty says
We got a glass top for our laminate table – glad we did! Husband now likes to play Mexican Train and I know that the dominoes would have chipped the top. We had our top cut 1/4 larger around all the outside edges and have NO problem with crumbs getting under the glass – THANK YOU – to the person that suggested this.
Maybe it is just our chairs – but I believe it would be rather hard to hit the edge of the glass with a chair.
We love our glass top.
Jill says
It doesn’t take children to push chairs into the edge, grown ups are good at it too!!! Maybe just the correct size and forget the extension. The looks of Bevel Glass is just so classy. I don’t know, would have to think on it. Has anyone done a beveled edge on a dining room table ?
Lauri says
We have a great oak table that we covered with glass last year because the finish was getting ruined. I wish I had know about spacers because we have areas where it looks like there is moisture, the wood looks whitish. I’m going to have to get spacers and try to move this huge piece of glass? Thanks for the information!
Nory says
So is there not any manufacturer that makes a glass covered wood table? I was thinking that glass over wood would be a good solution for our family, and was hoping I could buy one already like that. Seems it would be pretty popular.
Coupon Maven says
Not that I’m aware of, no. Unfortunately.
Saoni says
Can the extra weight of the glass top can damage the table i mean as there are only 4 legs support in my dining table but no middle support.so can this extra heavy weight start bending d middle part of d table in long run ?
Coupon Maven says
I doubt it — the weight of the glass is distributed evenly across the entire tabletop. In our case, our table is solid wood too — it’s not particleboard. Due to the construction of ours, I do not worry about the glass bending the table.
maggie says
We have a wood table and my husband put extra layers of clear sealer on top to help prevent scratches and such. (I have to add, this is a used table, so we didn’t feel too bad about adding something on top…)
Would that have worked for your wooden table or is the wood too soft to even consider this?
Coupon Maven says
It probably would have, but I really didn’t want to put an additional finish on a brand new table. We loved how it looked the day it came home. It isn’t something I had even thought about doing. (Maybe I should have.)
That said, there are definitely some good, tough polyurethane finishes out there that could be used. My dad refinished a coffee table a few years ago for my sister that she found on the curb. (She grabbed it for her college apartment!) It was a strong oak table, but the finish was ruined on it. Dad stripped it, stained it and resealed it with multiple coats of what I believe is marine-grade poly. Seriously, NOTHING could get through that finish. It’s a high gloss finish, but it feels like the table is coated in plastic.
In fact, after she bought a house, the table didn’t really match her decor anymore, so she gave it to us for our basement rec room. We still have it, and it has survived countless game nights, pizza parties, and even my toddler children banging on it with toy trains, climbing and standing on it, and who-knows-what else.
I do think there would be a market for real wood tables with TOUGH finishes on them. :)
Donna Hill says
Hello Maggie Says, Can you tell me exactly what clear sealer product your husband used. My son has built and painted a kitchen table for me because I couldn’t find what I wanted, but we are having trouble, ours is not holding up to sitting a plate of food on it or coffee or getting water on it. I have even tried place mats.
MK says
I hope i can find some help here. I have a round dining table with glass layer on top, cut to size. Over the years, moisture seeped in and guess what, moulds have grown on the table in spaces I can’t dream of reaching if I do not move the glass sheet. And it’s too heavy for me to move the glass sheet, not to mention i could not even find a grip to do it since the glass sheet is cut right to size for the table. Has someone done this before – discover an ingenious way of removing the glass sheet?? My advice for people who are thinking of covering their tables with glass sheet is that please make sure there is a simple way to lift it and clean the table, if there is a need.
Coupon Maven says
I appreciate your comment, as while I’d read concerns about moisture getting trapped between the wood and glass, I hadn’t considered that the moisture could at some point turn to mold. That makes me feel like using the glass spacers is a good idea as we do have humid summers where we live.
I move my glass once a month, both to clear crumbs out and to make sure the plastic spacers I’m using between the tabletop and the glass do not stick to the table’s finish long-term. I don’t take the glass off completely (it’s heavy and took both my husband and I to carry in when we brought the piece of glass home.) What I do is move it about halfway to one side, clean underneath the glass and the top of the table itself, then shift the glass to the other side and repeat.
In order to lift the glass enough to slide it, I use a nylon cooking spatula to separate the glass from the spacers and tabletop. This is also how I lift it to get the spacers back in once I’m done cleaning it.
Once the glass is able to move, I slide it to one side, like in the photo above. I’m able to do this alone, but I’m careful to only slide it as far as it can rest without the glass tipping over the edge and falling.
Then, I just use Windex to clean the bottom surface of the glass that’s overhanging the side of the table.
Then, I’ll go to the side of the wood that’s exposed and wipe that down as well. Once that’s done, I slide the entire glass in the opposite direction so it’s overhanging the right side of the table — then I clean under the glass and the opposite side of the wood tabletop.
With a round table, I imagine this will be more difficult as it will be hard to clean the actual center of the table with this method. If you have another person who can help you support the glass, you could slide yours the same way and make sure the overhanging end is supported while you clean under the glass and the tabletop itself.
Once that’s done, if you want to add spacers between the glass and the wood, you can find them on Amazon.
MK says
Thanks a lot. I will try that and hopefully, i can get rid of the ugly molds!
Laureh says
Wow thanks! I’ve ordered a glass table cover and the spacers but was thinking the spacers would be sticky and I was wondering how on earth I was going to be able to position the glass since it does have to line up with the edges but from what you showed, I guess the spacers are more on the hard side an not soft and tacky. I could not find any how-to on this only referrals to glass shops.
Coupon Maven says
Yes, they are hard like bingo chips, not soft or sticky. Hope this helps :)
Ella says
I have a wonderful two and a half year-old granddaughter, and a glass table cover on my dining room table. Love my little girl and the glass table cover, but I cringe when she slams it with her spoon or fork. I’m thinking I need a padded placemat for her next visit. Just giving you a heads-up!
Arlene says
I had a glass top with plastic circle spacers that glass company put on. We moved glass now and then to clean, however some of the spacers have left whatever coating is on the spacers, on the wood top. You can see shiny spots where they were
We recently had the glass cut in half. It was too long and too difficult to move ourselves.
Instead of using plastic spacers, I am going to buy fabric as similar to the color of the wood, and cut little 1″ pieces to place under glass.
It might slip easier but more gentle on wood
My dream would be to have no glass but it will scratch terribly due to the fact that we use it all the time!
I would like to get your opinion on this!
Coupon Maven says
We are still using the plastic spacers, but I have read other articles where people have used felt or fabric spacers. I think as long as the glass gets moved periodically, they should be fine.
Patty Shaver says
I was wondering if anyone has had their glass top cut in multiple pieces? I was thinking if had it cut into three pieces, then I could take the middle extension out when I felt like it and still have the glass cover for the rest of the table.
Also the glass company I spoke with said that if you hit the end of tempered glass it shatters. Was he pulling my leg?
Suzan selewski says
Patty Shaver, I just read through this entire comment section to see if I could find an answer to your same exact question!
It doesn’t look like the authors table opens for a leaf. We are considering getting 2 pieces for our table top and a third piece for our leaf. The leaf is self storing, but folds in half so we would have to store the glass for the leaf under the bed.
A friend of mine did this for her table, except the glass is able to rest on her self storing leaf. Now that I think about it, her table is quite a bit smaller than ours and I wonder if storing the glass cover for the leaf would be difficult and prone to breaking?
Can you see a con in having the glass in pieces?
Also, the corners of our table are not squared, but rather curved down. Hard to explain. But i wonder if it would be a problem for the corners of the glass to extend over the corner of the wood?
One last question: what is annealed glass?
Coupon Maven says
Chiming in – our table does have a leaf, but I have no plans to take it out.
Annealed glass is protected from drastic thermal changes (hot/cold) that could cause non-annealed glass to crack.
Kat says
We have had a dining room table for 9 years with a annealed glass top. We were told that tempered is not recommended as if it were to break it would break into thousands of pieces. The annealedcan break into sharper pieces but larger more manageable pieces. It wouldn’t shatter and fly nicking other furniture. This piece of glass was installed with plastic spacers. We have not had hardly any problems with liquid seeping under the glass (the occasional crumb yes- paper towel works well). This table has leaves but are added at the end sides of the table. This makes it easy to slide the glass minimally. This table is not an everyday used table.
This year we added glass to our kitchen table. We have moved states and the new glass companies varied in their recommendation of annealed vs tempered.
I went with annealed b/c we’ve had great success with it. I have seen how tempered glass has shattered and that has been a deterrent.
Our kitchen table (table with another leaf at the end) did not come with plastic spacers. For 2 weeks we have used it without any spacers and the liquid seepage problem is a real!
As the above user said it can wick across half of the table and is extremely difficult to dry up. I will be ordering and using plastic spacers as with my other table.
Regarding the consideration of added length of the glass over the table length, I would pause. I believe you’d be at a greater risk of the glass breaking. I also agree that it would not look nearly as nice.
The two companies that I used recommended to take a 1/8” off our exact table measurements just to avoid this. Apparently, many glass companies give themselves a 1/16” leeway on any measurements.
I do love the glass and think it looks great even with clear spacers. It’s functional with spacers (I have a household of young children so the spills are often). The glass has preserved our dining table in like new condition.
Thank you for this article. I remember searching for some advice 9 years ago.
Squeeto says
I would not put an over-sized glass sheet on a table to keep the crumbs out.
The corners would seems like eye removers for young children who fall into them.
I got here because I am considering tempered vs annealed.
My glass shop said that tempered is tougher but usually the edges are protected. Just like the outdoor glass tables with the metal wrap around edges.
Coupon Maven says
For what it’s worth, our glass has rounded edges. The table does too, and we had the glass cut to the same radius as the table’s corners (they had me trace around the edge of the table so they could grind the glass to match.
LTO says
I was also curious about having the glass cut it two to make it easy to take out the leaf. Has anyone done this?
Jody says
In Feb of this year we bought a beautiful 6 ft. round table, I insisted on putting a glass on top to protect the table, now here it is Oct and I see what looks like moisture under the glass. We have only used the table twice since we got it, all I do is clean it and never spray cleaner on the edges. If I lift up with my fingernails the mark goes away until I remove my hand, I think I am sorry I spent $555.00 on something to protect my table and now I am worried about the glass. We can not move the glass it is way too heavy. Thinking of removing it. The glass company said they can not be responsible for moisture or humidity in our home, if I had educated myself better I would not have bought the glass.
Mid America Mom says
Stumbled on this old post that will not die ;-0 We purchased an antique round quartersawn oak table with 5 leaves 7 years ago. I absolutely love this table. The appraiser told us to put glass on top until the kids “grow up” – this is an oiled table. So we purchased a glass dining table second hand to use the glass only and use those clear bumpers under. We also have crumbs under the glass and sometimes liquid which we get to right away. Sometimes we lift the glass off and put a tablecloth under. But we are getting rid of the glass and moving to table mats, coasters, and occasionally a tablecloth. I found I dislike; seeing the bumpers, the noise it makes when something is placed on it, glass shine/reflect is problematic with the overhead light, using glass cleaner daily, and its heavy weight (it takes at least three people to move it). We will be getting a vinyl backedtablecloth for those really messy times however! Thanks for sharing this post as it can be a great solution for folks!
blessie cano says
How about putting glass top on wood slab? Can the glass maker shape it according to the shape of the live edge?
yesenia says
Glass is heavy and fragile which is why we went with plexiglass ordered from Home Depot. It wears just as well and is just as clear as glass that you can’t tell the difference unless you touch or lift it. It’s lightweight and easily removable for cleaning or changing the look of our table by occasionally putting on a tablecloth between the wood and plexiglass. So, I like its advantages over glass.
Heather Mac says
Thanks for your comment about Plexiglass. I’m looking for a clear top to put over a tablecloth on a cheap table (I found on the side of the road) that I use for sewing. I mainly want to keep thread snippets/fabric pieces/dust from making the tablecloth look so messy. I think I’ll go with the Plexiglass….
J.Freschi says
I have glass on my bedroom furniture with clear plastic tabs the problem is that dust builds up in between can I place the glass on furniture without tabs without damaging wood?
Coupon Maven says
I honestly do not know as I’ve never done it. I have read too many accounts online of mold forming between the wood and glass that have scared me off from trying..!
Deborrah says
How do you clean the dust that gets in-between without moving the glass? My table is dining room size. Way too big to move and cannot get.the middle.
Coupon Maven says
Every few months, we turn the glass horizontally so that the glass and the tabletop form a “T” shape. I wipe the exposed ends of the table with a damp paper towel sprayed with Windex.
Then, with my husband’s help, we slide the (still perpendicular to the table) glass top all the way in one direction to form an “L” shape between the table and glass. He supports the large end of glass hanging over the edge, while I wipe as much of the underside’s center as I can reach. We then slide the glass the other way into a “7” shape and do the same thing. Finally, we turn it the right way and line it back up with the edges of the table.
Erik Ohlson says
We have had glass on a 44-inch round table for about 30 years. It is cut into two sections so we can add the two leaves that came with the table. we have glass covers for the leaves as well. We live in California so humidity is not too much of a problem.
We have had plenty of trouble with liquid spills getting under the glass, but ours is light enough to lift and “suck” the liquid out with a paper towel as was mentioned in an earlier post. We have never had spacers but after all this time, the corners between the two halves have gotten chipped and we have ordered a new cover made from an acrylic plastic from Tap Plastics – they have several kinds of clear plastic so I ordered one which is supposed to be the most scratch-resistant. We have always used placemats or even paper under things to keep from scratching the glass and have very few scratches from all those years.
I will try to remember to report when we’ve had the plastic for at least a few weeks.
Polly says
Erik— how’d the acrylic table topper work out for you?
Renae Satre says
Thank you thank you for sharing your experiences with wood and glass! I’m making a desk for our office out of an old wood door and have wondered about the effects of using glass. One concern I had was dust and other debris getting under it and it being difficult to clean. Thanks for your suggestion of ordering 1/4 inch larger to help with this! I hadn’t even considered using spacers! So happy I found your post!
Daya Kharel says
I am planning to do the same here in Nepal. Thanks for the post. Wouldn’t making the glass protrude out of the table edge look unattractive? My table surface is not so precious and I am planning to keep something (plastic or rubber or cloth) underneath. I don’t know if it makes the glass slippery. Any ideas?
Coupon Maven says
The idea to extend the glass over the edges of the table is to only do it a slight bit — about 1/4 inch or half a centimeter at most. Enough to stop crumbs from getting under the edge, which I hadn’t anticipated happening until we had our glass top, which is cut exactly to the size of our tabletop.
Will Gon says
Are the spacers typically placed along the glass edges only or also towards the middle to keep all of the glass from touching the table top ?
Coupon Maven says
I have eight under the glass – all four corners, and four more spaced out in the middle.
C Medlin says
I read all of the posts here. I bought a new 56” round wood table a few months ago and garnering all the wisdom here, I bought 1/4” thick glass the comes almost perfectly to the edge with only a slight bit more space. Then a 1/4 “ lip curves down is not covered. Just got it installed today, as it took awhile to get it. It looks wonderful on my dark pine table top. I did use 3/4 “ clear discs, 4 (one at each of 4 settings) and 2 toward the middle. It is good to hear that there are some easy remedies to get crumbs or lint and how to check on those discs for any sticking. Thanks so much.
Rose says
I appreciated the many ideas and look forward to protecting my wood table with glass. The overhang of 1/4″seems practical and also using discs to lift the glass from the table so I don’t get mold on the wood surface.
Coupon Maven says
Good luck to you! Yes, increasing the overhang is the only thing I would have changed in retrospect. Aside from that, we’re still really happy with how the glass is protecting our table. :)
Andrea says
We’ve had glass on our table for years (20?) and I think it was well worth it. It truly protected the table from occasional disasters. But, the time has come to let the table go to a college graduate. My question is : I have my eye on a new table from Crate and Barrel that is a parsons table with black marble top. Can I place glass on the marble? I’m sure I’d be in for a lifetime maintenance of sealant with marble, and I think glass would make life easier.
Coupon Maven says
I don’t know much about marble other than that it needs to be sealed regularly, as you mentioned, and that it’s a porous stone. I imagine if you had spacers in there so that the stone could expand and breathe, it should be fine.
Dub00Joe says
Such a great forum. Learned a lot from people’s comments and opinions. Would be interesting to read more thoughts about beveled glass edges, and which type of edge you have (beveled and how wide is the bevel versus pencil polished edge, etc). Also, how thick are your rubber bumpers and discs (2mm, 1mm, 5mm, etc).
Barbara says
I have a 42″ round kitchen table with a beautiful wood top and black painted legs. I had a glass top made in order to protect the wood and I SO regret doing that. The glass top is always showing fingerprints, food and liquids get underneath the edges of the glass, and it always looks dirty. It’s a pain to clean, too. At least with the wood I could do a quick wipe and all would look good. I always use cotton placemats and much prefer the table without the glass. I am thinking about getting rid of the glass altogether. My 93 year old mother is messy so I’m all about easy cleaning and maintenance these days. Hassling with the glass top is one thing I don’t need – it irritates me to look at it each time I walk into the kitchen. I have to clean it BEFORE the cleaning ladies come — they won’t mess with moving the glass (don’t blame them).
Glad you found a solution that worked for your family, though.
Lisa Roberts says
My daughter covers her wooden kitchen table with a clear plastic sheet and tapes the edges underneath the table. Sometimes she puts a cheap seasonal tablecloth from Walmart under the plastic.
Ray Gardner says
I just found your blog post. Thanks!
Now it’s 2021 and years later. What would you recommend for spacers or not? We bought a beautiful cherry pedestal table. We are just two adults and was never worried about damaging…then it happened. A water stain from condensation from a paper plate. WHAT! It was done and my wife was so passed. We tried all of the home remedy stuff they said to use on the internet, nothing worked at all. This stain was too big and too deep or they just are bogus. I found a product on Amazon that “claimed” it worked and sounded like a rebranded Magic Eraser. Well Mr Clean to the rescue. We had some unused new one’s.and with a damp Eraser and a LOT of elbow grease. It all came off, thank God.
So…now it’s time for glass. We went with tempered glass instead as it’s stronger. And I was wondering about the type of edge you got and the spacers. Do you still have them? Do you regret them? Thanks again…
Coupon Maven says
We are still using the spacers. We took them out for a while, and then last summer I noticed some “hazy” areas in the center under the glass where it seemed that humidity/condensation was collecting. We do have really humid summers here in Chicagoland, and we don’t run the AC 100% of the time as we often have the windows open. So, the spacers went back in to help with air flow.
Aside from that, I would recommend making the glass a little bit larger, all the way around, than your table is. With our glass fitting the top exactly, we do still get some crumbs under there. I still use the same method to remove those.
The edge on our glass is curved slightly – it is rounded and not a sharp edge. Same for the corners – they are rounded off slightly so they aren’t pointy. I hope this helps. :)
Deborah says
Interesting post!! I am in the process of ordering glass for my veneer top kitchen table which has several whitish cloudy spots that I cannot remove. Thanks for all the advise from your blog. I am thinking of getting tinted glass to hide the spots but concerned as to whether the spots might still show through. Any advise, Jill, on using tinted glass?
Coupon Maven says
I don’t see why tinted glass wouldn’t work. We like the natural color of the tabletop (it matches the chair seats) so we didn’t even think of getting it tinted.
If the glass is tinted with a film, you might want to make sure the tint is applied to the BACK so that it doesn’t get scratched by dishes and normal use.
Michelle says
Deborah, did you get the tinted glass and did it hide the damaged spots? I’m thinking about doing the same thing with my table and unsure if it will work and what tint to go with. I’d love to hear an update.
Thanks for sharing!
MIEra says
Now it is May 2023. This article is still being read and still very useful :) Just wanted to thank you for all the information.