Buying Your First Glass Dining Table
In life, there are certain materials that transcend the normal and have a special kind of quality about them. Glass is one of those things, and that’s why glass dining tables can be the perfect kind of dining tables for a modern home. A glass dining table is not made entirely of glass – the legs are often made of wood (or occasionally plastic or metal) and it is only the top surface that is made from glass (they might better be called glass top dining tables because of this).
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Because glass can be a fairly fragile material, I wouldn’t recommend getting a glass top dining table if you have young children, since they like to bang on table tops and as well as breaking it they might cut themselves on some glass. This does not mean to say that glass dining tables are weak by any means (and if used properly you will never have any problems with them), just that you should take precautions.
You should also make sure that the table you buy is sturdy and stable. Cheaper tables tend to be less sturdy and break more easily than high quality ones.
Glass tables are easy to care for.
Please see our guide on taking care of glass tables.
TYPES OF GLASS TABLES
There are 2 main types of glass dining tables that you can buy – each with its own unique and special qualities. While there are several different styles (such as the extending glass dining table which can shrink or extend to suit the amount of people it is needed to sit, and round glass dining tables) that you can get;
- glass insert tables
- glass top dining tables.
The former has a main structure that is made from metal or plastic (usually) and just has a sheet of glass slid into the inside top part of the table (so the main top is made from glass, but the outside rim is made from another material).
The latter glass dining table mentioned is where you have a base made from another material (the same as before) but the glass top rests on top of it. This second kind looks a lot more stylish and pretty, and is definitely the better of the two.
BUYING THE RIGHT GLASS TABLE
Before deciding what kind of glass dining table you want, first think about how the dining table will fit in with the rest of the room (i.e. how will it match the style and look of the dining room?).
Note that to go along with your glass dining table you can also get glass dining table chairs, so if you’re re-doing your dining room it might be worth looking at glass dining table sets.
