What are the pros and cons of glass kitchenapron? What kind of glass should you choose? How not to overpay for your order? This and other useful information is in our article Glass kitchen aprons have quickly become fashionable and have pushed traditional wall tiles off the decorative pedestal. Why is this interior element so loved by professionals and amateurs? How to choose the right glass apron for the kitchen? And what do you need to know to avoid disappointment? The answers to these questions, as well as other useful information, are the topic of our article today.
Pros and cons
A glass apron has a number of advantages over traditional tiles:
- hygienic: lack of trowels and other irregularities in which dirt can accumulate,
- easy installation,
- unlimited choice of design (you can apply any color or picture of your choice),
- glossy, reflective panels visually increase the space of the kitchen,
- possibility of setting the backlight.
As for the disadvantages, glass apronshave only one significant drawback: the finished (hardened) panel cannot be cut, which means it is impossible to adjust the dimensions or drill additional holes for sockets at the installation stage.
Apron design
Let's figure out what it might look likeglass apron. The simplest and cheapest option is panels made of ordinary colorless glass. Usually, such an apron plays a functional rather than decorative role, that is, it protects painted or wallpapered kitchen walls from dirt and remains almost invisible. Our opinion: - Colorless glass can also be decorated a little, for example, make it matte. Another way is to apply a sandblasted pattern: inscriptions similar to those that decorate the windows of coffee shops will look very impressive on the apron in your kitchen.
More popular material for productionkitchen aprons is painted glass. It is obtained by applying paint to the back surface of the glass and special heat treatment, which adds 15-20 percent to the price. The main advantages of this method are the durability of the pattern and an unlimited choice of shades. An ideal solution for an interior with a complex color palette.
Perhaps the most popular varietyglass aprons are models with a full-color pattern. And it is not surprising, because it is the pattern that can personalize the kitchen interior, make it unique and even visually expand the space of this often small room (image with perspective, 3D pattern). You can apply an image to the panel in two ways: by gluing a vinyl film with a pattern to the back of the glass or using photo printing. The first option is budget, but short-lived. Depending on the quality of work and materials, the film may fade, wrinkle or even peel off. But the second option is more reliable and looks much more impressive. But you have to pay for quality. An apron with full-color photo printing will cost approximately 50% more than a similar one made of colorless glass or decorated with vinyl film. And if you want to surprise your guests with the 3D effect, then the budget will have to be increased by two and a half times. Our opinion: - When choosing a glass apron with photo printing, check with the manufacturer what type of glass it uses: Clear Float or Optiwhite. The first type of glass is the most common due to its lower cost, but has one drawback: a bottle (greenish) tint that can distort the color perception of the pattern you have chosen. The second type of glass undergoes additional bleaching, so it is suitable for any images. But it is, of course, more expensive.
Another interesting option for kitchenapron, which many forget about, are mirror panels. This is just a godsend for small kitchens. With the help of mirror panels, you can change the geometry of the kitchen, for example, make a narrow room seem a little wider. And what a freedom for design experiments: tinted mirror, aged mirror, mirror with a pattern, a combination of mirror panels.
Installation
There are three main installation methodsglass apron: using through fasteners (screws), overhead fasteners or liquid nails. The first method is especially attractive because it does not require special preparation of the walls. There is a gap of approximately four millimeters between the apron and the wall, that is, if you are really lazy, you can even not remove the old tiles, but attach glass panels on top of them. Disadvantage: although the fasteners are covered with decorative caps, they remain visible. Overhead fasteners are invisible metal clamps into which glass panels are inserted. This installation method should be chosen for aprons consisting of several parts, as it ensures the most accurate joining of the elements. The simplest at first glance method of attaching an apron with liquid nails in practice can turn out to be much more difficult than you might expect. Firstly, the apron can only be glued to perfectly aligned walls, and secondly, it is important not to miss the joint of the panels.
Tips for choosing a glass kitchen backsplash
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