The glass facade is an unsurpassed decoration for any interior style and fits almost any design. Decoration and use of original accessories, which are available on the market in a wide range, make the surface even more attractive. What features are characterized by kitchen sets with glass facades, and how to make the right choice when buying furniture?
Distinctive features of kitchens with glass facades
The first thing that catches your eye when choosing furniture with glass inserts is the external attractiveness of the furniture, which gives the room elegance and style. Transparent doors create a feeling of spaciousness, lightness and airiness - those qualities that are so lacking in small-sized rooms. Therefore, the use of kitchen furniture with glass inserts is especially important in small kitchens.
Positive features of headsets with glass facades
The following are distinguished from a number of main advantages:
- Environmental friendliness. Glass is a natural material that is harmless and hypoallergenic to humans, as it does not pollute the environment with toxic and harmful substances.
- Ease of operation. Facades are easy to clean and wash, armed only with a rag and spray for windows. The surface is easy to wipe away from grease and soot; no fungus forms on the glass surface. Important detail: do not use abrasive cleaners - after them scratches remain on the glass surface. When mounting structures, there are also no difficulties - facades with glass inserts are installed as usual.
- Wear resistance. If glass is associated with fragility and tenderness, this does not mean that this material will not serve in the kitchen for long. On the contrary, glass is weakly sensitive to temperature extremes and high humidity. Therefore, this material is so in demand for the production of kitchen facades, countertops and surfaces of dining tables.
- Design. Manufacturers presented a wide range of models of paintings for any style of interior. Depending on the processing technique and decor, the canvas is perfectly combined with wood, plastic, MDF, etc.
Some negative aspects
Of the obvious disadvantages are:
- Fragility. Some of the options for glass facades do not meet the required strength standards. These are, as a rule, cheap and not very high-quality paintings, which are not even made of tempered glass, but of ordinary glass. Such material, breaking, crumbles into fragments with sharp edges, which pose a serious danger to others, because small chips are scattered throughout the kitchen, and it is not easy to collect them all at once. Therefore, do not save, and take a facade made of triplex or tempered glass.
- Price. A set with glass inserts will cost more than similar counterparts. This is due to the use of high-quality hinges for glass facades, which are durable and provide reliable fixation of glass in the frame.
- Care. Such a coating needs constant care. Glass quickly gets dirty, and in the absence of cleaning loses its attractiveness. The aluminum frame is prone to darkening and tarnishing due to aggressive cleaning agents.
Varieties of glass structures
Facade - a set of elements located on the front side of the headset. Doors differ in configuration, design. By the type of opening, they are:
- horizontal
- vertical
- folding etc.
Explore the main types of glass facades for the kitchen.
Framework
Traditionally they looked like glasses fixed in wooden frames. For the manufacture of panels used high-quality wood with the provided openings and grooves for paintings, fixed with glue.
Each carpenter could make such a design at home, but designing is one thing, and picking up reliable fasteners is another.
In modern modernization, the facade looks like a glass panel framed by an aluminum frame that holds the glass firmly enough. The frame, depending on the wishes of the client, can be either narrow and practically invisible, or wide. In the second version, the frame is painted under the general style of the headset, making the whole structure in harmony with the general interior of the room.
Frameless
Such kitchen sets with glass facades are made of triplex or tempered glass, so they cost more than the traditional frame version. The canvases themselves are attached to fittings of exceptionally high quality, and special requirements are put forward to hinges, handles, magnets and closers. This will require additional equipment with special gaskets that minimize the contact of metal with glass.
Important! Take care of your furniture carefully and do not forget that ajar doors in the presence of a draft can break from the hinges.
Facade decoration
Headsets with glass facades for the kitchen themselves look spectacular, original and elegant, but the decor of the paintings makes the headset look even more elegant.
Designers recommend diversifying the interior by adding a bit of style with an unusual vintage facade.
Design options for facades for kitchen furniture
A wide palette of colored glasses allows you to choose a facade for any style and tone of the headset. To achieve this effect, the coloring pigment is added to the composition of water glass at one of the stages of production, because the products do not lose their color and do not fade in the sun.
An analogue of a tinted facade is easy to make at home, for example, if you make furniture with your own hands. It is enough to glue the back side of the glass cloth with a self-adhesive film of the color you like.
In the interior of hi-tech, furniture with frosted inserts is increasingly found, and the outlines of objects viewed in a cabinet or cabinet look spectacularly with spotted interior lighting.
Love something extraordinary and special? Then laminated glass will definitely impress. Laminated kitchen facade belongs to the budget category, and the coating is easy to apply at home on the surface of silicate glass, giving it additional rigidity.
Stained-glass windows are suitable for decoration no worse than other options, but such a pleasure is not cheap. Stained glass technology reminds mosaic. These are colored glass fragments collected in a picture and fixed in a frame. You can imitate the decoration of the facade with vintage paints by painting the glass manually. In this case, use a special stencil for applying the image and outline the contours with gold or silver paint, and the remaining areas are painted in the desired color.
Ultraviolet photo printing is heard by many designers. This is gaining popularity. Now, any drawing you like can be applied to the surface of the glass facade for the kitchen. This is made possible thanks to a special printer with a formula for fixing the image, which prevents the penetration of moisture under the applied layer. In addition, direct exposure to sunlight is not terrible for the paintings, because the picture does not fade and does not fade.
Sandblasting glass allows you to combine matte and transparent inserts on the same surface. Through processing, it is possible to achieve the reproduction of a stylish decorative pattern, which becomes the decoration of the facade.
Embossed glass is more attractive than the rest, as it has a special curly surface. On a matte basis, there is a mesh or wavy texture that gives the product an unusual roughness.
The subtleties of manufacturing glass facades
If you have already purchased kitchen furniture, try to diversify the design by decorating the doors. Doing it yourself will save you money, and you’ll get exclusive, one-of-a-kind kitchen furniture.
Important! Do not reproduce frameless designs at home: firstly, it is unsafe - at home it is impossible to make such furniture stable. Secondly, the edges of tempered glass cannot be processed at home, it seems possible only in the conditions of production.
Phased design of furniture with a glass facade
Follow the instructions to make a kitchen set and a glass facade with your own hands at home:
- Pick up and purchase glass with the desired parameters.
- Make a frame using wooden planks, panels, aluminum frame, profiles for glass kitchen facades.
- Making an opening with your own hand, working as a milling cutter, make recesses for landing glass.
- Take a cutter with a thickness of 5-6 mm (for glasses of medium thickness) and install in the middle of the part.
- Using the appliance, carefully cut the grooves of the required size.
- Remove any burrs using a grinder.
- Pour glue or silicone into the recesses.
- Put the glass in the frame.
- For the final fixing of the frame, tap the wooden planks with a hammer, fitting the glass into the grooves. Do this lightly and carefully.
Important! If you have a finished profile, pour glue into the grooves and fix the facade canvas.
When making kitchen furniture with glass facades with your own hands, in particular facade details for kitchen furniture, make sure that the corners are connected at an angle of 90 °, without the slightest deviation. Checking for existing deviations from the norm or their absence is easy, use the triangle for this. Get rid of violations by centering the glass with a rubber mallet. When you are finished with this, finally connect the frame and mount the door on the headset.
A kitchen with glass facades is an exquisite decoration of any interior. When choosing products, pay special attention to the safety of operation of the structure, its reliability. Only high-quality furniture will please both owners and guests for a long time.