How to make glass shelves with your own hands

Shelves, like no other element of the interior, help to optimize space and to compact all objects as compactly as possible. However, not all shelves are equally good. Glass, for example, in addition to its obvious functionality have another quality - they instantly "unload" the interior gives it lightness and style. Catalogs of furniture stores are bursting with the abundance of models, but why not save and try to make glass shelves yourself, especially since it's not so difficult. We suggest you to see this on your own experience.

Advantages and disadvantages of glass shelves

Despite the prevalence, many do not dare to install glass shelveson the wall, because they think that they are not strong enough and safe. However, it is worth remembering that almost all shop windows are made of this material and sometimes keep very heavy and large objects. The fact is that to create shelves is used at all the glass that is installed in conventional windows, and increased durability. Moreover, there is a tempered glass, resistant even to strong shocks and insured against the formation of scratches. Of this, worktops, cabinets and even flooring are made.

Glass furniture always looks very stylish, compact and modern. It easily fits into any interior, whether it's high-tech, minimalism or a popular loft recently.

Glass shelves favorably differ from similar structures from other materials:

• they are absolutely not afraid of moisture, so they can and even need to be installed in bathrooms;
• glass is resistant to aggressive chemical attack, therefore it can be cleaned with any household means;
• material is absolutely hygienic, does not absorb dirt and does not retain dust;
• such shelves are easy and quick to clean;
• glass shelves have an unlimited shelf life and can serve literally forever, if no one breaks them up;
• wood or plastic under the influence of direct sunlight burn out, and the glass does not change the original appearance, even constantly being under the sun;
• an undeniable advantage is also the aesthetic appeal of glass furniture.

You can also add that if you are going to make a glass shelf with your own hands, it will cost you much cheaper than a ready-made purchase option.

As we have already mentioned, glass shelves are able to withstand a serious load, but this mostly depends on the thickness of the selected glass. Therefore, if you need a shelf for books or a TV, it is better to give preference to the most sturdy products. And even if you build a whole glass cabinet in the wall, it will still seem compact and weightless - no wood or metal is capable of such. This solution is especially advantageous for small rooms and studio apartments.

Glass shelves look very nice with LED lighting. It is not only attractive, but also convenient - an additional light source will never interfere. In addition, LED stripes consume much less electricity than conventional lamps, and last much longer. More details on how to make a shelf of glass with their own hands with backlighting, we'll talk just below.

Another interesting point - the glass adds to the interior shine and radiance. It has a reflective power, visually increasing space. Often, for this purpose, large mirrors hang on the walls, and if we add weightless transparent shelves to them, the smallest room will seem spacious and cozy.

But in order for this to be in such a favorable way, it is necessary to select the glass correctly for the manufacture of shelves. Theoretically, the most common window glass is suitable for this, but this design can withstand only small figurines and amusing baubles decorating the interior. Functional load is possessed only by objects made of high-strength and tempered glass. They can safely plant flowerpots, tape recorders, televisions, books and other useful things in the household.

There are no drawbacks with glass shelves, there are only peculiarities of operation. The most obvious such feature is the transparency of the material. Through it you will see everything that is contained on the shelf, and therefore you will have to accustom yourself to maintain the ideal order, including daily wiping dust and fingerprints. But there is a little trick here - you can make a shelf of colored glass, but this will not free you from cleaning.

Types of shelves

Glass shelves are very different. Long ago, those times when their form was limited to a rectangle have already passed. Glass is actually a very pliable material that can take absolutely any shape, remember at least the profession of glass blowers. At the end of the article, you will find a photo collection of shelves in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Depending on the position in space and the method of attachment, there are wall, suspended and corner shelves. The first are highly aesthetic and often represent a more stylish interior decoration than a strict functional element. For fixing, you can use cables that are connected to the ceiling, or special concealed holders that create the feeling that the shelf seems to float in the air.

Corner shelves allow maximum use of useful space. They are very helpful in relieving the situation in small bathrooms and kitchens, where a lot of small items are constantly present, and keeping them in order is quite difficult. In fact, you can fill all corners in the apartment with such shelves, freeing up a lot of free space. In the hall there you can add combs, keys and other small things, in the bathroom - shampoos, shower gels, deodorants, in the kitchen - spices, in the living room - books.

The only place where it is not recommended to install glass shelves is a children's room. A child can accidentally break a strong material or hit it hard.

Many modern apartments have very narrow window sills, so a glass shelf for flowers will be an excellent way to organize a green corner with minimal space costs. Inside, you can install fluorescent lights and arrange pots at different levels.

How to make a glass shelf:

instruction If you find out, there are only two ways to make glass shelves: buy in a store or order all the necessary accessories, after which you just need to put them together and screw them into place. But the cost of such an invention is almost equivalent to the finished store structure, so we'll tell you how to make a shelf from scratch.

For work you will need a good glass cutter, as well as a belt sanding machine with abrasive sandpaper with a grain size of 120 units. These tools are best rented, unless, of course, you are going to regularly make shelves from glass to all familiar or for sale.

To get started, we offer you a brief briefing on the use of a glass cutter. This is a fairly primitive, but very effective tool, which even a beginner can cope with after 15 minutes of practice. The most important thing when working with it is to make sure and precise movements. In addition to the glass cutter( it's better to get an oil cutter) you need a long ruler. First it is better to practice on ordinary glass, and then start to finish work.

Important: The basic rule when cutting glass is to make one sure and strong enough movement. Repeated re-cutting along the same trajectory is unacceptable, since this will not help the case, and the blade will scratch the glass once more.

To cut the glass, mark the cutting line with a marker, place a ruler along it( it serves as a stop and a guide for the glass cutter), press it with your hand, and hold the second hand with the glass cutter along the marking with confident but smooth pressing. To do this, you must certainly on a perfectly flat surface, wiped with rags. When you have made a cut with a glass cutter, break the material in this place. Be sure to follow safety precautions and work in thick cloth gloves to avoid cutting. Unfortunately, the above instructions are not suitable for tempered glass, because because of its extraordinary strength it can only be cut with a special typewriter in the workshop.

When you have received the workpiece of the right size, you need to process its sharp edges, otherwise this shelf will have to be avoided so as not to get injured. Grinding is the most important stage of the work, which requires the utmost attention. To do this you will need a belt sanding machine. Of course, if you did not manage to get it, you can process the edges manually, but this occupation takes much more time and effort. Carefully walk along the edges of the glass so that they become, if not completely round, then at least blunt.

Important: During grinding, wet the glass regularly with cold water. It is necessary that fine glass dust does not spread through the air. If it is inhaled, it will settle in the lungs and remain there forever. For this reason it will be superfluous to dress up in a good respirator. In addition, the water makes the edge completely transparent. Of course, if you prefer a matte surface, you can use water a little less.

Grinding should also be carried out on a flat surface, wiped with rags, placing the glass so that the edge being worked only slightly protrudes beyond the edge.

Attachment methods

Two elements are used to secure the glass shelves: an aluminum profile and special holders. Both of them are not inferior to each other in reliability and functionality, the difference is only in the features of installation. We will review each of the types of anchorages so that you can choose the most suitable one in your case.

By the way, the holders are absolutely universal, which means that you can install glass of any thickness in them. This, perhaps, is their only advantage over aluminum profiles, which should be chosen according to the size of the shelf. However, if you want to make a glass shelf with a backlight, you should choose the profile, because it is easy to fill the LED strip so that it remains invisible and illuminates the glass as if from the inside.

Mount holders are quite simple. They consist of only two parts: the base, fixed to the wall and the decorative stop. To separate them, you need to pull the base from the upper stop. Then, on the wall, you should mark the place for fastening, screw in the dowels( they should come complete with the holder) and fix the bases on them.

Important: For one shelf, even if it has light items, it will take at least 2 holders. In this case, they should be installed so that there is not less than 5 cm to the edge. The number of holders directly depends on the load on the shelf. Sometimes in the set can go inadequate dowels, in this case they do not hurt to replace fasteners of suitable sizes.

Shelf with backlight

It's time to finally talk about how to make a glass shelf with LED backlight. We already know that for its fastening you need to choose an aluminum profile. Suitable such a shelf in the bathroom, bedroom or kitchen.

How to make a shelf:

1. The profile selected according to the thickness of the glass must be cut to the desired length, after which the burrs are cut off and the edges are slightly ground. Otherwise, you will not be able to insert the LED ribbon.
2. Drill holes in the profile and screw it to a pre-marked place on the wall. Use for this purpose self-tapping screws and plastic plugs. First screw in the screw at one end, then set the profile according to the markings, but do not fix it, but check it with a horizontal water level. Only after this you can screw in the other screws.
3. Install the LED strip. Usually in all profiles there is a thin plastic insert that serves as a protective barrier between the tape and aluminum and prevents shorting. To fill the ribbon in the profile, you need to be patient, especially if its ends are closed.
4. When the tape is finished, it remains only to install the glass itself. Make sure it is as tight as possible in the profile. To do this, it can be pressed in on its own or slightly podbit rubber kyankoy.

We hope that you are convinced that it is not difficult to make a stylish glass shelf. For interest, ask how much is such a beauty with lighting in the store. If you are still afraid of the prospect of breathing in glass dust and cut yourself during the cutting of shelves, you can entrust all this to the master glazier for a low fee. And anyone can fix it, the benefit for this will not require any specific skills. Glass shelves with their own hands: photo