A shelf is a support that consists of a horizontal surface for holding objects. There are many types of shelves including book, shoe, tool, kitchen and many others. They come designed in different styles using different materials, such as wood, metal, plastic and glass, to suit the taste of the owner.
All are common materials except for the glass shelves due to their delicate nature. Despite that, they are usually very beautiful and improve the decor of your home. When choosing what type you want to buy it is good to first consider the items you wish to display in them. There are different types of glass that can be used to make the shelf and they vary in strength.
The shelf can be made from annealed float glass. It is the cheapest and also the weakest. One has to be careful when using it because it easily breaks and if it happens to shatter it leaves large shards that might be dangerous. It can only support light weight objects. The tempered type is much stronger than the annealed type. It is made by heating and rapidly air cooling the glass which makes it twice as strong as the previous type. Then finally there is the fully tempered type which is made by undergoing more complex and strict heat treatment. It is the strongest type and is ideal for heavy weights. The thickness also determines the weight you can place on the shelf.
The shelves come in two categories: wall or floor mounted. The more popular wall mounted ones, are designed to display simple things such as pictures and vases though some stronger ones can also be used to hold a small flat screen TV. Their corners are usually rounded and mostly tempered glass is used. They can go up to three tiers.
The other category of is the floor mounted one. It is normally placed on the floor. With this type it is easier to have more tiers and can hold heavier things such as big TVs, books, and much more. Some are even made into wall units and have metallic or wooden frames which hold the whole structure in position.
As you can see there are many types and designs of glass shelves and floating glass shelves. Therefore before buying one you should consult the manufacturer so that you can know which one best suits your needs.
