Glass on wood question.

[iublue]

I was told by a guy that refinishes furniture that glass should never be directly on the wood. Spacers should always be used. Is this a hard and fast rule? Does it matter what type of finish is on the piece? If spacers are necessary, what type should be used?

[jteneyck]

Furniture has been built with glass in the doors since glass sheet became available several hundred years ago with no spacers between the glass and wood and they seem to have survived OK. What was his logic?

John

[iublue]

jteneyck said:

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Furniture has been built with glass in the doors since glass sheet became available several hundred years ago with no spacers between the glass and wood and they seem to have survived OK. What was his logic?

John

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Maybe I should have been more descriptive. Wood on top of glass like putting a 1/4" piece of glass on a desk.

[jteneyck]

iublue said:

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[blockquote]jteneyck said:

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Furniture has been built with glass in the doors since glass sheet became available several hundred years ago with no spacers between the glass and wood and they seem to have survived OK. What was his logic?

John

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Maybe I should have been more descriptive. Wood on top of glass like putting a 1/4" piece of glass on a desk.

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[/blockquote]

Yes, that's different. I would think he was concerned the glass would damage the finish if it was placed directly on the wood and some dirt was in between, as was mentioned. I doubt he was worried about warpage of the wood because even with spacers there wouldn't be enough gap for moisture to flow into/out of the wood as easily as it could on the bottom. Sticking to the finish? Maybe, but it's likely to be an even greater problem with the total mass of the glass concentrated on those little spacers.

John

[clockman]

Interesting, I wonder if the logic is the glass will slide around if on a shiny wood surface? Certainly you can get some rubber bumpers/spacers that might grip the glass and cause less sliding, but glass is very heavy as it is so it would probably stay in place.

[Pink Floyd]

iublue said:

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I was told by a guy that refinishes furniture that glass should never be directly on the wood. Spacers should always be used. Is this a hard and fast rule? Does it matter what type of finish is on the piece? If spacers are necessary, what type should be used?

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It's unfortunate that you didn't ask the refinisher the questions you are asking here. It would be interesting to hear his reasoning.

Other than the sliding issue which would also eventually wear the finish, I can't think of a reason why glass could not be placed directly on the wood.

I have a bunch of little stick-on pads that I use occassionally on lid bottoms and even glass to cushion them. I think I got them at Home Depot.

[iublue]

Pink Floyd said:

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[blockquote]iublue said:

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I was told by a guy that refinishes furniture that glass should never be directly on the wood. Spacers should always be used. Is this a hard and fast rule? Does it matter what type of finish is on the piece? If spacers are necessary, what type should be used?

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It's unfortunate that you didn't ask the refinisher the questions you are asking here. It would be interesting to hear his reasoning.

Other than the sliding issue which would also eventually wear the finish, I can't think of a reason why glass could not be placed directly on the wood.

I have a bunch of little stick-on pads that I use occassionally on lid bottoms and even glass to cushion them. I think I got them at Home Depot.

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[/blockquote]

I believe the glass moving and wearing the finish was his reasoning.

[cputnam]

Maybe the thought was that the glass would act just as a bench top warps panels when they are laid flat on the bench.

[MichaelMouse]

Outgassing under the glass? Heat sticking the glass to the finish?

[Bill Holt]

True statement; a sheet of glass should not have long term contact with finished wood.

I have seen glass left on finished surfaces and after a period of time it "appears" the finish has bonded to the glass. I don't know if it actually has, but, the finish and or wood need to breath. Most places that sell glass also sell the clear plastic disk spacers (about the size of a nickel).

The rule may not date back to the Egyptians, but I will not try to prove it wrong.