Pantry doors with glass: What type of frosted glass is best for providing darkness to the pantry?
The kitchen is truly the heart of the home! More time is spent in the kitchen and dining room of a home than in any other area. It’s the family gathering place where we don’t just share a meal, but hang out and share our lives! Kitchen remodels are among the most popular types of remodeling. With the advancement of high-tech appliances, stunning countertops, innovative faucets, lighting, and custom cabinetry, today’s modern kitchen has reached a whole new level of personalization!
A very vital part of the kitchen is the pantry. Today’s newly designed kitchens often feature a nice pantry, or at least a full pantry for easy access and a good amount of storage space. Everyone knows it, the pantry is essential! When we walk into a kitchen, for example, when we buy a house, for example, or have ideas for a remodel, when we see a nice big kitchen pantry, we want it! Having enough space to keep things close at hand and neatly organized is a big part of having an efficient kitchen that we love to cook in!
But we don’t just want efficiency. We want pretty! And the pantry door is what our guests see! And we don’t just want pretty, we want UNIQUE! We want the pantry to complement and coordinate perfectly with our individual décor. There’s no better way to add a custom feel to a pantry door than to have custom frosted glass. The glass creates an “open feeling” and a contrasting surface to complement the others we see: granite or other counter surface, wood, perhaps stainless steel, all complement the glass. So we know that glass is the best option for an open and varied surface, BUT… we don’t want to be able to see INSIDE the pantry! Even with a well-kept pantry, we don’t want to see the cans or the boxes and all the other goodies inside!
Solution? Etched glass, or also what is known as frosted glass.
They both mean the same thing, but did you know that there are several TYPES of engraving that actually create various textures and effects?
There’s sandblasted glass etching, acid etching, cream etching, ceramic frit, and of course there are vinyl decals too. All of these methods will provide a flat, white frosted surface. The biggest difference comes with the SANDBLAST method, and that’s because sandblasting glass allows the artist to penetrate deeper into the glass, as the sand is sprayed through a hose with varied air pressure. Unlike the other methods and materials that only allow for “surface etching”, sand acts as a carving tool, with the ability to create depth and shading, which are areas in the glass that fade into clear glass, creating a two-dimensional image. effect on design. The sandblasting nozzle is actually used as an artist brush and sculptors carving tool, just like you would think of carving clay with a metal tool. The sand actually melts the glass. When you run your fingers across the sandblasted surface, compared to acid etching or cream etching, you will not only be able to create ridges and line edges, or bumps and bumps, if the glass was 3D carved, but you’ll also notice a subtle difference in the actual surface of the glass. It will be a bit more porous and a brighter white than acid etched, for comparison.
Acid etching actually creates more “shine” on the etched finish. It cannot be “shaded” and the finish is not as bright white.
Cream etching is a technique most often used by hobbyists for smaller items like wine glasses or other kitchen utensils. By creating a slightly whiter finish than acid etching, it also etches only the surface.
A ceramic frit is a glaze that is applied to glass with a large roller for full coverage applications or through a screen for screen printing applications. The design is made by placing a screen on a piece of glass and then pressing the ceramic frit, by means of a large squeegee, through the pores of the screen. After the frit is applied, the glass goes through an infrared oven to dry the frit, and then goes through a tempering oven to burn (bond) the frit to the glass permanently. This method also creates a solid white finish.
As for maintenance, each method is quite durable. They can all be cleaned with a soft cloth, using a typical glass cleaner. With acid or cream etching, you have to be a little more careful not to rub too hard while cleaning, but that’s rarely necessary.
The sandblasted surface is probably the most scratch resistant. Being slightly porous, it MAY soak up oils a bit deeper, but the oil can be removed with acetone. Using a soft white cloth, apply acetone to the cloth and rub. The surface is actually very hard…obviously permanent, and as long as you use a soft cloth, you can rub off any oil. To finish, follow by spraying the entire area with glass cleaner and wipe clean. The only time the use of acetone really becomes necessary is if you have a little fingers of butter or some other oil on someone’s hands, touching or rubbing the glass. Otherwise, sandblasted glass shows no dust and rarely needs cleaning.
Now for the GLASS THICKNESS: Most interior glass doors come with pre-installed 1/8″ thick tempered glass. If glass inserts are ordered separately, 1/8″ or 1 may be sold /4″. Both are tempered, they are essentially equally strong. Tempered glass is very difficult to break. The only really vulnerable places are the edges, which of course are already in the door frame. If the glass is ordered separately , just be careful around the edges, don’t bang against a counter or other hard object, where scratches on the door glass are not usually a problem.Unlike a glass table or counter where objects slide off the surface, door glass is usually only touched by hands and fingers.
Now to the FUN PART! The frosted glass design! The best option to achieve the privacy you want, with a design at the LOWEST PRICE, is what is called SOLID NEGATIVE FROST or ETCH. Engraved in negative, the design elements are GLASS CLEAR and the BACKGROUND is FROSTED for darkness. Line widths (for a border or design, for example) should be no more than 1/8″ thick, although 1/4″ is still adequate and will not allow true visibility unless the light is ON and one person stands up. right on the glass, looking inside!
With sandblasted glass, there is also the option of a 2D and 3D Carved effect. These effects give the glass a truly handcrafted and higher quality look. Also known as “stage sandblasting,” the design will take on a completely different look in one of these techniques.
When it comes to shopping for a frosted glass pantry door, these effects cover most of what’s available. Adding one to your kitchen will really create something fun and unique that you will be proud of when you put it on display AND enjoy every time you go to your pantry!
