Planning for a Bathroom Remodel: What You Need to Know

It’s a new year and you’re once again chomping at the bit to make some renovations to your home. In years past, you’ve focused on other rooms one by one, and in 2020, it’s time to give your bathroom some love.

Before you jump right into the project, you’re going to want to do your research. Here are some things to keep in mind as you proceed from the planning stages to the consultations, bills, and installation.

Budget Accordingly

No home renovation, no matter how big or small, can really get off the ground without a proper budget. It’s ideal if you spend several months, maybe longer, setting aside cash when possible so you’re financially prepared for the remodel. Remember that you’re not just paying for the price of the new bathroom addition, but installation and other fees as well.

You also want to have more money in your budget than just the entirety of the project costs. This way, if something goes wrong or an unexpected expense crops up, you won’t be caught off guard.

Start with One Fixture at a Time

You may have a complete bathroom overhaul on your to-do list, but this isn’t always necessary. What many of our CGD Glass Countertops customers have found is that by making one small but significant change to the bathroom, such as a new glass sink or vanity, that their bathroom looks brand new.

Take, for example, an issue with space. By switching out your large pedestal sink to one of our glass waterfall sinks, your sink now takes up much less room. This can open up your bathroom and make it feel bigger by only replacing a single fixture. Give it a try and see how you like your bathroom! You can always continue upgrading fixtures from there if you’d prefer.

Have a Clear-Cut Vision

If you are going for a more in-depth bathroom remodel, then you must have a strong vision and a thought-out plan for how you’d like to proceed. Documents like blueprints and even illustrations of what you want the finished product to look like can help our CGD team immensely. This is your bathroom, after all, so we want you to be happy with it.

Given the high degree of customization we offer all our customers, it’s even more important you’re clear on what you want. This is your chance to plan your bathroom the way you’ve always dreamed, so take some time and think carefully!

Ready to Get Started on Your New Bathroom Remodel? Contact Us at CGD Glass Countertops Today

If that new bathroom is calling your name, we’re here to answer the call. CGD Glass Countertops is a Canadian-based glass designer and manufacturer. We sell everything from countertops to bathroom fixtures, backsplashes, partitions, and more.

We’re happy to talk with you and discuss your project by phone or through email. If you’re ready to book the start of your bathroom remodel right away, you can do that as well. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

When Should You Plan Your Glass-Based Home Remodel? This Year or Next?

You’ve spent the past few months carefully reading the CGD Glass Countertops blog and absorbing all the information you can. Now you’re finally at the point where you’re realistically thinking about a home remodel.

Admittedly, you’ve taken your time to get here, and that’s more than okay. After all, when planning for any major home renovation, it’s going to take budgeting, research, and preparation on your part before work can begin.

There are a mere few weeks of the year (not to mention the decade) left. Should you plan your glass-based home remodel through CGD right away or wait until 2020 has officially arrived?

Here are a few questions to answer as you make up your mind.

Do You Have Room in Your Budget Around the Holidays?

Even if you started shopping for your gifts months ago, it seems impossible to avoid spending too much money during the holidays. Between parties, baking, gifts for someone you forgot about, cards, professional photos, and the like, you can feel financially burnt out. You’re far from alone in that.

Do you really want to add to the money strain by spending on a home remodel during the holiday season? If you have a pretty sizable budget for the home reno, then you might not mind so much. You can chip into that cash without touching your bank account.

For others who maybe don’t have quite as significant savings, there’s nothing wrong with waiting a few months. You can spend that time saving up money again and then finally put your project into action come the spring.

Do You Want Construction Potentially Limiting How Much of Your Home Is Available for the Holidays?

If you want an expansive home remodel, then you have to assume some rooms will be off-limits for a while. These can include the kitchen, the family room where you host Christmas morning, and the like. As we’re sure you can imagine, this can be a major deterrent to your holiday plans.

There are workarounds for this. You can always put off work in those more well-used rooms until after the holidays. If you want to start with the foyer, the den, or a spare bedroom, you can do those first. Then, in January, February, or later, you can have the CGD team tackle those major rooms like the living room or kitchen.

Ready to Plan Your Glass-Based Home Remodel? Call on CGD Glass Countertops

The points we mentioned in this blog post have given you some food for thought. Whether you still want to proceed with your remodel ASAP or you want to wait until after the post-holiday rush, our professional staff here at CGD Glass Countertops is ready to work with you.

When you want to begin your home reno, you can get in touch with us via the CGD website (www.cgdglasscountertops.com), an online contact forms, through email (info@cgdglass.com), or by phone at 416-398-9733. There’s never a wrong time for glass-based home renos. We look forward to working with you!

Christmas Decorating Tips for Your Glass Countertop

Christmastime is here again, and you’ve decked the halls with boughs of holly. Your kitchen could use a bit of holiday décor as well, but you’re not quite sure what to do with this space. There are still a few weeks until Christmas, so you’ve got plenty of time. Once you finish reading this post, we’re sure you’ll have the inspiration to whip up something beautiful.

Here are some of our top Christmas decorating tips and ideas for your glass countertop.

Garland Around the Countertop

If you’re not sure what to do with the glass countertop itself, wrapping some garland around it is one of the most classic ways to celebrate the holiday season. You can use your favorite garland in hues like rich red or deep forest green as well as metallics like festive gold or silver. Should you feel like decorating with pine garland, real or faux, you could wrap lights through it, find an outlet, and light the whole thing up. Your kitchen will glow with the holiday spirit.

Glass Jars Full of Ornaments

Have some Christmas ornaments lying around? It’s time to put them to good use! No, not on the tree, but rather, on your glass countertop. Take a few jars or glass containers of varying heights. Fill about a quarter of each container with fake snow (using colored sand, finely-ground foam, or even a faux snow product), and then put a few prized ornaments up to the top of the jar. Make sure you select ornaments of different colors for a more vivid effect.

Miniature Christmas Tree Centerpiece

No room is complete without a Christmas tree, even your kitchen. This holiday, make sure everyone knows where the central hub of the home is with your very own kitchen countertop Christmas tree. Now, this shouldn’t be huge; just a little tabletop tree will do.

You can buy a real tree or shop for a fake one, whichever you prefer. Do keep in mind that pine needles will shed off real trees, which can create a hygiene issue if you’re also using your glass kitchen countertop for food prep.

Feel free to decorate the tree, be that with a string of lights, ornaments, garland, and even a small star.

Ready to Change Your Kitchen for the Holidays? Call Us at CGD Glass Countertops Today!

Could your kitchen countertop use an upgrade? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Here at CGD Glass Countertops in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we specialize in countertops above all else. We give you, the customer, the freedom to customize your countertop your way. For instance, you can select the thickness of the glass, the shape, style, any texturing, whether the glass comes colored, and optional LED lights (white or multicolor).

A glass countertop makes for the perfect entertaining solution during the holidays. Glass cleans up quickly and easily, leaving no stains, stickiness, and germs behind. If you’re ready to begin discussing your glass kitchen countertop project, we’re all ears. Please call us at 416-398-9733 today.

4 Ways Glass Countertops and Other Kitchen Surfaces Make Thanksgiving Prep and Cleanup a Breeze

Can you believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner? You love cooking for close friends and family, but you have to admit the kitchen gets rather chaotic this time of year. Wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the mess and the stress this Thanksgiving? With a new set of countertops and other glass kitchen items from CGD Glass Countertops, you can.

Here are four ways having glass kitchen surfaces will make all your holiday cooking and cleanup so much easier.

1. Glass Backsplashes Safeguard Your Walls

Turkey juices, rogue corn kernels, and is that a squashed cranberry splattered on your beautiful kitchen wallpaper? You get so crazy when cooking for a big holiday like Thanksgiving that you hardly even pay attention to your kitchen walls until it’s too late. Set-in stains that have sat for hours rarely come out of your pretty wallpaper without a fight.

Take better care of your walls this holiday season with a glass backsplash from us at CGD Glass Countertops. You can size your backsplash to protect your entire wall or just part of it. You’re also not limited by the size, shape, design, and color of your backsplash. Hey, backsplashes don’t just have to be functional, but appealing, too!

2. A Glass Kitchen Island Gives You an Extra Food Prep Surface

It never seems like you have a big enough countertop on Thanksgiving. After all, you’ve got pots, pans, dishes, and bowls full of food to put on the dining room table. If you’re left to stacking things to make your holiday prep work, then you definitely need a glass kitchen island.

You’ll love having an extra surface to prepare meals on. Now you can ensure that you plate everything on time and don’t burn the biscuits in your frenzied haste.

3. Glass Cleans up Incredibly Easily

When dinner is done and people begin thinking about the pumpkin pie, you can easily clean your glass countertop to make room for dessert. All you need is a soft cloth, water, and some soap. Make sure you wipe in the same direction to avoid streakiness, just like with any other glass surface.

Within minutes, you’ll be done with the cleanup. How convenient, especially after the exhaustion of a long day of cooking.

4. Germs and Bacteria Can’t Linger

Another great benefit of glass kitchen surfaces is how efficiently they clean up. With woodgrain and even some metal, small divots and imperfections make for the perfect hiding spaces in which bacteria and germs can linger.

No one wants to end up sick for the holidays. With glass surfaces from CGD, you can ensure your kitchen is truly clean and germ-free.

Ready to Get Cookin’ This Holiday Season? Contact Us at CGD Glass Countertops Today

Whether you want to upgrade your old countertops to glass ones or get a kitchen island or backsplash installed, you’ve come to the right place. Here at CGD Glass Countertops, we can revitalize your kitchen, making it cleaner, better, and more attractive than ever. Why not give us a call today? Happy holidays!

Fall Decorating Tips for Your Glass Countertop

Halloween may have just passed us by, but with Thanksgiving still on the calendar ahead, fall hasn’t gone anywhere yet. You may want to toss out your jack-o’-lanterns, but there’s no need to prematurely put away the rest of your beautiful faux fall foliage.

Since you’ll have family and other guests gathering around the kitchen come Thanksgiving, you want to fill your countertop with seasonal cheer as well. Here are a few decorating ideas for a perfectly picturesque countertop.

Autumn Leaf Garland

You can either buy or make your autumn leaf garland. Long strands of fake leaves in every color look great affixed around your countertop. You can keep the whole thing attached using fishing string or even Command hooks. For a truly warm feeling, weave some string lights into the garland.

Gourds, Gourds, and More Gourds

As we said before, the jack-o’-lanterns may be gone, but your pumpkins can take up residency on your countertop for at least the rest of the month. Since you use your countertop for food prep, don’t go too big with your pumpkin sizes. To add some visual appeal, mix in gourds of different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Tip: If you’re worried about real gourds and pumpkins rotting, go for the fake kind instead.

Seasonal Spices

Allspice, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cloves: these are the scents of fall. Take a few mason jars or other decorative jars and fill each with the above spices. Then organize them on the counter. If you have jars of varying sizes, that will look even better.

The Smells of Home

Sure, the aromas of that baking pumpkin pie or slowly roasting turkey will have mouths watering. For those times you’re not cooking, though, a few scented candles will really invoke all the scent-sations of fall. Pick a few favorite aromas and light a candle whenever the mood strikes.

A Cornucopia

Thanksgiving is on the way, so you might as well decorate early. A real woven cornucopia in the center of your countertop is a quick and easy way to add instant appeal to your kitchen. Feel free to fill the cornucopia with fruits (real or fake) or small pumpkins and other gourds. You can even do a mix of both!

Looking for the Perfect Countertop for All Your Holiday Entertaining? Call us at CGD Glass Countertops Today

Is your countertop a little too small to accommodate all the holiday cooking on your calendar? Is it so old you wonder how it will survive another cooking season? If so, come to us at CGD Glass Countertops. We’re a Canadian glass manufacturer that specializes in countertops. It’s in our name, after all.

A glass countertop not only has a timeless appeal that will augment any kitchen, but it’s so easy to clean, too. With a soft cloth and some soap and water, you can wipe down the counter in a jiffy and get back to your holiday fun.

To learn more about our glass countertops or place an order, give us a call today at CGD Glass Countertops at 416-398-9733

5 Reasons Why LED Backlighting for Glass Tabletops Is a Great Idea

Do you like your current tables and wish you could protect them for years to come? It would be great if you could encase them in glass, although you know that’s not realistic. Well, what exactly is unrealistic about it?

Here at CGD Glass Countertops, our glass tabletops are one of our best-selling products. We size these glass surfaces to cover your preexisting table. From an office table to a living room end table, a kitchen table, or even a dining room table, we can make a glass tabletop for any of these and more.

Besides the glass tabletop itself, we also offer LED backlighting at CGD Glass Countertops. You can select from such options as cool white or color-changing LEDs that switch between green, blue, and red.

If you need some convincing, here are five phenomenal reasons to get LED backlighting for your new glass tabletop.

1. Dresses up a Tabletop Without the Need for a New One

Tables are expensive, especially bigger ones like dining room tables. Once you have the glass tabletop installed over your preexisting table, it will feel like a new piece of furniture. Adding even further to that is our LED backlighting. That new table feel without the hefty price tag of a new table? That sounds pretty great to us!

2. Adds Beauty to Any Room

LED lights are all the rage because they’re beautiful and energy efficient. If your home office, dining room, living room, or kitchen could use some more appeal, we recommend you get our LED backlighting installed with your glass tabletop. Suddenly that room will become the most popular in your home!

3. Makes It Easy to See Smudges and Stains

It may drive you batty to have to leave stains and other messes behind on your tabletop, but you can’t see them all to clean them. Well, that is, before you got a glass tabletop installed. Now, with CGD’s LED backlighting, it’s easier than ever to detect stains, fingerprints, and smudges on every last square inch of the tabletop. You can quickly and easily wipe these away with a soft cloth, keeping your eating surfaces cleaner.

4. Provides Extra Illumination for Safety

Ever get thirsty in the middle of the night and need a glass of water? Perhaps you’re one of those midnight snack types. Either way, as you wander from room to room in your home in the middle of the night, you won’t be left walking completely in the dark. The vivid illumination of our LED lights will guide the way with their soft yet vibrant glow.

5. Shows Off Those Glass Textures

Another unique service we offer our clients here at CGD Glass Countertops is glass texturing. This is an especially awesome option with our tabletops, as it creates another dimension to your beloved table. If you spent the time picking out a fantastic texture (and we have many to choose from), you want to ensure you can see it, right? With our LED lighting, you’ll have no problem with that at all.

It’s Fall, So It’s the Perfect Time for Glass Panels

Goodbye sunlight, you say sadly as another summer comes to a close. It’s not just you, right? The days have already gotten ridiculously short, even if the temperatures are still in summer mode. It feels like you’re scrambling to enjoy daylight already, and that’s quite difficult considering you work all day. You see the sun is up when you awaken, then it’s pretty much disappearing into the sky by the time you leave.

It’s important to get some exposure to sunlight, as it’s the best source of vitamin D we’ve got. Sure, you can take supplements, but it’s much easier and more pleasant to spend 10 minutes in the sun instead. Sunlight and vitamin D may increase our lifespan, some researchers believe. The brightness of the light also triggers our brains to make more serotonin, increasing our mood and even our focus.

If you feel like you’re lacking sunlight in your life, then now is the perfect time to consider glass panels from us at CGD Glass Countertops. After all, it’s already autumn, the days will only get shorter from here. This year into next, you’ll be ready for the stretch of colder weather and darker days with our glass panels.

At CGD Glass Countertops, we’re a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based glass manufacturer. What makes us stand out from the competition is that we allow our clients to customize their glass accent pieces and other home décor. From countertops to glass panels, partitions, and everything in between, we put the design power in your hands.

For instance, let’s talk about our glass panels for a bit. These can be as large or small as you want. You can also choose which shapes, styles, colors, and designs you prefer. You can get the panels installed in such a way to let in more natural light to a room, increasing your mood. You’ll love spending time in a space like this.

Our glass panels also open up any room in which you get them installed, making the space look bigger and airier. If you’re a business owner, you can even get your glass panels from CGD emblazoned with your company logo. As you can see then, there’re endless possibilities for you to explore when you work with our team here at CGD.

If you’re ready to get started today, then we recommend you measure the room you want the glass panels. If you have blueprints or drawings to share, make sure you pass those along, too. Our team will then provide a quote for the work. If you’re happy with it, then we’ll proceed with the project.

Whether you want to beautify your home or your office with glass panels from CGD Glass Countertops, we’re more than happy to help. You can reach out to us today at our website at www.cgdglasscountertops.com, our online contact form on our site, through our email at info@cgdglass.com, or by phone at 416-398-9733. We’re looking forward to working with you!

Sources:

https://www.consumerreports.org/health-wellness/sun-exposure-health-benefits/

All about Our Glass Sinks Here at CGD Glass Countertops

As we always say, here at CGD Glass Countertops, we’re about far more than just countertops. We also specialize in an assortment of glass products, among them glass panels, sinks, backsplashes, decorative glass doors, and partitions. We also give our customers the freedom to custom design their glass product so it looks exactly as they had envisioned.

Today, we want to talk about our glass sinks, as they’re one of our standout products. Once you see what we have on tap (pun intended), we think you’ll certainly agree.

The Types of Sinks You Can Choose from at CGD

We at CGD Glass Countertops know that when it comes to sinks, people have tastes as different as they come. That’s why we offer a variety of sinks for all customer tastes and budgets. Let’s talk about these types more now.

• Vanities with sinks: Remodel your whole bathroom in one fell swoop by getting a vanity with a sink installed by our CGD staff. This gorgeous, single piece of glass creates a seamless look that can revitalize any old bathroom.
• Pedestal sinks: As the name suggests, a pedestal sink stands tall in a bathroom. Recommended for bigger spaces, pedestal sinks are a true statement maker that will capture attention.
• Wall–mounted sinks: If you don’t have the large bathroom of your dreams, that’s okay. A wall-mounted sink frees up most of your wall and all of your floor, making your bathroom look even bigger than it truly is.
• Basin sinks: A basin sink is a deep vessel that sits right on your countertop rather than being installed into it. It adds a unique touch to any bathroom.

Glass Texturing

Besides just picking from the types of glass bathroom sinks you’re interested in, our staff at CGD Glass Countertop also let you texture the glass. Our beautiful textures come in all styles and designs. Whether you favor a simple, sparse texture or something ornate and much more complicated, we certainly have the right glass texture for you.

Glass Coloring or Backpainting

If you want a plain white sink, that’s your prerogative, of course. For those who gravitate towards the colorful, we offer colored glass through backpainting. Our staff will painstakingly color your glass the exact hues you want. This doesn’t have to be a single shade either, but a combination of colors.

Some of these include white, amber, gray, green, dark blue, gold, bronze, brown, copper, and antique.

Ready to Order Your Custom Glass Sink Today? Call Us at CGD Glass Countertops

We hope we intrigued you by explaining the wonders of our glass sinks here at CGD Glass Countertops. Our staff is proud to give you a quote right through our website if you’re ready to get started. All you have to do is reach out. To get your quote or just to learn more about our many products here at CGD Glass Countertops, visit our website at www.cgdglasscountertops.com or call 416-398-9733. We look forward to hearing from you!

Which Textures Might You Choose for Your Residential Glass Panels?

With summertime just about behind us, you may have finally come inside from months spent lounging out by the pool, going to the beach, the amusement park, barbecues, parties, and the like. You now have the time to assess your house as the days become ever so shorter and the temperatures begin to cool.

If you’re not totally happy with the state of your home, why not call us at CGD Glass Countertops? We’re a Canadian-based custom glass company. While our customers do love our countertops, we have a whole portfolio of products we can offer for your next home remodeling project. These include decorative glass doors, glass partitions, sinks, backsplashes, glass tabletops and bar tops, glass kitchen islands, and glass panels.

Our glass panels can spruce up any room, from a home office (commercial offices, too) to living rooms, entryways, entertainment rooms, dining rooms, and everything in between. Whether you get these panels installed in the wall or even the ceiling, we leave all the design choices up to you here at CGD Glass Countertops.

Yes, that’s right, the freedom of choice is entirely yours when you work with our team. We let you choose exactly where you want your panels, the size of these, the shape, and the color and design. What do we mean by design?

Well, we at CGD Glass Countertops have an array of textures for many of our glass products, our panels included. Curious what these look like? Here’s an overview for your perusal:

• Folded: Our Folded texture has delicate folds like that you’d find on clothing. The rest of this semi-opaque texture is smooth and seamless. Your glass panels would have an understated but classy look.
• Scrolls: The Scrolls texture includes pits and divots, sort of like you see in eroded concrete or asphalt. Should you choose a colored glass panel, a texture like Scrolls would really showcase the intricacies of the glass.
• Avalanche: Next, we’ve got the Avalanche texture. This looks like ice melting in the springtime. There are deep cracks and lines in this texture as well as subtler, surface-level ones.
• Desert: The dryness of the desert is accurately reflected in our Desert texture. This CBD favorite has deeper cracks than what you see in the Avalanche texture, as well as more plentiful ones.
• Galaxy: Our peaceful Galaxy texture has become a bestseller for a reason. The raised, bumpy texture resembles a sky full of beautiful stars or a glimpse into space from a photograph. It’s insanely detailed and utterly lovely.
• Stream: Like a body of water moving swiftly past in the wintertime, the Stream texture resembles ice-covered currents. Chunky and wavy, this texture looks great with color or left as is.
• Sandstorm: We offer the Sandstorm texture with both our Ultra Clear and Semi Frost glass. The gentle curls of this texture resemble a sandy wind gusting lazily past. You’d certainly make an impact with a glass panel in this texture.
• Melting Ice: You can also get our Melting Ice texture in either Semi Frost or original. As the name tells you, this pretty glass texture looks just like the first hints of springtime as ice becomes slushy and dissipates.

If any of these glass textures call out to you, then reach out to us at CGD Glass Countertops today!

Do You Need a Backsplash for Your Kitchen?

Kitchens are supposed to be messy, right? At least, that’s what you tell yourself each time you venture into your own kitchen, see how disorderly it’s become, and try to get on with your day. It seems like whenever you have a few spare hours to devote to cleaning up, in a day or two, it’s a mess again anyway. Sometimes cleaning the kitchen just seems hopeless.

You’ve heard that kitchen backsplashes can contain some messes, but how well do they do this? Do you yourself need a backsplash for your kitchen? If you meet the following criteria, then the answer is yes.

You Cook a Lot

If you cook just about every night for your family, then you’re quite a suitable candidate for a backsplash. We all know some dishes are more intensive than others. Sometimes you can work yourself into a frenzy in the kitchen and not realize what a mess you left behind until you’re done. It sounds like a backsplash would really help you.

You Have Family Members Who Splash and Slosh Foods in the Kitchen

Perhaps you’re not the one spending as much time in the kitchen, but instead, it’s the other members of your family. They’re not exactly neat, either. You always come into the kitchen to be greeted by new stains, stickiness, and messes that weren’t there before. A backsplash could definitely keep the messes contained, something like it sounds you need.

You Have Nice Wallpapering

You spent a lot of money a year or so ago to get fresh wallpapering installed in the kitchen. It’s a gorgeous design that puts you at ease, but you’re always worried about it getting wet or stained. With a backsplash, your walls stay safeguarded, protecting that delicate paper.

Okay, so you’ve determined you’re a good fit for a backsplash. Where can you even get one?

Good question! Here at CGD Glass Countertops, we specialize in all sorts of residential glass projects and applications. These include backsplashes. Our backsplashes, as our name implies, are made entirely of glass. This benefits you, the homeowner, since you can clean glass remarkably fast. You just take a cloth, wipe in one direction, and your backsplash looks and feels pristine again. Even better, bacteria can’t linger in small crevices and corners like it could with wood or other materials.

Our CGD Glass Countertops team lets you customize your glass backsplash all the way through, just as we do for all our glass items. You get to select the size and shape. Do you want any special designs or colors? No problem, as we can add those, too. There’s truly no limit to what we can do, and we’re always happy to work with you to ensure you have a home addition you love.

To get started on your backsplash project today with us at CGD Glass Countertops, you can get in touch with us in three ways. You can fill out a contact form on our website, send us an email at info@cgdglass.com, or give us a call at 416-398-9733.