Can I order tempered glass cut to my exact measurements?

Yes, but the cutting happens before tempering. The glass is cut, edged and drilled to your measurements first, then heat-treated. After that it can't be trimmed, so a piece that comes out too big has to be remade. That's why measurements for tempered pieces are checked twice, and why a pro often measures on site.

What happens when tempered glass breaks, compared with laminated?

Tempered glass shatters all at once into small, blunt pieces that fall away. Laminated glass cracks but stays in place, held by the plastic layer between its two sheets. Tempered suits tabletops, shelves and shower doors; laminated is for places where the glass must stay put, such as some railings, overhead glass or security panes.

Can a glass tabletop be made for a round or irregular table?

Yes. For a circle, the diameter is usually enough. For an oval, a curved edge or a table with cut corners, trace the top onto stiff paper and share a photo of the template with a ruler beside it, or have the pro make the template. The glass is usually tempered, with a pencil or flat polished edge.

Can curved glass be repaired or replaced?

Curved glass can't be repaired, but it can be replaced. It's bent to shape from a mould or template, so it's made to order and takes longer than flat glass. It turns up in older china cabinets, curved-front displays and some windows. A photo, the height and a tracing of the curve help a pro find someone who makes it.

My heritage sash is being repaired. Can its old glass go back in?

Usually, yes, and Markham Village's guidelines ask for exactly that. A careful pro removes the old panes before the sash is repaired, stores them and resets them afterward, replacing only cracked ones. Tell the pro up front that you want the original glass kept. Permits for heritage window work are explained in our heritage district guide.

Cut to size · Markham

Custom-cut glass for furniture, cabinets and odd-size panes

A tabletop, a set of shelves, a replacement insert for a china cabinet, or one odd-size pane for a storm window: each needs glass cut to your measurements and the right type of glass for how it will be used. Getting the type right matters more than people expect, because some glass can't be altered once it's made. We connect you with a local glass professional who cuts and finishes custom pieces, and who can tell you which glass the job calls for.

Tabletops, shelves and cabinet inserts
The right glass type for the use
Edges, holes and notches done before tempering

Get a free quote 905-201-8120

Annealed, tempered and laminated glass look alike face-on. The edges tell them apart.

Common requests

What people get cut to size

Tabletops and desk tops

A top to protect a wood dining table, or the whole surface over a metal or stone base. Round, oval and irregular shapes are cut from a template.

Shelves and cabinet inserts

Display shelves, bathroom shelves and the glass in cabinet or hutch doors, clear, frosted or patterned.

Odd-size panes

A single pane for a storm window, an older wood sash or a picture frame, cut to match the opening.

Two drawings of a glass-fronted wine room: on the left, glass panels enclosing wine racks; on the right, the same room with a cooling unit mounted on the side wall — Illustration. A glass wine display is panels around racks. A cooled wine room also needs insulated glass and tight door seals, so the glass pro works with whoever specifies the cooling.

Choosing glass

Tempered, laminated or standard: which glass for which job

Standard glass, which pros call annealed, is the untreated kind. A cutter can score and snap it at any time, but when it breaks the pieces are long and sharp, so it suits framed pieces that won't take a knock: picture frames, cabinet inserts held in a frame, some shelves.

Tempered glass is cut and finished first, then heated and rapidly cooled. The result is much stronger and crumbles into small, blunt pieces if it fails. Once tempered, though, it can't be cut, drilled or trimmed, so every hole and edge comes before the oven. It's the usual choice for tabletops, heavier shelves and shower glass.

Laminated glass is two layers bonded to a plastic film. If it cracks, the pieces stay stuck to the film, which is why it's used where glass must stay in place. Ontario's code requires laminated or tempered safety glass in glass railings and guards.

Getting the size right

Measuring and templates

Glass is cut to what you give the pro, so a careful measurement saves a remake.

Rectangles
Take the width and height at several points; the smallest reading is the one that counts. For glass that sits in a frame, measure the opening and let the pro allow the clearance.
Shapes and curves
Trace the table or opening onto stiff paper, mark which side faces up, and send a photo of the template with a ruler beside it.
When to let the pro measure
For tempered pieces, anything with holes, or openings that aren't square, it's worth having the pro measure on site.

Finishing

Edges, holes and notches

The edge finish depends on whether the edge will be seen or touched.

Flat polished

A square, glossy edge for shelves and tabletops where the edge shows.

Pencil or rounded

A soft, rounded edge that's kinder to hands and hips on a table or desk.

Seamed

Sharp edges knocked down for glass that disappears into a frame or cabinet door.

Holes and notches

Cut-outs for hinges, cables or brackets, marked on the template and cut before any tempering.

Heritage glass

Old glass in heritage windows: reuse before replace

In Markham's heritage districts, older glass is part of what's protected. The Markham Village district guidelines ask owners to reuse original glass whenever possible, and they explain that crown glass, the common window glass of the 19th century, could only be made in small panes. Modern flat glass doesn't reproduce that slight waviness.

So when a sash in Markham Village or another district needs work, the old panes can often be removed, kept and reset, and only broken ones replaced. See wood window repair for the sash itself, and read the heritage district guide before any exterior work.

What affects the quote

What shapes the price of custom glass

Each custom piece is quoted on its own details:

Dimensions and how thick the glass must be
Glass type: annealed, tempered or laminated
Finish, such as low-iron, tinted, frosted or patterned
Shape, edge finish, holes and notches
Pickup, delivery or installation

Send the measurements, the use, and a photo or template for a first answer.

Request a custom glass quote

Free to request, with no obligation.

Questions

Custom glass questions

Explore your options

Local pros cut custom glass for homes across the city, including the heritage districts of Markham Village, Unionville, Thornhill and Buttonville.

Send your measurements

Tell us the dimensions (or share a template photo), what the glass will do and which edge you prefer. We pass it to a local pro who cuts custom glass, and they get back to you with a quote.