How to paint and mount a glass backsplash in my kitchen?

Hello fellow forumites--

I'm just in the process of kicking off a kitchen renovation, and would love some worldy advice about how to paint (or backpaint, as it were) and mount a solid glass backsplash.

In a few pictures I've seen of glass backsplashes, it appears that some people have attached the glass using two long horizontal strips of stainless steel, one on top edge and one on the bottom edge, each folded once to form a sort of lip / sleeve that the glass slots into. It seems like this would be a cleaner method because there's less glue involved, but I wouldn't know for certain. (Take a look at the attached picture for an example.)

As for the glass itself, what is the best way to paint the glass? A previous message on this topic methods 2pac polyurethane finish. Are there any tricks to applying this? Once dry, is there much show-through when its mounted?

My kitchen cabinets and counters are white or stainless steel, so I'd like to use the painted glass to add a bit of color punch to the kitchen.

Thanks for reading-- I appreciate any responses. I'm new to this, so no bit of advice is too small!

I am not sure about the painting process. You can purchase spandrel glass which is essentially pre-painted opaque glass from most glass stores that would probably give you a better finish and may not cost much more than glass you would have to paint yourself.

Most of the time, the stainless steel edge is just for a finished look and the glass is applied with a silicone sealant/glue directly to the wall surface.

Hope this helps.

you'll have to use some kind of adhesive. Construction adhesive from HD works for me. Have an automotive painter just paint your glass. They'll airbrush it, and they'll also have a lot more color choices and effects to choose. I've seen backpainted glass with the color change chameleon effect, which is interesting, if a bit showy.

What will you do for power outlets and/or switches?

Glass fabricators can cut holes for outlets and switches.

See www.crlawrence.com for the aluminum channel material and any glass-related hardware.

Just my $.02-
If you paint the glass and then put adhesive on the paint- you might disturb the paint (I don't know about automotive paint- but do know with latex).
When we do this sort of thing we get glass frosted on one side and cut to a very close tolerance on the space- when we paint the frosted backside it holds the paint better and then we use clear silicone at the top and bottom to secure the glass. This has proved VERY secure- but on top of that if you have switchplates you can have the holes cut smaller than the plates (obvious I know) so that the plates helps hold the piece in place.

why not have pre-drilled holes and use exposed screws with washers?

otherwise, mount it just as glass tile is mounted - with mastic or thin set.

I am a glass artist and I paint glass.  If you want to make your own colored glass back splash, counter top or anything that requires back painted glass. You need to buy this paint from http://www.glassprimer.com this stuff is the best i have ever seen and used. It is permanent and cheap! If you sandblast glass then paint it, it will hold for a little but will never be permanent, and doesnt look anywhere as good since the frosting kills the stunning color. ..  You see, glass is in-organic and hydrofolic, meaning it likes air moisture. This attraction to air moisture undercuts any and all things coated on the glass, even if its sandblasted. Glassprimer actually turns glass into hdrofobic , or "water hating" making glass not attract moisture anymore. This stuff is your answer... here is a table top I carved and painted. I now offer this paint to my clients.

Chris

oh and this paint will never come off, if you glued a 1000 pound piece of back painted glass that was painted with http://www.glassprimer.com to your ceiling, the paint would never pull off the glass. The paint bond seems stronger than the glass! This technology is not yet out in the USA...

Previously Faraji Whalen wrote:

you'll have to use some kind of adhesive. Construction adhesive from HD works for me. Have an automotive painter just paint your glass. They'll airbrush it, and they'll also have a lot more color choices and effects to choose. I've seen backpainted glass with the color change chameleon effect, which is interesting, if a bit showy.

you cant just paint it with auto paint, you need to first activate the glass, or the edges will start peeling and flaking over time, trust me ive done it for 10 years. http://www.glassprimer.com is the way to go. Its cheaper than auto paint as well...

Previously chrissommer wrote:

oh and this paint will never come off, if you glued a 1000 pound piece of back painted glass that was painted with http://www.glassprimer.com to your ceiling, the paint would never pull off the glass. The paint bond seems stronger than the glass! This technology is not yet out in the USA...

But http://www.glassprimer.com is the only company in the USA offering this scientifically engineered glass paint

http://www.glassprimer.com

If anyone needs any info on painting glass you can visit http://www.backpaintedglass.com  or you can visit http://www.glassbackpaint.com or feel free to call me 888-619-2226

Thanks again

Glass back paint 888-619-2226

If anyone has any questions on back painted glass I can also be reached at 888-619-2226  I know just about everything that there is to know about it.

Hope I can be of help

Chris Sommer

http://www.glassprimer.com

What about a transparent film? Here's one from a Google search

http://www.decorativefilm.com/ecart/categories.asp?cID=18

Previously Jonathan Oltmann wrote:

The glass paint mentioned above seems great, but is really expensive. I only have about 5sqft of glass to cover and don't need the quantities sold on the website. Anyone have other suggestions when doing a very limited quantity of glass?

you can use glassprimer™ glass surface molecular activator to make any urethane based 2 part auto paint bond permanently just like the Glassprimer™ paint. You can buy auto paint in small qty for like $25.00.

chris, are u actually selling the product your self? if yes, here is suggestion. if you want more people to buy it, go smaller quantities. i guarantee you you will have more customers. 1/10 of the quantity will suffice for most of diy people. also 1/10 of he price sounds quite affordable.

we do have an option for a samller qty of paint with http://www.glassprimer.com

from the site:

*Glassprimer™ glass surface molecular activator is sold in 1 quart (.946L) 1 quart activates over 265sq feet (24 m2) of glass to bond most urethane coatings and adhesives with permanent adhesion properties. (Do not use this product with Glassprimer™ paint)

$175/quart.

glassPRIMER is not paint

Glassprimer™ paint is sold only in 1 gallon form http://www.glassprimer.com but you can also buy "molecular activator" that will prepare the glass surface to be painted with a 2 part urethane auto paint with great bonding results.

Here are helpful tips from http://www.glassprimer.com 

Back painting glass is a very simple task with the right paint.

How do I clean GlassPrimer™ paint overspray on backpainted glass?
To clean off any paint overspray on the front of the back-painted glass or on the edges of the back painted glass, use light steel wool to remove overspray from edges of the glass and use lacquer thinner and a cloth to clean off overspray on the front of the back-painted glass. For really thick overspray, use single edge razor blades to help remove the thick overspray followed by the methods suggested above.

How do I remove imperfections in Glassprimer™ backpainted glass?
Sometimes glass is not completely cleaned and dirt/marks are still on the surface of the glass that you just painted. To fix this problem, wait until the paint is fully dry, use 120 grit sand paper and hand sand the paint off of the glass in the areas where the dirt/marks are located. It is ok if you obscure the glass surface with the sand paper. Once the paint and dirt/marks are sanded away, mix up a small amount of Glass Primer Paint and touch up the areas with your finger or a paint brush. The color tone might seem slightly off at first but you will notice a perfect blend once the small touch-ups dry.

How do I totally remove Glassprimer™ paint from glass?
To remove or "strip" glassprimer paint from glass, lay the backpainted glass on a flat table or garbage can, cover the painted side with conventional paint stripper and let sit for 15 minutes, once paint becomes loose, spray the paint off with water (hose) and repeat if necessary. Once most of the paint is removed you must finish the paint removal with a single edge razor blade.

How do I clean Glassprimer™ paint from my paint gun?
We recommend lacquer thinner and a cloth to clean out your paint gun after each use. Spray lacquer thinner through paint gun for 30 seconds. Sometimes it is good to disassemble the paint gun and clean all of the internal parts with lacquer thinner as well.

How do I install GlassPrimer™ backpainted glass?
The industry standard for installing back-painted glass is to use clear silicone glue and double sided glazers tape. The double sided tape serves as a temporary hold until the clear silicone glue dries. Mirror Mastic and Liquid Nails can also be used to install back-painted glass.

I made our own backsplash out of glass that I painted with the glass backsplash paint from http://www.glassprimer.com
it turned out great and was easy and cheap in the end, I can say at our
size it came to about $5.00 per sq foot once all done. It has been up
for about 3 years now, we are now making a cool water wall and might be
painting it as well. We installed it with silicone glue and was surprisingly simple. I never knew how easy glass was to install, I always thought it needed fasteners and screws but it doesnt!!