Mirrored Closet Doors

When we moved into our new house, our teenage daughter finally got her wish: her own room, complete with a walk-in closet for her sizeable wardrobe. There was just one problem. The previous owners had removed and discarded the doors, as they had been using the large closet as a nursery. We looked into sliding mirror closet doors, but when a friend was giving away a perfectly-sized set of doors, we decided that the best solution would be to fit those with custom cut mirrors.

We consulted with a glass and mirror expert, who told us that he could custom cut the mirror, but that we would have to get the door panels sanded down. Luckily my husband was able to take care of that himself, as well as repaint the doors and handle the installation once the mirror glass was ready. Within a few days and for just the cost of the mirror, my daughter’s closet now had almost-new doors. With the addition of the mirrors, the medium-sized room seemed bigger and more open, which I knew would be an asset when we eventually decided to sell the house. Yet it wasn’t the appearance of the room that my daughter was interested in.

As I said before, my daughter was absolutely crazy about clothes. She used to spend hours combing through her wardrobe and combining different pieces to create the ideal look. My little fashionista couldn’t have been happier with her new custom cut mirror closet doors, which allowed her to see her outfits from every angle and make sure her makeup was applied perfectly. Her father and I liked to encourage our children’s interests, but we were concerned that she was dedicated to fashion instead of an academic pursuit. All that time staring in the mirror eventually paid off: my daughter is now a successful buyer for one of the largest department stores in the nation!

The Crack in My Kitchen Window

One morning, I woke up and went into the kitchen to make my coffee as usual. While washing some dishes, I noticed that there was a small crack in my kitchen window. I leaned in closer to investigate it. The crack was only about 3 inches long, and I supposed that it had been caused by the neighborhood kids who liked to play baseball on our quiet street in the evenings. I thought it was no big deal and that I could call up a glass replacement  specialist later. I went on my way to work.

Around lunchtime, I stepped out of the office for an appointment with a client and but stopped by the house first to feed my dog. To my surprise, the crack had grown to about 5 inches. I started to get worried, but I couldn’t address the problem at that moment, because I would have been missed my important meeting. But when the meeting was over, I phoned a local glass repair shop to check out the ever-growing crack.

The expert who came to my house told me that it was a good thing I had contacted them at that point. Had the crack gotten any larger, the glass could have fallen out, leaving my house vulnerable to a break-in! Luckily, it was just one window pane that was damaged. The skilled worker quickly, replacing it in no time so that I could get back to the office. I left my house feeling confident that it was once again safe and secure.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. No matter how small a nick or a crack in your window might look, you should contact a professional in glass replacement immediately. You don’t want to invite burglars into your house, and you certainly shouldn’t risk injuring yourself or others with shattered glass.

Are Herculite Doors a Good Option?

The other day I was walking through the mall and couldn’t resist admiring the beautiful Herculite doors they had – and then I thought what a good option this would be for my new office.  I’m just moving into a new office and was looking at the details, and of course, this included the doors. Most would consider Herculite doors in shopping malls, store entrances or fitness center – but I think they would look just as good in an office. Now, presence and style is one thing, but reality and cons are another.  Presence and style, two words that describe what Herculite doors are all about – yet we know that there’s two sides to every coin.

 The other side of the coin, or cons, are the following – if your Herculite door were to break, your business would have to be boarded-up until a new Herculite door is manufactured.  These doors are usually made from broken glass, or the correct terminology would be tempered glass.  That pretty much lets you know that if these doors break, they will break into tiny little pieces, which is not ideal but then again it’s not like they break very easily – after all, they take after a name from a half God, half human Hercules that defeated everything and anything that came his way. These are the negative things to keep in mind when considering a Herculite door, but also keep in mind that it can be replaced just the way you had it.

The clean and modern look make these doors very enticing, both to customers and employees. It also gives the idea that it’s a powerful business that you can count on, and that’s exactly what I want my customers to have in mind as they walk into my new office. There are different styles/colors to choose from as well the thickness – so there options for you to best fit your office. I know one thing, adding this Herculite door to my new office will set me apart from my competitors, isn’t that good enough for you? 

My New Dance Studio

After having a few babies, most women reach a point where they look in the mirror and realize that they’d like to lose a few pounds. That’s exactly what happened to me. I started slowly, doing dance and hip-hop videos I had found online.  After a few months, I really started to see results and was hooked on exercise. The problem was that I didn't really have a specific space to dance.  If the weather was nice, I would take my computer out to the patio and do videos there. But if it was raining, I would be stuck moving living room furniture in order to do my aerobics. As my birthday approached, my husband suggested the perfect present: converting the basement into a dance studio, complete with a custom mirror!

The basement was partially finished, but we were using that area as storage space. The first step was to clean out all the junk we had stored down there. Next, my husband put in a wood floor and called his electrician friend to run wiring throughout the room. He slapped on a fresh coat of paint and mounted a TV to the wall. Finally, he called professionals to install the custom mirror. They came to take measurements of the wall, taking into account that they would need specialized cutouts for the electric outlets and mounted TV. They came back a few days later and attached the mirror so easily.

I absolutely love my new dance studio. Now I exercise in comfort no matter what the weather. The custom mirror is such a huge help, too – now I can check out my moves and see if they match the professional dancers on the videos. I have perfected my routines and am currently thinking about filming my own video, if I can work up the courage!

Accidents at the Workplace

Accidents can occur anywhere but they are especially likely to occur in crowded places where people are
very occupied and distracted over the millions things they need to do. Not following certain basic procedures

like keeping the floor clean can influence the number of accidents at the workplace. Many times accidents can and should be prevented. If it has been raining for example, someone at work should be responsible for making sure the floor is not slippery because somebody could fall, get injured and even break something! Safety is not something to be taken lightly.

But sometimes no matter how careful you are, accidents happen and you just have to deal with it. Maybe somebody is walking without paying attention and they crash against someone else, or perhaps they missed the glass door and bumped into it. That’s actually a very common incident and sometimes the person can get seriously hurt and even break the glass door!

A serious business cannot simply have a broken glass door for several days. If something like that happens, it needs to be fixed immediately because otherwise, it might just lead to more accidents. Especially if it is the front door, a glass specialist should be contacted immediately.

When a glass door or window break in an office, the person responsible should call a reliable glass company to show up on the same day and resolve the situation. Good, reliable companies offer same day service because they know real emergencies can’t wait, and clearly, broken glass falls in that category!

The Elegance of Crystal Plaques

Maybe you are not a Hollywood movie star, maybe you are not a Fortune 500 CEO but can you imagine your name on a crystal plaque reading: Best Mom Ever? That’s the prize I aim for everyday and my fictional accolade is always my name ‘’Monica Kroos’’ carved elegantly on a crystal plaque. All kidding aside, there are several materials on which one could write practically anything as long as the character count would fit in the space of the piece.

Perhaps the most common materials on which people write are: wood, metal, crystal and marble. They are all very elegant and perhaps the least durable is the glass option but there is an intangible aspect to its fragility that makes me choose it above the rest of the pack. Crystal is also shapeable which means that you can mold glass into many things. The most common examples are statues, sculptures and bottles.

Whenever the issue of vulnerability arises, a lot of people particularly elderly ladies will recommend the super glue option, however, in our modern times you can opt for a glass replacement company. They can certainly replicate your piece and make it look identical. Always remember the sentimental value of awards or name tags; they are given to you at one time in specific (usually once in a lifetime so even if you know you can have them replaced you certainly want to keep the original one for the sake of uniqueness).

Another thing I love about crystal plaques or sculptures is that they are very light and therefore portable. The fact that they are so light also allows the owner to have them hung on almost any wall without fear of them breaking. Next time you’re vying for the employee of the month award, make sure you ask for a crystal plaque, that whole picture and name label is pretty played out.

When I Broke my Mother’s Vase

College was a turbulent time in my life; I think a lot of people can agree that the early high school and early college years are among the most life-changing experiences. I believe the reason for this can be traced back to the fact that we are in a process of molding our character while building friendships and relationships with strangers. In an effort to speed up the socializing process, I decided to throw a small party in my house when I was a freshman in college. What I did not take into account was that most of my guests were definitely more seasoned than I was. I was always a late bloomer in high school and ‘’crazy drinking’’, substance abuse, and overall recklessness were never things I entertained.

When the guys started coming in, it was calm at first (almost adult-like) but once the alcohol kicked in and the more outgoing characters arrived, it’s like their inner ‘’beasts’’ were unleashed! Perhaps I am exaggerating a little bit but the worst things I had seen in those early 2000s teen movies were excessive drinking and some unholy activities in the bedroom. Thankfully the latter did not happen but the former did, and my mother’s ornament collection suffered the consequences (deeply).

My mother traveled to Africa and Europe after college to gain a better understanding of the world, to see new cultures and meet new people. As mementos, she brought back many souvenirs including shot glasses, vases, necklaces, earrings and much more. One of her favorite pieces was a horizontally striped black and white vase that had been a gift by a villager. She adored it; it was a beautiful decorative glass piece. Sadly, it was oval which made my friends think of it as a football worth tossing around. Unbeknownst to me, they proceeded to play with it right on my living room and sure enough after a few ‘’missed catches’’ the vase broke and I was left alone with the dreadful task of explaining the incident to my mom.

She was naturally livid, grounded me for what seemed like all eternity and demanded her piece fixed. I made some inquiries and found out there was a solution with a glass repair company in my area. I took it over to them, and they determined it could be fixed. To this day I still wonder what procedure they used which was clearly not just superglue but they returned it in pristine shape only showing slight marks of the previous wreckage. Thank Goodness and glass repair. 

The broken screen on my iPhone

Around the turn of the century, cell phones were really starting to become popular. Before that, wires, public phones and pagers were entrusted with the function of helping people communicate. This all changed over two decades ago when satellites and antennas joined together in further developing the fastest era of growth for communication platforms. The development pace was breathtaking, but I was even more surprised when a man by the name of Steve Jobs walked into a lonely stage, dressed in a black turtle neck jeans and running shoes unveiling to the world what would become arguably the most innovative gadget of the decade.

Mr. Jobs’ phone design was without question revolutionary but it was also quite frail. As a matter of fact its latest update the iPhone 5s and its predecessor the iPhone 4 were mostly glass protected by a thin film very much like that on car windshields to avoid cracking easily. Apparently the film on my phone was not thick enough or maybe I was not as careful in its handling as the users’ manual indicated. On one of those ‘’hand-slippery’’ days, I dropped my phone right in the hard concrete of my house’s parkway. 

The back of my phone broke right on the spot. I heard the crack and I knew it hadn’t gone well. I asked a friend and she said the same thing had happened to her and that all I had to do was to take my phone into an Apple Store for either glass repair or replacement. I was ecstatic since I never really though highly of those thick and glossy phone covers. I considered my default factory-made crystal to be the perfect touch for the perfect product:  Mr. Jobs ‘iPhone.

I went with the glass repair option or more accurately, that’s all the Apple Store gave me, but man, it was a great relief to see my most precious gadget get fixed!

The convenience of glass replacement

My boyfriend then went on to tell me how he had noticed that I was very clumsy and then asked if I knew what the problem was. I said no and that they were mostly knee jerk reactions or no reactions at all. Ever since that incident, I have been very careful to have my apartment (as small as it may be) looking pristine, without marks or dents and with all my crystals looking absolutely perfect. Now I know that if an accident happens again, all I have to do is pick up the phone and glass replacement will always be an option either to fix or improve my mirrors.

I have always been a little clumsy. I can’t figure out why but I always seem to be slipping, dropping stuff or even involuntarily throwing objects. This last event happened to me a couple of months ago on the eve of my birthday; I had some friends over that night and we had quite a few drinks. At one point, I felt like going to the bathroom and did not have one of my lady friends come with me (like I usually do). So there I am trying to take off my jeans but I realize my phone was in my hand so I quickly turn back to put it next to the faucet and next thing I know, it just flew out of my hand and straight into my bathroom mirror!

The next morning, I woke up and did not remember much from the night before; I go to the bathroom to shower and witness in total shock that my mirror was broken! It all started to come back (the memories of course) and I put two and two together and realized an accident had happened. I called my boyfriend and mentioned the incident, he said he was going to help me fix it and called a glass replacement company. I had no idea it was that easy, but they came in, did some measurements and I had my glass replacement done the next day.

Protect Your Table!

A couple of months ago, my little boy decided to have some friends over (HUGE mistake). They all seemed extremely well mannered at first, even nervous perhaps but boy… that did not last long! First, they started playing with my ornaments, then my LCD flat screen and finally, my all-so-treasured gadgets… that was pretty much boiling point for me, so I had them all sit down at our wooden table to do what I considered was a harmless activity, both to my home’s infrastructure and of course their safety. I handed them all some drawing books, crayons and pencils (mistake number two). Since I assumed what I had them doing was safe, I decided to rest a little and watch T.V. (mistake number 3). Within twenty minutes, they were pretty much done coloring (serious efficiency for sure!).

The little rascals went on to bring my son’s heavy toys from upstairs (the trucks, cars and other toys with sharp edges and wheels) when I went back to check up on them, my precious and delicate wooden table was completely filled with scratches! I had to make sure I didn’t lose it in from of them, although I was livid. After they left, I weighed in my options and decided a replacement was too expensive so I went with an alternative suggested by a good friend of mine. I had a glass table top installed on my table; it was also tinted so there was really no hint of the damage done by the little ones. Besides, it did make the table look a lot better! Talk about collateral damage (in reverse).

Glass table tops are underrated, people talk so much about the beauty of wood which I won’t argue with since I completely concur with their arguments, but, they are so delicate and there is just no way you can assure they will not suffer serious damage whenever kids join the household. Let’s not even go that far, I had a friend who would put tools, books, boots, keys and all kinds of things! I mean his table looked like one of those walls from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie! Obviously I let my careless pal know about this affordable protective glass table top system and both he and his wife could not be happier.

I am also 100% positive my kids are pretty happy with my investment. I just hope they don’t break it now!

Reasons to Use Tempered Glass

First of all, let’s start by explaining what tempered glass is. It is a type of safety glass that is more impact resistant than average glass; that is due to the fact that it has been processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments. Besides being more impact resistant, there is another reason why tempered glass is considered safety glass: since tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the inner ones into tension, in the case that the glass were to break, it would do so into really small particles, as opposed to large shards. Large shards are obviously more dangerous because they can cause really deep cuts and be life-threatening.

Tempered glass is about 5 times stronger than regular glass, which is why it is used in applications where safety can be compromised, like in passenger vehicle windows. Whenever you are planning on buying a glass product you need to ask the retailer what type of glass it is made of. Another thing you need to consider is the type of glass product you are purchasing. Are you buying glass shower doors, glass shelves, a glass table top?

You must also think about who’s going to be around. Do you have children at home who are always playing and running around the house? If that’s the case, then you probably don’t want to get regular glass for things like a glass table top. Children are very prone to cause accidents and it is very likely that they will be playing with balls and other toys, and your glass table top might get broken if it’s made of regular glass. However, I’m sure the table top is the least of your concern. If you want your kids to stay safe you should go for tempered glass.

Glass shower doors should also be made of tempered glass because imagine an accident happening while you are in the shower and the shower doors break! You would probably be barefoot and could get seriously hurt. So just to stay safe, you should try to get tempered glass!