Can You Backlight Translucent Glass?

If you’re thinking about back lighting a counter, bartop, or other surface in your home, you’ll have to decide on which material you’re going to light. While the type of material should reflect your personal tastes and your home’s aesthetic, you might run into some hiccups. Some materials are better candidates than others — here’s what you should know.

As a general rule, thicker materials like honey onyx, natural quartzite, and thicker engineered stones are more opaque and are generally easier to backlight. They also have more color too! Since they’re full of crystals it will allow the light to bounce around inside the slab, making it easier to light.

More translucent or thinner materials like glass and colorless, thin quartz, or white onyx are difficult to backlight because they might show hot spots or shadowing unless something is done to avoid it. One solution is to separate the light guide away from the glass by about 1 inch.

Our patented lighting technology at SLABlite will ensure that you won’t see any of these hotspots. The Slablite system will give you even coverage and even be customized on site! 

Our team at Slablite can help you figure out the best options available that meet your design and aesthetic needs. We’ve worked on a wide range of projects and know what materials work well and which ones are more difficult. Contact us today and we’ll answer any questions you have to get you started on your next backlight project.