Buying Glass Backboards: Safety and Design Considerations

Glass backboards are often the choice of many young athletes and their parents for a lot of different reasons. While they certainly look cooler than the old school, white backboards, there are a few things that you might want to keep in mind when choosing yours. Safety has to be one of the very first things that you look at while you are shopping.

Tempered Glass Is an Important Factor to Consider

If you are buying a backboard of any material, you know that it is going to take some serious abuse. Even a professional basketball player will practice banking shots off of the backboard because not every shot is going to be a swish, nothing but net, shot of perfection. There are also a number of games that are played that focus directly on bank shots. The point is simple: your backboard takes a major beating so if you are choosing glass, it absolutely has to be made of glass that will stand the test of time. When you are looking for glass, make sure that it is tempered.

In addition to being tempered, the glass should be slightly thick but that will make it just a bit heavier. The weight of the backboard itself will also make a difference to how you are planning to mount it.

Permanent or Temporary Installation?

Another thing that you need to consider when buying any style of backboard is whether you will only have it up for the more temperate parts of the year and then take it down when the weather gets too cold to play or just leave it up year ‘round. If your plan is to have permanent installation, glass is a good choice because:

• It tends to weather really well. • It will not fade or peel like a painted backboard might.

It might be a less than perfect choice though because:

• Glass might crack under extreme weather changes, especially if they happen quickly. • Glass that freezes up may become too heavy for the supports to hold it safely.

Your installation may depend on how and where you are mounting the backboard. If you are screwing it into a garage or other structure, it will likely be a permanent install. Backboards on their own poles may come down if needed and some homeowners choose to use mobile poles that can be garaged if the weather gets bad.

Pricing and Shopping Needs

Glass backboards are one of the purchases that are best bought from a local store simply because of its size and bulk, which would make shipping charges outrageously high. However, if you find a site that has a reasonably priced backboard with free shipping, it might be worth it because it eliminates some of the struggle of getting it home and out to the backyard so that it can be installed.