Stained Glass Repair Returns Your Windows to Their Original Glory

Although stained glass windows are designed and constructed to last—and indeed many of them have lasted intact for hundreds of years—they are subject to various issues. There might come a time when your stained glass panel, whether on the newer side or a genuine antique, will need repair.

Scottish Stained Glass has extensive experience with the repair of all kinds of stained glass, from antique windows to Tiffany lampshades. Our experienced artisans will ensure that your piece comes back to you looking as good as new, and in most cases, you will never be able to tell it was ever damaged.

Stained glass adds great value to your home, both aesthetic and monetary, so if you have a problem with a stained glass piece, it’s definitely to your advantage to have it repaired. Make sure you take it to an experienced expert. Repairing any kind of artwork takes time, detailed work and understanding of the craft and experience to properly execute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the main issues stained glass windows face, which could cause them to need repairs.

1. Broken, chipped, or cracked glass. This can happen in transit, if the piece is being moved. It can happen from hail hitting the window, from high winds blowing debris at the window, etc. (For these last two reasons, we install our new stained glass on the inside of a regular window pane, to protect the glass artwork from the elements.) It could even happen from a house settling and putting undue pressure on the window frame.

2. Bowing/separating. This is something that can happen over time, and is commonly seen in larger antique stained glass pieces. The force of the wind can actually stretch the lead caning that holds the different pieces of glass in place, causing the window to bow inward and the pieces of glass to become loose. If the stretching is severe enough, the pieces of glass might even crack or fall right out of the window. (Another good reason to have stained glass installed inside plain glass.)

Each of these different issues requires a different procedure for repair.

If the pieces of glass are broken, the first step is to exactly match the color and texture of the original glass. We access various suppliers both nationally and abroad, and actually have access to at least 10,000 different textures and colors of glass.

Usually, we will not have to take the whole piece apart, but starting at one side, we will remove each piece of glass until we get to the broken or missing piece.

If there’s been a problem with the leading, we have to remove each piece, cut new leading, and solder it back together at the joints. However, because of our use of modern materials, your new stained glass window will be stronger and better constructed than it originally was, and good to go for at least another hundred years!

Read more about the stained glass repair and restoration work we do here and here.
Please contact us today for pricing on stained glass window repairs.