Featured Project: Stained Glass Restoration for the Moanalua Church
Stained glass restoration is a specialized skill that is offered by very few stained glass studios today. Sometimes, churches and property owners will have a hard time finding someone local who can do the repairs and they ask us to help. Therefore, we often travel for stained glass restoration projects outside of Dallas to other parts of the country. Just recently, we had the opportunity to be part of a really incredible restoration for a historic composition in Hawaii. Below, we’ve discussed the project in detail.
Stained Glass Restoration for a Historic Window
The Moanalua Community Church is a small church located in the Honolulu area of Hawaii. The church used to be part of the military base and has significant connection to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many years ago, a set of beautiful stained glass windows were added to the church as a tribute to U.S. military members and servicemen. The design features an array of images symbolizing the branches of the military and religions from around the world. It is an enchanting work of art memorializing Pearl Harbor and those who have devoted their lives to service.
Unfortunately, the windows oceanside location had caused some wear over the years. The strong winds and salt-filled air had caused the windows to deteriorate. The wood frame on the exterior was rotting. And the stained glass was cracking and beginning to buckle. Our stained glass restoration experts in Dallas were called in to help with the repairs.
Our Approach: Methods & Techniques
Normally, when we travel outside of Dallas for a restoration project, we end up removing the windows and driving them back with us to our studio. However, because this project was overseas, this was not possible.
Therefore, we decided that the best approach was to ship the stained glass by ocean freight. We created custom crates for transporting the individual panels. Then, we rented lift equipment in the local area so that we could remove them. Next, the panels were packed up and shipped to our studio, where we worked to clean and repair them in house. Once we were finished, we shipped them back to the church. We took another flight to Hawaii and met the panels onsite, opened the crates, and re-installed the stained glass.
Learn More About Our Services
If you’re interested in learning more about this project or our stained glass restoration services in Dallas, please contact our office directly.
Martin Faith
Martin Faith is a master craftsman, builder, and designer of stained glass windows. Martin learned the art of glassmaking while living in Scotland, where he was born and raised. He has been studying stained glass as an art form for over 30 years. When he moved to the U.S., Martin opened his own shop and started selling antique and custom stained glass windows. Martin's areas of expertise range from historic and religious stained glass to popular styles such as art nouveau, Mackintosh, floral, beveled, Greene & Green, and prairie. Over the years, his company has produced and sold over 50,000 stained glass windows to customers located in Dallas and throughout the country.
