Project Highlight: Del Rio, Texas First United Methodist Church Stained Glass Restoration

While stained glass is considered to be mostly durable, there are factors that can cause it to lose its integrity and deteriorate. Defects in the construction of the panels or leading that has been exposed to too much heat and lost shape puts pressure on the glass and causes it to bow and crack. If these problems persist for too long without being addressed, pieces of glass may start to fall out, creating a safety hazard. Fortunately, the members of the First United Methodist Church in Del Rio, Texas noticed signs of deterioration in their stained glass before matters got out of hand.

That’s when they contacted Scottish Stained Glass. As the church described their situation, we immediately took interest in the project. The stained glass was quite old and therefore valuable in historic terms. In addition, the windows had been hand painted by a very talented artist and were quite beautiful.

However, when we arrived onsite for inspect, it was evident that the stained glass was in desperate need of attention. The glass had cracked in various places and the leading had begun to warp and lose shape. In some places, the steel brace bars had begun to buckle and detach from the glass. Restoration was absolutely necessary.

The church had twenty-eight stained glass windows, some of which were quite large in size. Therefore, we decided it was best for the project to be completed in phases. Phase one involved removing the four large windows for restoration while exterior framing was manufactured for protecting all of the stained glass.

The four large windows were reinstalled after restoration and phase two began. Phase two involved restoring six other windows which were also considerably large in size. The project was completed with phase three. For this, all the remaining small windows were restored.

The process of completing this restoration went better than we could have ever imagined. We were able to preserve the majority of the original glass. This was especially important since the windows were old enough to be considered antiques. In addition, the restored stained glass turned out remarkably beautiful. The sun can now shine clearly through the windows and reveal all the colors and details of the glass. And no sign of damage or defects are present.

This project was truly a joy for our team to work on. We enjoyed getting to know the members of the church and helping them out with something that was so very important to them. If you are interested in finding out more about our stained glass restoration services, please contact our office. We would be more than happy to discuss your project with you in detail.