Signs It’s Time To Restore Your Fort Worth Stained Glass

Stained Glass Restoration In Fort Worth

The truth is a stained glass is durable to a point.  As you may have noticed a lot of stained glass in the world is very old–proof that when stained glass is properly cared for it will last a very long time. However, most of the world’s stained glass is on churches and therefore has likely had constant tending from clergy and.or protective glazing.  Your Fort Worth home’s stained glass has likely not had the same treatment and therefore has been subjected to a constant onslaught of harmful aging factors: UV light from sunlight, extreme weather conditions, indoor and outdoor man-made pollution, and biological damage caused by pests.  This results in the panels becoming deeply encrusted with thick layers of dirt Therefore, at the very least, your stained glass window needs cleaning. But it could need a deeper restoration depending on a few easy to spot tell-tale signs of its conditions.

Signs It Is Time For More Than A Stained Glass Cleaning

While dirt and grime build-up is, by far, the most common service we perform on home stained glass here at Scottish Stained Glass, a fair amount of home stained glass needs more thorough restoration.  This is true, especially with very old windows (which tend to also be very valuable) or very large windows.

Sagging Or Bowing Of The Stained Glass Window

When there is a perceived bow on a stained glass window, it  means one or more of the following is happening

• The lead caming is stretched
• The attachment to the support structures is failing
• The framing materials are in need of repair

In all these cases the window needs to be removed, re-leaded and the frame possibly rebuilt.

Visible Light Through Gaps In The Stained Glass Window

Gaps in the glass panels is another symptom of the leading being stretched or an issue with the support system.  Since we know the glass did not shrink or change size, the logical place for an issue is with wood or lead which over time move, stretch and need to be replaced.

Missing Or Broken Leading

Lead is the main part of stained glass windows that fail throughout the year.  The formula for leading today is a little different so, the lead on stained glass windows from this century could last 200 years.  However, lead from the 20th century will only last about 80 years before needing to be replaced.

All of these issues are ones we handle here at Scottish Stained Glass.  We would be happy to come to your Fort Worth home and inspect your stained glass windows for the things above and a few others to see if it is time to restore them.  Contact us today for more information on home stained glass restoration in Fort Worth.