church stained glass restoration

Church Stained Glass Protection And Upkeep

The stained glass windows of your church are veritable treasures to your congregation and the community at large.  These beautiful works of art, like most, are fragile and need to be kept up and protected from the elements and other corrosive or potentially hazardous factors like air pollution or vandalism.  There are many ways to protect stained glass windows from various threats: metal grills, layers of sacrificial glass, glazing applications and more.  

Protective Coverings For Stained Glass

As a general rule of thumb, a protective layer should not be added to church stained glass unless that window was designed for it.  In most cases, the potential drawbacks outweigh the potential benefits.  Take metal grills for instance.  While great against vandalism they often time dramatically change the view of the glass on the inside with prominent criss-cross patterns.  Another stained glass preservation method that is not at all a good idea is plastic or fiberglass coverings.  Although the plastic products are very strong, lightweight, and relatively easy to install, they will scratch, haze, and yellow over time, even with UV inhibitors. They also have a high coefficient of expansion and contraction, so the frames accompanying them must be designed to move and expand with them as the temperatures fluctuate.  Poor installations of fiberglass or plastic in restrictive frames cause distorted reflections from bowing panels and even damage the historic frame.

The better alternative to plastic or fiberglass to protect stained glass windows is protective glass panels.

Glass Panels To Protect Your Church Stained Glass Windows

At Church Stained Glass Restoration, our preferred method of protection for stained glass we have built or restored is Protective Glass Panels.   While it is true that protective panels of glass are heavier and more difficult to install and thusly more expensive, glass will not bow, scratch, or haze when exposed to the element.  In terms of lasting beauty and historical preservation, protective glass panels for church stained glass are almost always the best option and one we employ frequently.

For more information on stained glass restoration for your church, contact us today and we will be happy to go over your options in a free consultation.

Martin Faith is an expert in the areas of stained glass conservation, preservation, and history. For over thirty years, he has been working as a stained glass artisan and restoration expert. Martin grew up studying stained glass in Glasgow, where he began acquiring and salvaging beautiful collectibles made by Scottish artisans. In Glasgow, he learned the critical skills and traditional techniques required for creating the stunning stained glass windows produced by his company today in the United States, where he now resides with his wife and family. Over the years, Martin has consulted on numerous church stained glass restoration projects throughout the nation, ranging in size and complexity. Martin and his team have successfully repaired hundreds of religious stained glass windows, including those belonging to churches, cathedrals, temples, and synagogues as well as all religious denominations. He has overseen over 50,000 projects in total and is one of the most accomplished professionals in the industry.