stained glass restoration hopewell church

Storms and other types of harsh weather conditions can have a major impact on stained glass. While the majority of churches we work on need restoration due to the impacts of time, we also work with a good amount of churches that have suffered storm damage. The good news is, that with church stained glass restoration, most of the time, storm damage can be reversed and the window can be repaired and made like new.

One good example of this is a project we completed for Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church. The Hopewell Church has several of their antique stained glass windows completed shattered by a severe storm. With a little bit of creativity and hard work, we were able to fix the damage and restore the windows to their original beauty. Below, we’ve discussed the project in detail.

 

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Stained Glass Assessment for Hopewell Church

When the elders from the church contacted us and told us about the storm damage, we decided right away that the best way for us to help was to visit the church so that we could evaluate the condition of the stained glass in person. During our assessment, we carefully examined each window from top to bottom, evaluating the condition of the stained glass. While some of the stained glass had been shattered, the sections remaining were in good shape, which was good news for the church.

However, the shattered sections would need to be replaced. We knew that this would be challenging since the windows were very old. We tried to find glass of a matching profile in the same colors, but were unable to find a perfect match. If we simply rebuilt the missing sections, the colors would be different and they would not match the old ones.

 

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Our Solution: Combine the Old with New

To solve our dilemma, we decided that the best option was to take all the remaining sections apart. There were three missing panels and three undamaged ones. We decided to disassemble the undamaged panels. This way, we could mix the old glass with new glass to rebuild all six panels. Each panel would have a combination of old and new glass. This way, the panels would all match with one another and look like they were part of the same set.

We worked carefully to take the windows apart. First, we soaked them and cleaned them to remove all the dirt that had built up over the years. Then, we discarded the old lead coming. Next, we mix old glass with new glass and cut the pieces into the correct shapes. Finally, we assembled all the panels back together again with new lead and cement.

hopewell church after stained glass repair ms

 

The Restored Stained Glass Looks Like New!

With this creative approach, we were able to fix the damage that had been done by the storm. The stained glass looked like new and was also stronger than before thanks to the new leading and cement that we added. By reusing some of the materials, we were also able to help the church save money. The church elders were very pleased with the results of this church stained glass restoration project and so were we!

If you would like to learn more about this project or our services in general, please contact our office. Our team will be more than happy to assist you!

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.