Restore your damaged stained glass windows.
For many churches and businesses in Fort Collins, stained glass restoration is not something they have considered. But the fact is, if your church or business does have aging stained glass, there are a myriad of things that can go wrong with it, and eventually it will probably require some repairs or a full restoration.
One of the factors that hampers stained glass over time, and we are talking many decades or even centuries, is the weight of the piece itself. Gravity, exposure to the elements, and original installations that were not quite durable enough for the weight of the structure all take a toll.
Here at Fort Collins Stained Glass, restoration is something we take quite seriously. We honor and admire the work of the stained glass masters who came before us, and are eager to preserve their work. One of the larger restoration projects we have worked on is the famous stained glass ceiling in the lobby of the Boulderado Hotel. This Art Deco masterpiece was fully restored over a period of months, and returned to its former glory where it can again be admired by Boulderado guests for another hundred years or more.
It’s easy to see how a ceiling would succumb to the effects of gravity, but what about a window in a vertical installation? In fact, gravity still affects large stained glass windows. They are held together with lead strips that give the stained glass its characteristic look. Lead is a heavy material but it’s rather soft. So over time, the weight of the window can cause the lead to bend. Exposure to the elements can cause it to become brittle. The window can actually start to sag inward, and the pressure can cause the glass pieces to start cracking or even loosening and falling out.
At Fort Collins Stained Glass, restoration projects get us excited. We have developed special techniques to restore stained glass windows, doors, ceilings, skylights, etc, no matter how large or how old. Our restoration process requires disassembling the window, cleaning the glass, matching any new pieces of glass to the original glass, and reassembling the window with new lead strips that may be strengthened on the inside, for greater ability to stand up to time and gravity.
When we reinstall a Fort Collins stained glass restoration project into its original location, we can also add steel supports into the frame, which will also help with the issue of gravity over time. And we always protect it from the elements by adding two layers of plain glass to the exterior of the window.
With a Fort Collins Stained Glass restoration, you can rest assured that your window or other stained glass panel will be not just as beautiful as it once was, but even sturdier and more durable, able to withstand the test of time.
Contact us today at Fort Collins Stained Glass to speak with one of our repair and restoration experts.
Martin Faith
Martin's work has been spotlighted on HGTV, the DIY Network, CBS, NBC, and numerous media outlets. He is one of the most accomplished stained glass artisans of his time and the proud owner of Fort Collins Stained Glass. He has dedicated his entire life's career to sharing his love of stained glass with others and is an expert on its origin, manufacturing process, and history. In addition to creating custom stained glass for homes and commercial businesses, Martin also acts as a consultant for church restoration projects. Drawing on his own research and ongoing education as well as the skills that he attained while working as a glass artisan in Scotland, Martin helps property owners identify the best styles and options of stained glass for achieving their aesthetic and architectural goals. His company has been in business for over thirty years and has successfully executed over 50,000 projects.
