Is Stained Glass Restoration Worth it?
Choosing whether or not to restore your church’s stained glass is a difficult choice. You would be surprised at how attached congregants are to these lovely relics. We frequently make the case for church stained glass restoration in Houston based solely on congregants’ affection for it. However, there are also more practical reasons to have it done.
Stained Glass Restoration Improves Glass Luster
Over time, the colors in your stained glass windows will fade due to weather and accumulation of grime and debris. When we return repaired stained glass to their homes in Houston churches, they appear brand new. Once the restoration is completed, the various hues appear brighter and deeper than ever before—restoring the window to its original splendor.
Stained Glass Restoration Reinforces Support Structure
Restoration of damaged stained glass windows isn’t only about how they appear. It’s also about ensuring that they last a long time. If your stained glass is more than 100 years old, the lead has most certainly become brittle. Lead that is elderly and brittle will bend and break under the weight of the glass, causing the entire window to sag over time. Stained glass restoration is a technique for replacing old lead with superior lead in order to extend the life of your Houston church’s stained glass windows another 200 years. Modern additives to lead increase the lifespan of antique stained glass by another 200 years.
Stained Glass Restoration Improves the Function of Your Stained Glass
We see stained glass break down all the time. Stained glass windows, like any other window in your Houston church, are useful for a variety of reasons. They keep out the elements and maintain heated and cooled air inside. If you have a crack or a hole in your church’s stained glass windows, they aren’t working properly. This might result in costly utility bills or dampness entering your church to cause damage to other parts of the building. When we repair stained glass, we take additional safe steps, such as adequate ventilation and protective glazes/coverings to further extend life These will also aid in the performance of your stained glass within the interior environment.
Contact us to learn more about how we restore windows and to book an appointment for a free church stained glass restoration consultation in Houston.
Martin Faith
Martin Faith is the founder and owner of Houston Stained Glass. Martin has been cultivating his skills as a stained glass artisan for over 30 years, passing on his knowledge and expertise to his team so that, together, they can create the most beautiful stained glass windows the world has ever seen. Martin's initial education in the trade took place in Glasgow, Scotland, the stained glass capitol of the world. He is an expert in the history of stained glass, its evolution, methods for conservation, and its many different styles and forms, including art deco, prairie, Greene & Greene, art nouveau, Mackintosh, floral, mission, beveled, and contemporary. Over the years, Martin's company has produced thousands of stained glass windows, which includes custom creations made for homes, churches, and commercial buildings located all throughout the Houston metro area.
