Improve Your Aesthetic & Heritage Value
Repairs & Restoration
Leadlight repair and restoration improves the aesthetic and heritage value of your home and requires specific skills and craftsmanship.craftsmanship.
Experts in the restoration of leadlight windows, and with a huge supply of hard to find glass, we are well placed to protect the aesthetic and heritage value of your leadlight.
We’re also happy to undertake insurance work and our reputation with Adelaide’s leading insurers results in a streamlined approval process. This means we can get straight onto the important task; the repair of your precious leadlight and stained glass.
We’re determined to find the right glass to match your existing window or door, and had one client patiently wait for 2 years while we scoured the market. We think it was worth the wait. Hopefully we already have what you have been searching for.
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7th Century–Now
Experienced in the repair and restoration of both early style cathedral work right through to a more modern style, Adelaide Glass Painters is well positioned to help you design, create, repair or restore your leadlight.
1890–1915
A simpler, but no less beautiful, period for leadlight followed during the years between 1890 and 1915. Painted glass was less common with teardrops, roses, tulips taking centre stage. There was a more subtle use of colour with clear glass often used to support a central feature. A quietly understated time in the leadlight world.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should I Repair?
The following signs indicate that repairs are now required:
- Water or daylight is coming in through the windows
- Rattling windows, which indicate that the putty has deteriorated or worse, fallen out altogether
- Portions of glass are buckling or have fallen out
- Multiple cracked pieces of glass
- Lead shows signs of deterioration
- There’s an unfamiliar football in your hallway and an eerie silence in the neighbourhood.
When Should I Restore?
Like all home maintenance regimes, your leadlight will need some periodic maintenance. The following signs may indicate that your leadlight requires a little TLC:
- Light shining through the leadlight lacks lustre
- Water or daylight is coming in through the windows
- Rattling windows, which indicate that the putty has deteriorated or worse, fallen out altogether
- Portions of glass are buckling or have fallen out
- Lead shows signs of deterioration.
Adelaide Glass Painters
Our Process
We love our leadlight and stained glass and feel honoured to be chosen to work with you to bring your existing glass back to its former glory.
- The first step of the process is to meet with you on-site, to discuss the project. Some people like to email photos through beforehand and we encourage you to do this as it means we can do a little mental preparation for the type and scope of work you need assistance with.
- With a huge range of hard-to-find colours and heritage glass sheets, we can usually match your existing glass, or get pretty close. If we can’t, then we will discuss your options before going any further. Whether you work with us on your project or choose to work with another studio, please make sure they have the colour and quality of glass your project deserves before engaging their services.
- Once we are sure we can do the window justice, we remove the panels, installing temporary glazing to secure the site whilst we complete the repair or restoration.
- Back in our workshop we take a {rubbing} to ensure we have a map of how each piece of glass goes together to form the overall leadlight.
- Old lead is then removed and recycled, and each piece of glass cleaned by hand to remove years of built up dirt, paint and cigarette tar.
- Cleaned and dried, we then place the intact pieces of the puzzle back over the rubbing, replacing broken or damaged sections with new cuttings of matching glass, as discussed initially.
- New lead is shaped to connect the pieces which we hold together with horseshoe nails.
- Taking special care to make sure the end result is square, the correct size and shape, and is configured exactly the same as the initial rubbing, we prepare the joins and commence soldering.
- Putty is then pushed in between the lead and the glass to give the panel greater strength and rigidity. This also makes it more waterproof and prevents rattling.
- Where appropriate, we hand polish the lead to a shiny black colour. Sometimes it is better to leave it matt, especially when the restored or repaired piece is only one of a set of windows and needs to match them when reinstalled.
- We return, remove the temporary glazing and reinstall your leadlight, stained or painted glass window.
Design, Create, Repair
Ecclesiastical
Experienced in the repair and restoration of early style cathedral work right through to a more modern style, Adelaide Glass Painters is well positioned to help you design, create, repair or restore your leadlight.
6 Week Course
Leadlight Workshops
Fun, creative and social, our leadlight workshops introduce you to the tricks of the trade. No experience is necessary! Run by highly skilled and experienced leadlight artists with a real passion for the craft, our 6 week beginners course is designed to teach students the basic techniques commonly used in commercial leadlight studios.