Creating a place in your Kansas City home where you can escape, relax, and focus on self-care is important. Especially when you have a family, it’s critical to have a place where you can recharge. Your master bathroom is a great option for designing an oasis where you can unwind. Custom stained glass offers an incredible way to enhance your bathroom design and create a true master bathroom oasis for you to get away.
When it comes to stained glass that is over 80 years old–decisions need to be made about long-term care and restoration. Whether this antique stained glass is in your Kansas City church or home–the questions are all the same. You must ask what the best course of action is to keep your stained glass safe and/or looking good. This usually comes down one of three options: repair, restore or remove.
Stained glass should be repaired when it has minimal issues. This means light cleaning is needed, a few glass panels are chipped or cracked and/or it has small pieces of missing leading. Also, the glass should be under 80 years old to consider repair rather than restoration. This is because stained glass older than 80 years old may have structural issues requiring full restoration.
Stained glass needs to be fully restored around the age of 80. As it happens, stained glass was only designed to last 80-100 years before needing restoration due to the materials makers had at the time. When a stained glass is restored it is fully removed from your home or church. It is then taken to our studio for repairs. The restoration includes things like new caming, new support structures, new or restored glass panels, and a deep cleaning.
The very last option and one we rarely recommend is for stained glass to be removed. This course of action happens when the window as a whole is beyond repair. In this case, salvaging the window as a whole is not an option. You may be able to save a few pieces and have them made into hanging panels in this case. As sad as it is when stained glass is beyond repair, we here at Scottish can build you a spectacular new window to take its place that will last for 200+ years!
For more information on stained glass repair and restoration here in Kansas City or for a custom stained glass inquiry, contact us at Kansas City Stained Glass today!
Custom-built homes have been increasingly popular in the Kansas City area. The appeal of creating a home that meets all your functional and aesthetic needs has really resonated with homeowners. When planning the design of your custom home, stained glass is a great option that should be considered for its function and beauty. Stained glass can be customized to complement your intended vision, offering full aesthetic creativity for homeowners and custom home builders.
Custom stained glass offers a wide scope of benefits that can be implemented into any custom home. Here are some great opportunities for adding stained glass:
Kansas City Stained Glass is proud to be the custom stained glass studio in the Kansas-Missouri area. We’ve worked with numerous custom home builders to create their client’s vision and would love the opportunity to really bring out that custom appeal in your home. For more information regarding custom stained glass for your custom-built home, please contact us!
When you think about privacy solutions for your bathroom, stained glass is probably the last thing that comes to mind (if at all). But in reality, stained glass is a making a huge comeback in the interior design world. Elegant privacy stained glass solutions provide Kansas City homeowners with an easy way to control views and light in their bathroom. They’re practical and the aesthetic result is highly intriguing. Below, we’ve listed some of our favorite stained glass privacy solutions.
For modern kitchens here in the KC area, there simply is not a better design accent than a stunning stained glass window or feature. You may think of stained glass as old-fashioned and not something for the modern home. But, stained glass, particularly in kitchens can actually be very modern. Below we have outlined some of our favorite uses of stained glass in kitchens and why we think it is so incredibly modern.
One of the most ubiquitous uses for stained glass in kitchens is on the cabinets. It lends such an amazing aesthetic and is so very eye-catching. The best part though is that stained glass used as cabinet doors gives you the modern open cabinet feel but with a little bit of coverage for anything that could look cluttered
The reason for stained glass over sinks in kitchens is fairly easy to understand–it to keeps you from accidentally gazing into your neighbors home or yard while doing your mindlessly doing dishes. However, it also keeps your neighbor’s eyes out of your personal and active kitchen. This is one area where you can really get creative and modern with your stained glass choices in your kitchen. Nothing looks better with clean lines and modern decor in a home kitchen than the pops of color you will get with stained glass.
A lot of people have kitchens that open up to the living area or dining room. This is a fantastic setting for entertaining but can be difficult to divide seamlessly. Stained glass panels are an excellent addition to give you a tiny bit of separation and a ton of modern style! Bold, innovative and the contemporary look you crave–stained glass room dividers are fast coming into vogue.
For more information on stained glass for your modern Kansas City home, contact us at Kansas City Stained Glass today!
Dalle de verre stained glass windows are perhaps some of the most coveted works of art existing today. These brilliant mosaics feature a blaze of colors, enchanting designs, and rich texture. But are all types of Dalle de Verre stained glass the same? Our Kansas City experts tell us no. In fact, there are a few different types of Dalle de Verre. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most popular and well-known styles.
If you have seen Dalle stained glass around here in the Kansas City area you probably love it as much as we do. A type of stained glass made with cement or epoxy joints rather than lead caming–it is wonderful to see this sturdy type of stained glass art both indoors and out. Another cool thing about Dalle stained glass is that is was created rather recently. Reaffirming our belief that stained glass truly is timeless. Since it is a more modern form of stained glass works, its origins are fairly well recorded and it is interesting to watch how this style spread like wildfire across the world in only a few decades.
The very first Dalle faceted windows were produced in France following World War I. It seems an obscured artist collaborated with a french glass shop to have these cement and stained glass panels created for a commission. Soon after this type of stained glass is seen in French architect Auguste Perret’s work. He used it to create faceted glass concrete walls in the Notre-Dame du Raincy church in a Paris suburb. Soon after, many French artists began using faceted glass in their architectural projects. Many of which were churches.
Jean Gaudin is given credit for fully developing the technique. He would have large Slabs of colored glass, up to 1.25” thick poured then shaped by breaking with a hammer or cutting with a saw. The edges of the resulting pieces would sometimes be chipped to increase the faceted effects. He then laid out the glass pieces into a traditional stained-glass design in a framed bed of sand. The substrate of sand and cement or epoxy resin was then poured between the glass pieces. When it dried and clean it resulted in thicker, studier glass and frames with enchantingly deeper color effects However, it wasn’t until the1950s and 1960s that this glass really came into prominence.
Dalle de Verre spread first to the UK and was brought there by a man named Pierre Fourmaintraux. He trained Dom Charles Norris in the technique, a Dominican Friar who went on to become one of the biggest proponents of Dalle de Verre. His work can be seen incorporated into several Modernist Catholic churches today. Although early Dalle US installations were made earlier in the century, Cathedral of St. Joseph where Jean Barillet created 26 windows that were each 67 feet high and 13 1/2 feet wide around 1959. These windows arguably kicked off the Dalle de Verre stained glass period in the US.
Sadly, this type of stained glass fell out of favor in the 1970s. This was in part because of changing aesthetic changes but also because the glass was sometimes subject to structural problems over time. The size, weight and difficult to remove the cement matrix in which the glass sat posed challenges to restoration
Here at Kansas City Stained Glass or any of our nationwide locations we are able to work on and restore you Dalle stained glass to preserve a piece of history. Contact us today for more information.
Did you know that you can incorporate painted glass into any stained glass project? Painted elements can add beauty and distinction, creating visual interest in one-of-a-kind art. Painted glass can provide gorgeous detail work only achievable through this medium. Perfect for family crests, portraits, landscapes, and more, painted glass is perfect for any holiday gift. The painted glass process requires a lot of skill and patience but can be executed by the right stained glass studio.
If you have Dalle de Verre stained glass on your Kansas City home or commercial property it is likely a real head-turner. This is because it is so very stunning and one of a kind. These mosaic stained glass artworks are made with thick plate glass which is then cut to various sizes. The glass can be smooth or strategically chipped on the surface to add facets. Regardless of how it is finished this type of glass is a work of art. Since Dalle stained glass sits outside most of the time and is exposed to the KC elements like wind, rain, hail, and heat it tends to get damaged frequently. Structurally the glass can take the abuse–since it’s epoxy base is very strong. However, keeping it looking good long term is a different type of challenge. Therefore, not only can Dalle stained glass be repaired but these repairs are needed more often because of its exposure to the elements.
To get an idea about the upcoming repairs for your KC Dalle stained glass you must first understand how it is made. Dalle stained glass is made from thicker slabs of glass (the term actually translates to “slab of glass” in french). Then cut into pieces, the glass is held together by epoxy dyed to give a mortared appearance. This means the structure is incredibly strong and holds Dalle de Verre glass in place quite securely. While this is good for strength against the elements, this tough epoxy is problematic during restoration or repairs. After we get your window to our studio we have to carefully hand-chisel the mortar-like epoxy substance. This is an incredibly labor-intensive process but one that is needed to allow us to clean and repair the glass injured by the elements. Once these repairs are done, we place the glass pieces in a custom-built box filled with sand in the exact layout we found it. We then pour fresh, dyed epoxy. After polishing the painstakingly restored Dalle stained glass window to an eye-catching luster, we reinstall it at your location.
One thing is for sure–you will be amazed at the lustrous look of your newly repaired Dalle stained glass! However, this will only come about if you go with an experienced professional, like us here at Kansas City Stained Glass. We have repaired quite a bit of this type of stained glass and know exactly how to finesse these challenging structures. Contact us today for more information on the Dalle de Verre stained glass repair process and to schedule an assessment of your glass.
Kansas City was a pioneer town back in the day and because of this, some stores here have stained glass dating back to the early 1900s. Stained glass from this era is usually due for restoration. Why? Because stained glass made at the turn and early 20th century were built to last about 80-100 years before needing major repairs. If you have stained glass in your KC retail location, this could mean a couple of things. First, it is probably time to get your retail location’s stained glass repaired if you want it to last another 100 years. Secondly, the stained glass in your Kansas City store could have historical value to consider when contemplating the value and cost of repairs. But where does one even begin on the restoration of historical retail stained glass? We have that answer below.
The first step on your restoration journey is to take a good look at your stained glass to get an idea of its surface appearance. This means looking to see if there are any chips, cracks or missing pieces. Also, examine the caming (the lead strips that connect the glass panels). Is it chipped and brittle? Or does it look saggy? These are all signs that tell you the stained glass in your Kansas City retail spot may need repair.
The next thing to do is to have a professional do an actual assessment of your stained glass. They will take a much deeper look at the glass, leading and, most critically, the structural elements. They will be able to see things you may have missed like concave windows or micro-fissures. They will also be able to write up an estimate of time and cost. This will be important for the next step.
Once you know exactly what is wrong with your stained glass, how much it will cost to repair and how long it will take, the next step is to talk to those invested in your store. This could mean everything from investors to partners and staff. Since employees may have to take a bit of time off during restoration–talking to them about the process is important. Most of the time we here at Scottish are not at all intrusive but preparing interested parties is key to a successful stained glass restoration.
For more information on retail stained glass or stained glass restoration in Kansas City, contact us at Kansas City Stained Glass today!
