What Are The Different Types of Stained Glass?

You may not realize it but all stained glass windows are not created the same. In fact, there are copious techniques and styles, just within the one genre of stained glass. And, each technique used to create the stained glass for your Fort Worth home or church depends on which ones the artist you go to favors. But, most stained glass studios, like Fort Worth Stained Glass, are familiar with multiple techniques, so if you have a particular style you love they should be able to accommodate. Just be sure to take in photos or email them links to the looks you love so the artist can visualize the inspiration. Here at Fort Worth Stained Glass in Fort Worth, we have over 25 years of experience creating and recreating stained glass of nearly every style and most techniques. This means we can create exactly the stained glass piece you have in mind. Read below are just a few of our favorite ways to create the masterpieces we have a reputation for.

5 Incredible Stained Glass Techniques

1. Bevels Stained Glass: A very popular style of stained glass because of the abundance of rich prismatic natural light these windows let in. It is the bevels of angled glass on every side that make the lovely refractions. These levels are created by grinding and polished on the topside edges of clear glass.
2. Opalescent Stained Glass: First created by John Lafarge in 1879, opalescent glass was most notably used and perfected by the Tiffany stained glass studio. This glass is milky in appearance and involves two colors swirled together. Since no two pieces of glass are the same, this type of glass technique makes for one-of-a-kind creations.
3. Leaded Stained Glass: This is one of the most traditional stained glass styles. Leaded glass makes up most of the finest and well known stained glass pieces of all time. It is called “leaded’ because the glass pieces are separated/connected by a line of lead caming.  
4. Color-Blocked Stained Glass: Color-blocked stained glass is a fantastic minimalist approach to stained glass design. Artists in this style use blocks of color to create lovely patterns with bold and bright hues. Color-blocked designs are beautiful and also very versatile since they can appear modern or vintage. 
5. Painted Stained Glass: This type of glass is lovely because it creates such depth on glass. It is also very durable because the shading color is painted on to glass pieces and then fired in a kiln. Once these artfully shaded pieces come together on a stained glass piece great detail can be achieved including human faces, animals, flora and more.

If any of these types of stained glass styles/techniques are something you would like for your Fort Worth home or church, contact us at Fort Worth Stained Glass to get more info. We would be happy to work with you on a stained glass masterpiece all your own! Also, we do repairs and restorations too!

Fort Worth Church Stained Glass:  To Remove or Replace?

Texas is known for its plethora of churches made in the late 19th and early 20th century.  In fact, there are tours all over this lovely state of ours in which you can go visit some of the best-preserved “painted churches” we have to offer.  One element of these churches that has been restored due to damage and wear and tear over time is the stained glass. If your Fort Worth church was built before 1930 or so, your church stained glass probably needs some sort of restoration, if it has not been done already.  The question most church patrons have when they begin the process of stained glass restoration is–which is better restoration or replacement? Well, there is no simple answer to this because stained glass is actually very personal to each church–but we can give you some guidance on the benefits related to keeping your stained glass instead of replacing it.

The Main Benefit Of Restoring Stained Glass

We like to say the main benefit of keeping stained glass and having it restored rather than remove really is value. However, value can mean a lot of things.  There are three key parts of value that make stained glass worth keeping more so than replacing. And the actual monetary value is only one of them. This is because, as you well know, money isn’t everything.  

Restoring Fort Worth Church Stained Glass, Rather Than Replacing Keeps Its Value 

1. Fort Worth Church Stained Glass Has Historic Value:  The fact of the matter is–many Texas churches were built in a very exciting time here in the US.  The world as we knew it was changing with the advent of telegraphs, telephones, cars, and planes. The stained glass made here in Texas was built in a day and age when certain things were going out and others coming in.  This means the glass on your Fort Worth church, if it is 80+ years old, probably has some pretty significant historical value. While this won’t necessarily translate to cash, it is something you simply cannot put a price on and therefore you Fort Worth church stained glass is a prime example of something to restore not replace.
2. Fort Worth Church Stained Glass Has Sentimental Value: Just like historical value, sentimental value is hard to quantify but very real.  In congregations here in Fort Worth and across Texas, there are likely church members who have experienced much of their church life below those stained glass windows.  This means the stained glass windows in your Fort Worth church have witnessed new life (baptisms), death (funerals) and new beginnings (marriages). For those members and others, restoring those windows, which have stood the test of time, is likely something they prefer, since they have played such a huge role in major life moments.
3. Fort Worth Church Stained Glass Has Monetary Value: Of course, there is always a matter of what your Fort Worth church’s stained glass is actually worth in dollars.  If they are very old (over 100 years) they are antiques and worth restoring rather than replacing for that very reason.  However, some stained glass windows in the Fort Worth area and around Texas were made by very famous artisans or studios. In which case, restoring them is a must.  To know more about the potential monetary value you will have to have them assessed by an expert. However, even if there is no significant monetary value, the other types of value are reason enough to begin your church stained glass restoration.

For more information on stained glass restoration here in Fort Worth or to schedule an assessment, contact us at Fort Worth Stained Glass today!

3 Reasons Not To Wait to Begin Restoring Fort Worth Stained Glass

It can be distressing to deal with damage or deterioration to stained glass. Perhaps you walked into your church one morning to find out that your stained glass had been vandalized overnight by graffiti artists. Or maybe you’ve noticed some odd changes in its appearance as of late, such as yellowing of the plexiglass coloring or cloudy sections. Or, even worse, maybe your stained glass has deteriorated to the point where pieces have fallen out or cracked in half. Either way, you’re stained glass needs restoration from a Fort Worth expert.

Stained glass restoration can become expensive depending on the intensity of the project. However, most stained glass windows with minor damage can be restored at a fairly affordable cost. Either way, you may feel hesitant about proceeding with the process due to the financial aspect. But it’s important to know that when it comes to restoration, it’s best not to wait. Here’s why.

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