A few months ago, I realized that I really needed to update our windows and a few other glass fixtures around the house. I started searching for a great glass shop in the area, and I was able to find a place that I felt really good about. I worked with them to replace our mirrors, our glass shower enclosures, and our windows. When we were finished, our house looked and felt brand new on the inside and the outside. I was really impressed with how much of a difference those changes made. This blog is all about installing better glass in your home.
If you move into a home that has antique windows, if you are like some homeowners, you will want to keep the windows intact just because they give character to the older home. However, this kind of glass repair will call for some specialized attention. You could easily just have the windows yanked out and replaced with new versions, but some of the antiquated features of windows from the past are hard to match. When you are planning to have the glass windows renovated, there are a few things you should know. Here are a few of the most common questions about restoring antique glass windows.
Who works with antique glass?
Not every glass repair contractor offers antique glass repair. The people who work with antique glass are highly skilled in the trade and some have inherited family businesses from previous glass workers. Restoring antique glass is a totally different process than working with regular glass, often involving different tools and steps to make the glass appear more aged and worn. If the local glass contractor does not offer the service, they can likely get you in touch with someone who does.
Can individual panes of glass that are damaged be replaced and still match?
If you have large colonial windows with individual glass panes or even stained glass windows, it is not uncommon for one or more of the glass pieces to be cracked or missing in an older home. Because the glass that is still in place is older, using new glass panes to replace what is damaged would leave you with mismatched glass panes that would be fairly obvious. If you take the windows to a professional tradesman who is skilled with old glass repair, they will manipulate new glass to achieve the same appearance as close as possible.
Is it also possible to save the hardware from older glass windows?
Many older windows have unique hardware pieces, such as latches and locks, that would be a shame to just throw away. Unfortunately, these hardware pieces may be corroded or covered with years of paint layers. You can often remove old paint and corrosion by soaking the pieces in a crock pot overnight and then cleaning with a wire brush.
Before you disregard the old windows that you have in your home as unsalvageable, talk to a glass repair professional about options you may have to save them. In the end, keeping a home with its natural components, right down to the windows and glass, can create the most beautiful result. For more information on glass repair, talk to a company like One Cut Glass.
Share7 August 2015
