Beautified Leaded Glass Window

Dimensions: Length 47 inches, Height 12 inches, Thickness 1 inch, Weight 9 pounds. This restored piece would add some vintage elegance to your home whether hung on a wall or in front of a window. If you tell me whether you’d like to hang it horizontally or vertically, I’d be happy to attach some D-rings to make it that little bit easier for you. $200. Click here to purchase.

The Story

I found this item half-buried in a dumpster, in front of a small apartment building undergoing a complete renovation, in my Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. It was partly covered in what appeared to ashes. Both the leaded window itself and and the oak frame had suffered from extended exposure to the elements; I’m fairly sure it had once been one half of an exterior window on the building’s second floor; sadly, I was unable to find the matching piece under all debris in the dumpster. I recognized this as a classic diamond-in-the-rough. I removed the hardware and the badly weathered trim that held the window in place, inside the frame. I cleaned each pane using glass cleaner and then a razor blade. Where material between the lead and the glass had fallen out, I carefully pressed down the lead channel to create a better seal with the glass. I used steel wool to clean all the lead surfaces. I trimmed one long side of the wood frame to make it the same width as all the other sides. I used a belt sander and hand sanding to strip away the old varnish and grime, restoring a smooth clean frame. I added a brass screw in each of the four corners to stabilize the loose joints; they’re on the back side, where you won’t see them. It bothered me that the original trim had obscured the four outside edges of the window; I wanted to show off the perimeter pieces of lead. So, when reassembling the piece, rather than use wooden trim on both sides, as in the original, I used it only on the back side, where you won’t really see it. On the front side, I used 10 nickel-plated shelf tabs, which I positioned unobtrusively in line with the short perpendicular pieces of the window. Thus, you now see a lot more of the lead part of the leaded glass window. I finished the frame (and the new trim) using Minwix “Provincial” stain and two coats of Minwax water-based clear satin Polycrylic. I think it’s beautiful now, and hope you do, too.

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