Exeter Etched Glass

The Leadbitter Glass studio was established by Francis Leadbitter in 1994 and we specialise in supplying homes around Exeter and other areas of the UK with bespoke decorative glass. We manufacture and deliver Etched Glass and Victorian Etched Glass Panels to homes in the Exeter area. Etched Glass is a traditional form of decorative glass and it is one of our most popular choices ordered by clients. Although etched glass is traditionally used for creating Victorian style panels, today it is increasingly used to produce stunning modern and contemporary glass panels. Etched Glass can be found in many Exeter homes and commercial buildings. We offer free delivery to homes in the Exeter area for almost all jobs we create.

Our studio also provides Stained Glass, Bevelled Glass and Fused Glass to clients in Exeter.

If you place an order with us, you will receive our free professional design service. The Client Pages Service is a brilliant way to see how your chosen design will look in your sizes before we actually make the glass. A few days after ordering, you will get your very own Computer Generated Image for approval. You can ask for changes to the layout of the glass design before we start work on your panel(s). You may want a decorative glass border moving slightly, an extra bit of decoration added or a house number changed to a different font. We will make the requested changes and if you need any more changes, just let us know. There are no charges for requesting alterations. View the Client Pages link in the menu above to see some current works.

Your numbers up!

Etched glass is ideal for house names and numbers for door glass or Transoms. Many homes around Exeter have glass above the door and this is sometimes known as a transom. They are also known as fanlights or toplights. This are is the ideal place to display the name or number of your house. We create hundreds of house names and number panels each year and it is one of the most popular orders placed with our studio. If your home has a door transom, we can create the number or name of your home in your chosen font. You can even pick an etched glass border or other decoration to personalise your glass. We can also create matching glass panels for the door below if required.

Browse Our Etched Glass Galleries

Leadbitter Glass can create almost any pattern in any size but if you don’t know what pattern you want, check out our large Etched Glass Gallery. We have hundreds of decorative glass patterns that are perfect for internal or external doors and windows. There are many etched glass categories to browse, such as Traditional, The Edinburgh Range and Repeat Backgrounds, Modern, Victorian and much more.

How is Etched Glass made?

We NEVER use ‘stickers’ for our etched glass panels, we etch the glass. The etched glass we create is made by sandblasting the glass at high pressure so it becomes a permanent feature of the glass. Some glass companies offer ‘Etched Glass’ but actually just add a vinyl sticker to the glass. Stickers can and will ‘yellow’ over time and vinyl can and will shrink after just a short period of time. Other companies may even screen-print the ‘Etched Glass Effect’ onto the glass and this product can also ‘yellow’ in time. Always make sure you are paying for a genuine glass product because as the saying goes – Buy cheap, Buy twice. See a result of ordering fake etched glass.

The process

A temporary mask is ‘cut to shape’ by a computerised mask cutting machine. It is then applied to the glass and the areas of the pattern that need to be etched are peeled away from the mask. These areas will become the etched sections of the pattern. The stencilled glass is then inserted into the automatic sandblaster and sand is fired at high pressure across the glass. Once an even etched finish is achieved, the temporary mask is then removed. The protected areas are left clear with the unprotected areas now being etched glass. For single glazed glass, we will apply a protective sandblast coating to the etched glass side. If the glass is to be double glazed, we do not add the coating because the etched side would be contained within the sealed unit.

Etched glass supplied to any home throughout the Exeter area:

Crediton – Cullompton – Tiverton – Honiton – Sidmouth – Ottery St Mary – Budleigh Salterton – Exmouth – Dawlish – Teignmouth – Newton Abbot – Totnes – Dartmouth – Kingsbridge – Salcombe – Ivybridge – Buckfastleigh – Chudleigh – Chagford – Moretonhampstead – Okehampton – Bovey Tracey