Glasgow Etched Glass

A little bit about us

In 1994, the Leadbitter Glass Studio was established and we produce Etched Glass and Victorian Etched Glass panels for homes. Etched Glass was one of the earliest forms of decorative glass to be developed. Today it is often used to produce elegant contemporary designs. Etched panels are a very popular choice for homes in the Glasgow area. We also have a dedicated Charles Rennie Mackintosh gallery that features many etched glass patterns to choose from. You can view that gallery here – Mackintosh Gallery. Almost every panel we manufacture will qualify for free delivery to homes in Glasgow and the surrounding area.

Other forms of Decorative Glass we produce for Glasgow clients are Stained Glass, Bevelled Glass and Fused Glass

Our services

After placing your order with us, you’ll receive our free design service – known as the Client Pages Service. This is where we create a Computer Generated Proof to show your chosen design in your custom glass sizes. We’ll send you this proof a few days after you complete your order. This proof allows you to request changes before the panel is produced, ensuring you’re 100% happy with the final panel(s). You may want to alter a decorative border or increase the size of a central motif. We’ll make these amendments until you’re completely happy with the design and give us the thumbs up to begin production.

Recent Etched Glass commissions from the Glasgow area:

Leadbitter Glass has supplied many homes in and around Glasgow with our beautiful etched glass. Here are just a few examples of local orders…..

Large Etched Glass Window With Tree Branches – Glasgow

In 2017 we supplied a very large tree branch pattern across an etched glass window. The window glass was created using 6mm toughened glass and was delivered personally by us. You can view the drawing that we showed the client before manufacture here – Large Etched Glass Window Tree

Seahorse Acorns Door Etched Glass – Glasgow

In 2023 a client approached us and requested a unique door glass design to be created for their home. The double seahorse design was chosen because the wedding invites of the client had seahorses on the invitations. The client also requested an acorn and leaf border so we set about drawing a whole new design for their bespoke glass. You can see our drawing created for the client here – Etched Glass Seahorse Acorns Door.

Victorian Etched Glass Vase – Glasgow

We created a stunning piece of etched glass for a clients front door in Glasgow recently. As with most Glasgow doors, the glass sizes were a lot larger than a standard English door. The clients wanted a design that suited the traditional tenement building they lived in so they chose one of our standard traditional designs. You can view the design provided to the client here – Large Victorian Etched Half Door Panel.

Pantry Door Glass – Glasgow

Glass with Room Names have become popular over recent years and we created this Pantry Door glass for clients In Glasgow in 2017. This glass was required for an internal door that led into a pantry and the client selected one of our standard designs for their project. We supplied the glass in 4mm toughened glass and you can see the pattern here – Etched Glass Pantry Door

Elegant Bathroom Door – Glasgow

We created a simple but effective etched glass panel for a bathroom door in Glasgow recently. The design was one of our gallery designs so we just had to re-size the pattern to suit the clients unique glass sizes. You can see finished photos of the glass installed here – Victorian Etched Glass Bathroom Door.

Etched Glass Butterflies Door near Paisley – Glasgow

Way back in 2013 we supplied multiple etched glass panels to one of our regular clients in the Paisley area. On this occasion they requested a door panel featuring butterflies and reeds in 4mm toughened glass. you can see the result of the approved drawing here – Etched Glass Butterflies Door

Etched Glass Door Revival – Glasgow

One of our Glasgow clients was undertaking a project to give their hallway door a complete makeover. One of the main aspects of the door face-lift was getting rid of the old wired glass. They selected one of our Victorian Etched Glass designs and you can see great before and after photos here – Bringing A Door Back To Life

Glasgow! Your numbers up!

Should you wish to showcase your house name or number in door glass or a fanlight, opting for etched panels proves to be an excellent choice. It’s noteworthy that many homes in Glasgow feature top lights (transom lights) positioned above their doors. This particular glazed area offers an ideal location for displaying your etched house name or number. If your door is adorned with a transom window, we stand ready to craft a bespoke etched glass panel specifically showcasing your house name or number.

Given the popularity of this request among our clients, our glass artists diligently produce hundreds of these panels each year. Notably, we can tailor your custom etched panel to your preferences, utilising any font and decorative border of your choice. Furthermore, if desired, we can create etched door glass to seamlessly match the fanlights.

Browse Our Etched Glass Galleries

Our expert glass artists can produce almost any pattern you desire in etched glass. If you’re struggling to find the right design for your home, head over to our extensive Etched Glass Gallery for some inspiration. Within the gallery, there are sub-categories such as Traditional, The Edinburgh Range, Modern and Victorian. We have many more stunning designs in all forms of decorative glass across our various galleries which may also be of interest to you.

How is Etched Glass made?

We never use ‘stickers’ on our etched glass panels. We produce our etched glass the right way, by sandblasting the glass to ensure permanent and highest-quality etching. All too often, companies will tell you they offer “Etched Glass” when actually they don’t. They simply place a vinyl sticker onto the glass, so no ‘etching’ has actually taken place. Not only does this result in a poor fake ‘etched effect’, but the stickers can turn yellow. The stickers will shrink on the panel after a few years of exposure to sunlight. Companies may also declare that they use screen-printed glass for their etched glass. This type of glass also suffers from the same dis-colouration issue over time. You should always ensure you’re paying for a true ‘sandblasted‘ etched glass product for quality that lasts. You can see the problems encountered with fake etched glass here.

Our process

To begin, we cut a temporary mask using your chosen pattern and overlay it onto one side of the panel. This initial step ensures that the designated clear areas remain unetched. Subsequently, we place the masked panel inside a specialist sandblasting booth and propel coarse grit/sand at high speed across the panel. Following the completion of the etching process, we carefully remove the temporary mask, revealing the beautifully etched areas.

For single-glazed glass, an additional step involves applying a protective sandblast coating to the etched side. This coating serves to prevent any undesired grease smudges. On the other hand, when it comes to double-glazed glass, we omit the application of a protective coating. This decision is grounded in the fact that the etched side is already safeguarded within the unit.

We also supply Etched glass to the surrounding areas of Glasgow including:

Edinburgh – Aberdeen – Dundee – Inverness – Stirling – Ayr – Perth – Dumfries – Paisley – East Kilbride – Livingston – Cumbernauld – Hamilton – Kirkcaldy – Dunfermline – Kilmarnock – Coatbridge – Greenock – Glenrothes – Falkirk – Motherwell