Greenwich Etched Glass

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

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

Every customer that places an order with us will receive our free design service. The Client Pages Service is a brilliant way to see how your chosen design will look in your sizes before our artists actually make the glass. A few days after ordering, you will receive your very own Computer Generated Image for approval. You can ask us for changes to the layout of the pattern before we start work on your panel(s). You may want a decorative glass border moving slightly or an extra bit of decoration added. Maybe even a different font. We will make the changes you request 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 the perfect glass style for creating house names and numbers for door glass or Transoms. Many homes in the Greenwich area have glass above the door and this is sometimes known as a transom. This panel is also known as a fanlight or toplight. This is the ideal place to display the name or number of your house. We create hundreds of house name 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 a decorative etched glass border or other decoration to personalise your glass. We can also create matching glass panels for your door if required.

Browse Our Etched Glass Galleries

Leadbitter Glass can create almost any decorative glass pattern in any glass size but if you don’t know what pattern you want, check out our comprehensive Etched Glass Gallery. We have over 1000 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’ to create etched effect panels, we actually 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 companies offer ‘Etched Glass’ but actually just add an etched glass effect sticker to the glass. Stickers can and will ‘yellow’ with exposure to the suns UV rays 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 decorative mask is ‘cut to shape’ by a computerised mask cutting machine. This is 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 design. The stencilled glass is then inserted into a sandblast machine and sand is fired at high pressure across the glass.

Once an even etched finish is achieved, the temporary mask is then peeled away from the glass. The protected areas are left clear with the unprotected areas now being etched glass. For single glazed glass, we apply a protective sandblast coating to the etched glass side. If the glass is 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 Greenwich area:

London – Croydon – Bromley – Dartford – Romford – Ilford – Barking – Walthamstow – Enfield – Watford – Harrow – Ealing – Uxbridge – Slough – Hounslow – Twickenham – Richmond – Kingston upon Thames – Orpington – Gravesend – Chelmsford