London Etched Glass

A little bit about us

The Leadbitter Glass Studio, established in 1994, produces 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 craft elegant contemporary designs. Etched panels are a very popular choice for homes in the London area. We even supply the popular London Etched Glass border that is an etched glass panel with a thin clear stripe around the edge. Almost every panel we manufacture will qualify for free delivery to homes in the London area.

We produce other forms of Decorative Glass for London clients, including Bevelled Glass, Overlay Stained Glass and Fused Glass panels.

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 a proof a few days after you place your order. You then have the opportunity to request changes to the layout before we produce the panel, 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 London area:

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

Victorian Etched Glass Doors London – W1

A client in London recently requested 8 toughened etched glass panels to feature a Victorian Etched Glass theme. The customer had spotted our Edinburgh Range and wanted one pair like that, but the other 3 pairs needed to just include a small motif in each corner. You can view the designs here – Victorian Etched Glass Doors

Etched Glass Butterfly Door London SW18

This unique door design was supplied to a London client and she really loved butterflies! The unique design was created with a decorative border along with numerous butterflies flying around the glass centre. You can see the drawing we created here – Etched Glass Butterflies London.

Shaped Victorian Etched Glass Doors – London

We created glass for a traditional shaped London door in 2022. The glass shapes were quite unique and we supplied them as 4mm toughened safety glass. The pattern chosen was a flat etched version of a brilliant cut design. You can see the approved drawing here – Shaped Etched Glass Door

Traditional Etched Glass Circle Window – TW4 London

A client recently requested one of the circle features from our Edinburgh Range. They wanted the design to be featured on its own for a Port Hole window. You can see the drawing we supplied to the client before we made the actual etched glass here – Victorian Etched Glass Port Hole

Abstract Etched Glass Circles Door – London

We created a unique design for a London client recently. Their door was also quite unique with 4 small panels glazed at the top. Two larger panels below finished the glazed areas off. You can see our CGI drawing here – Abstract Circles Door

Victorian Etched Glass Re-production Door – London

We were asked to create a new set of glass panels based on an old Victorian design recently. The client supplied a photo of some old glass they found and asked us to create new panels based on this image. We created this proof for approval before we started making the actual etched glass – Victorian Etched Glass Re-production

Circus Style Font House Number – London N16

Our studio created a very original House Number panel recently. The client provided the artwork for this specific font and we created the toughened etched glass exactly as the customer requested it. the glass was supplied as a single glazed toughened panel – Circus Themed House Number

Art Deco Door Glass – SW4 London

We created a stunning pair of Art Deco door glass panels for a London client recently. The slim door glass panels were made using safety glass and contained very subtle clear sections which allowed the design to aid with privacy. See the design here – London Etched Glass Art Art Deco Doors

Etched Glass Vestibule – London

A client approached us with a request for etched glass panels to be supplied for their vestibule entrance recently. The house name was to be featured in the top panels but they wanted to keep their door glass fully clear. You can see photos of the finished vestibule here – London Etched Glass Vestibule Door

London! 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 London 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 Etched Glass is 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.

Leadbitter Glass supplies Etched Glass to all boroughs of London including:

Bromley – Croydon – Kingston upon Thames – Sutton – Hounslow – Ealing – Harrow – Brent – Barnet – Enfield – Waltham Forest – Redbridge – Barking – Dagenham – Havering – Newham – Tower Hamlets – Greenwich – Lewisham – Southwark – Lambeth – Wandsworth – Richmond – Merton – Hammersmith – Fulham – Kensington – Chelsea – Westminster – Camden – Islington – Hackney – Haringey – Hillingdon – Brentwood – Dartford – Gravesend – Basildon – Thurrock – Slough

and these areas:

Ilford – Romford – Hornchurch – Upminster – Rainham – Bexleyheath – Sidcup – Erith – Belvedere – Welling – Orpington – Swanley – Chislehurst – Petts Wood – Bromley – Beckenham – Penge – Crystal Palace – Sydenham – Forest Hill – Dulwich – South Norwood – Norwood – Thornton Heath – Mitcham – Morden – Sutton – Cheam – Carshalton – Wallington – Purley – Coulsdon – Chessington – Epsom – Ewell – Banstead – Tadworth – Walton-on-Thames – Weybridge – Chertsey – Addlestone – Sunbury-on-Thames