Newport Etched Glass
Leadbitter Glass was established way back in 1994 and we supply homes around Newport with made to order decorative glass. We also supply glass to all other areas in the UK and around the world. We manufacture and deliver bespoke Sandblasted Glass and Victorian Etched Glass Panels to homes and businesses. Etched Glass (also known as Sandblasted Glass) is a traditional type of decorative glass. Etched Glass has become the most popular form of decorative glass our studio sells. Although etched glass is traditionally used for Victorian style panels, today it is increasingly used for modern style panels. Etched Glass can be seen in many homes and commercial buildings around the Newport area. Leadbitter Glass offers free delivery to homes in the Newport area for almost every jobs we create.
Our glass studio also provides Stained Glass, Bevelled Glass and Fused Glass to clients in Newport.
See your glass before it is made!
If you order glass with us you will receive our brilliant free design service. The Client Pages Service is the ideal service to allow you to view your glass panels in your sizes before we make the actual glass. A few days after ordering, one of our glass artists will create and send you your very own Computer Generated Image. When you receive the design, you can request changes to the pattern before the artist starts work creating your panel(s). You may want a border moving or some extra decoration added to the pattern. We will make the changes you request and if you need any more changes, just let us know. There are no extra charges for alterations to the pattern you choose. We want you to be 100% happy with how your glass will look before we create it.
Your numbers up!
Etched glass is the perfect form of decorative glass for house names and numbers in door glass or Transoms. Many homes around the Newport area have panels above the front door. This glass area is commonly known as a transom but it may also be called a fanlight or a toplight. Transoms are a great place for your house name or number, or even a traditional pattern. These types of panels are one of the most popular glass orders we receive. If your house has a door transom, we can create the house name or number in your chosen font. You can also request a decorative etched glass border to finish off the panel. We can also create matching glass panels for your door if required.
Browse Our Etched Glass Galleries
Leadbitter Glass creates made to order etched glass panels from customers own drawings and photos. If you don’t have a specific design in mind, just visit our Etched Glass Gallery. We have many hundreds of decorative glass patterns to choose which are perfect for doors and windows. There are many categories to view, such as Traditional, The Edinburgh Range and Repeat Backgrounds, Modern, Victorian and more.
How is Etched Glass made?
We DO NOT simply add ‘stickers’ to glass panels and call them Etched Glass. We etch the glass with a sandblasting machine. Etched glass is made when the glass is sandblasted at high pressure. This makes the pattern permanent so it will not discolour or peel after a few short years. Some businesses appear to offer ‘Etched Glass’ but actually just apply an etched effect sticker to the glass. Stickers can discolour with exposure to the suns UV rays and the vinyl stickers will shrink. Other companies screen-print an ‘Etched Glass Effect’ onto glass and this product can also ‘yellow’. Always make sure you are getting a genuine 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 specialised machinery. This full mask is then applied to the glass with the areas of the design that need to be etched, being removed from the glass. The glass is then etched by the sand-blasting booth as a coarse grit is fired across the panel under high pressure.
Once an even etch is achieved, the remainder of the mask is removed from the glass. The protected areas of the glass have been left clear with the unprotected areas now displaying the etched finish. Single glazed glass has a protective sandblast coating applied to the etched glass side. If the glass is to be double glazed, we do not add this coating because the etched side would be protected within the sealed unit.
