Northampton Etched Glass

Leadbitter Glass was established way back in 1994 and our studio supplies decorative glass panels to homes around Northampton. We also deliver to all other areas in the UK and around the world. From our Northamptonshire studio 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 form of decorative glass. Etched Glass has recently become the most popular form of glass our studio sells. Although etched glass is traditionally used for Victorian style panels, it is increasingly being used for modern style panels. Etched Glass can be seen in many homes and commercial buildings around the Northampton area. Leadbitter Glass offers free delivery to homes in the Northampton area for almost every jobs we create.

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

See your glass before it is made!

If you order glass with us you will receive our brilliant design service. The Client Pages Service is the ideal service to allow you to view your glass panels in your glass sizes before the glass is made. 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 may want to request changes to the pattern before the artist starts work on the panel(s). You may want a border moving or an element of the design resizing. We will make the changes you request and if you need any more changes, just let us know. We do not charge extra 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 Northamptonshire 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. 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 favourite font. You can also add a decorative etched glass border to finish off the look of 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 already know what design you want, just visit our Etched Glass Gallery. There are hundreds of decorative patterns to view 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 just add a sticker to a glass panel and call it Etched Glass. We etch the glass with a powerful sandblasting machine and the pattern becomes permanent. Etched glass is made when the glass is sandblasted at high pressure. Our etched glass 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 will ‘yellow’ after time. 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’ with your chosen design, by specialised machinery. This full mask is then applied to the toughened 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 at the glass panel under high pressure.

Once an even etch is achieved, the remainder of the decorative mask is removed from the glass. The protected areas of the glass have now been left clear with the unprotected areas now displaying an etched glass finish. We apply a protective sandblast coating to single glazed panels. 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.

Etched glass supplied to any home throughout the Northampton area:

Kettering – Corby – Wellingborough – Rushden – Daventry – Brackley – Desborough – Towcester – Raunds – Irthlingborough – Higham Ferrers – Earls Barton – Rothwell – Duston – Moulton – Hardingstone – Bugbrooke – Kingsthorpe – Long Buckby – Billing