Glass is 'etched' by various means of altering the surface. The earliest techniques were acid etching and copper wheel engraving. Acid etching produces a variety of different obscure frosted grey and semi obscure tones depending on the acid formulation employed. Where the glass is to remain clear it has to be masked off with material to resist the acid. Copper wheel engraving uses a small rotating abrasive head to incise decorative patterns in the glass. This 'cut' glass is then polished by progressively smoother wheels.


       In the1860's acid etching and brilliant cutting started to be done on a semi industrial scale for the burgeoning  house market. The invention of the large rotating stone wheel for the technique of 'brilliant cut' glass (see above left) bore fruit in the very elaborate panels mostly seen in pubs. In the late 1870's craftsmen invented means of imitating acid etching more cheaply with sandblasting.


      In a Victorian property the choice of etched glass or leaded lights was made by the developer of the block or street of houses. The entrance way normally indicates the choice and this style will be repeated in suitable windows in the rest of the building. 

If the choice was etched glass, the best quality was often reserved for the front door and it's surrounding panels. Internal doors and windows  either maintained the quality of the entrance way or utilised repeat patterns, with or without a bespoke border.

Older glass was generally thin and brittle which, along with the war, ball-games and the sixties, explains its widespread loss.

Sash windows now normally use 4mm annealed glass. Annealed means normal untoughened glass. This is usually sturdy enough for the purpose. 

Doors and surrounding panels up to chest height are legally required to be in safety glass. Safety glass is either toughened (or 'tempered') glass or laminated glass. Toughened glass is made by heating and cooling the individual piece of glass in a way which makes it up to three or four times more resistant to breaking. It is used in car side windows and as we all know will break into little chunks if hit hard enough. 

Laminated glass (as used in modern car windscreens) is made by sandwiching two sheets of thinner glass around a plastic interlayer. When impacted, laminated glass will crack but stay in one piece. Wherever possible we use 6.04mm laminated glass because it offers better security in terms of resistance to intrusion - and because we do not have to wait for the time-consuming toughening process. We recommend laminated glass as back-up to leaded lights. Toughened glass is recommended where safety and a polished edge is required - as in shower doors, shelves and table tops. Safety glass is legally required in certain locations. 

We can incorporate any kind of glass into double glazed sealed units to any specifications.

We offer a full measure and fit service; mainly in the Greater London area. 

Measuring DIY tips - press here.