Repair and Restoration
From time to time windows get damaged, either by a rock slung from a lawnmower, a stray (or intentional) BB, a fire, or natural disaster, etc. Don’t despair! Our studio has seen all of these things, and more. Most of these damages can be repaired, but in extreme cases, a total restoration, or in some cases, even a replacement, might be necessary. Before considering investing in repair or restoration, you should have a good idea if the window (panel) is worth it. Just because it is old, does not mean it is priceless – a lot of inferior work was done in the old days! Also, churches especially, would install inexpensive windows on a temporary basis knowing that years later, after the church construction costs were paid off, and additional funds became available, newer, more beautiful windows would replace the originals. It is interesting that some of these temporary windows are still in place and although they might be old, they might not be worth saving. The same for residential work – we have had some ugly, horribly made windows brought in for repair. When we tell the owner that the cost might be $1,500, they become incensed, they might say “Well, we only paid $150 for it at the Art Show (in the 80s!)”. The same for entryways that were bought at the local home-improvement center where one can buy a new, entire entryway with beveled glass glazed with brass came and set into an insulated unit for what some fairly simple repairs might cost.
We were recently called to consult on the status of a set of century+ old windows. They were very nice and about 20 years before, some of them had been repaired/restored. While at the site, we were shown the original documentation and invoices for some of the windows. Back then, there seemed to be some haggling over the final invoice. The original proposal said the windows would cost $1,700, the final invoice said $1,850. Interesting, yes. Cheap (by today's prices), yes. But mind you, this church was in north Florida, the studio building the windows was in New York, Boston, some other city up north – and this all happened in the late 1800s-early 1900s.! I imagine that today, because these were fairly special windows, to replace them would have cost the owner at least $75,000, each! (understand, these were not Tiffany windows either)
If a window is basically in good condition, usually meaning that the leads are still in good shape, and all that is needed is replacement of a missing or broken piece of glass, sometimes this repair can be done in situ. But when multiple pieces of glass are broken; the panel is bowed; rebars are failing or falling off; etc. a repair usually involves removing the affected panel so it can be taken to a proper studio, where all necessary materials and tools are available to the craftsman. Removal is not always a simple task - even removing one panel can take a lot of effort; accessing even one panel with ladders is not very safe; so, scaffold or even a lift might be necessary.
Then added to this, the church floor may not take the weight of a lift; lots of pews might have to be moved; pipes for the organ may be in the way; sidewalks might have to be closed, etc. There is a myriad of problems that might have to be solved. Then, just removing the panel from its opening can be touchy. Once in the studio, matching the replacement glass color and texture, and painting style can also become a problem. You will hear people say something like “our windows are so old, they don’t even make the glass anymore”. Well, that may, or may not be the case as there are at least two companies still operating that date back to at least 125 years - and they are making many of the same colors and textures they did then. Of course, some have been discontinued. But if a project is significant enough, those companies can attempt to match an old piece of glass, for a price. These are only a few of the reasons why R&R can be as costly as new stained glass.
There is not much anyone in the church can do about it if glass is broken and shards are sticking out but have not yet fallen. This becomes is an immediate safety issue. For a temporary fix, it may be necessary for someone in the church to apply a clear packing tape (conservator's tape, masking tape) over the sharp edges until a stained glass professional can get to the sire. taping has to be done, try to avoid taping any painted areas – paint that has been properly fired into glass is very durable, but if not fired well, it might come off when the tape is removed in the studio.
Beware of ANY studio that tells you they are going to repair a window in situ. Only a few types of minor damage or maintenance prodecures can be done in the field, truck or trailer but any kind of extensive repair should be done in the studio. If bowing is a problem, DO NOT allow a repair person to attempt to flatten the panel while it is still installed. This can cause additional damage by breaking joints, breaking leads, and worst of all, breaking glass and will weaken the overall life of the panel dramatically.
It should also be noted that some problems (or causes of problems) might not be observable until the windows are removed from their openings. But this is usually rare. A good consultant should be able to find most problems and include them on their final evaluation although it is just like anything else that you have repaired, unforeseen or masked problems do occur. Unfortunately, for some companies, this has become a standard business practice (in an effort to raise the final price). So due diligence is necessary in selecting a studio to do your work. Be sure to check references.
Restoration is a much more involved process than repair. Leads will deteriorate over the years. Some windows in a facility may age faster than others depending on each one’s exposure – even panels in the same window can age at different rates. When you start noticing a white/gray powder or crystals forming on the exterior of the leads; cracks in the solder joints; rebars (horizontal bars, usually attached to the interior of a panel with wire twists or soldered directly to the lead) are sagging or falling off; water leakage or stains on the lower sides and sill of the window; these are signs that the windows need some serious attention. The window is telling you that it is sick.
If you notice that a panel is bowed, this could be the indication of a number of things, none of them good. Sometimes, the putty (cement) is still soft in a panel/window when it is installed (too early) because it was not given enough time to set up completely. It might decide to bow during its first few months after installation. Sometimes, this not a problem – the cement will probably set up eventually, get hard, and still do its job of keeping out weather and light and making the panel stiffer and stronger. But, bowing beyond this, is a sign that something could be seriously wrong with the window ( i.e., frames, improper fit, etc.). A panel can bow so dramatically, that the glass edges come out of the lead came. If you notice this, then you need to have the situation addressed, soon.
A full restoration usually begins with a site evaluation/consultation in which a stained glass professional, with ample and proper experience, examines both the interior and exterior of a window. Since the client is not usually on the ladder, scaffold or lift, the consultant will take photos so they can point out problems at a later date. A complete consultation will include a diagram showing the location of each window (its name, number or some other signifier); photos (hopefully of each panel, especially those that show excessive damage); a written description of the problems with the problem panels. Keep in mind, we may be talking about 4-5 panels in a site that has windows with 120 panels total. The consultant should put together an evaluation form indicating where the damage is located, and recommend a treatment protocol (I know, this sounds a little medical but remember my major in college!) This becomes a spec sheet. It is normally proper that the consultant do only that, consult and write a report. It is usually considered improper for a consultant to “bid” on the work himself/herself. In reality, some consultants are good consultants, but terrible technicians. The consultant might offer an estimated price for the various portions of the overall job, but no consultant should say that this project is worth “x” dollars, when in reality it is maybe “2x” that project.
Another word about photos, documentation, specs, etc. The owner needs to make at least a couple of copies of these. Keep one in the church safe, give one to a member of the congregation, etc. Make sure this info is retrievable. I know of two churches at least that have lost every bit of their church art, windows included, in fires in the past two years. This information, as well as any other documentation you might have on the windows, and other art, should be archived. It will be invaluable to a stained glass studio if a window ever needs to be replaced and probably also in filing insurance claims. And, make sure all of your art is insured properly. Sometimes insurance companies will make a payout, based on current value, but current value for what type of windows? Sometimes only for generic windows. If you happen to have very special windows, then you can have a special marine or art riders attached to your general insurance policy, and I do not think the cost is too great. It is worth considering.
The owner should use the consultant’s specifications to locate qualified studios to interview about doing the described. On many projects the owner will send out a RFP (request for proposal) or RFQ (request for qualificaitons). The owner should review all submittals, then, create a short-list and acutally interview these studios just as they would be interviewing studios for new work. Remember, a repair or restoration may equal, or exceed, the price of an entirely new set of windows. The owner, committee member, someone, will be required do a little work locating a qualified studio, but the owner can always contact the Stained Glass Association of America. For large, significant projects, all Accredited (Accredited Professional) Members of the SGAA should be qualified. For smaller projects, Associate (or Professional) Members might suffice. Regardless, it is always in the owners best interests to check out a prospective studio's bona fides.
In some cases, a total restoration may be needed, but this is not usually the case. It has been pointed out that all windows, even if installed at the same time, will age differently depending on the conditions listed previously, and more. Even if a window has 12 panels, it is likely that not all of those 12 panels will age at the same rate. And, it was more common in the old days for windows to be installed as donations became available, with the time span stretching as much as 30-40 between. Beware of a studio that recommends restoring all of your windows at one time. When we evlauate a restoration project, we usually like to prioritize those windows/panels in the order of those needing attention first. This is just a ball-park scenario but consider a site with 12 windows, 8 panels each, all facing different directions, prevailing winds (and storms), vegetation on the outside of them, heating and AC vents placed in less that optimum locations, a major pipe organ, etc., then add the fact that a lot of old winodws were set into operable ventilators (stained glass does not like to be moved, expecially out of the vertical position). I think you get the point. None of those windows are going to age at the same rate.
Total restoration can mean at least two things; a. all the windows are removed and restored at the same time; b. one window is totally restored. In the later case, a total restoration means that after the window is removed, it is transported to a facility, where it is often soaked in water for a period to clean the glass and softer some of the putty/cement between the glass and lead. Then all of the lead is very carefully removed. The glass is very gently cleaned, then placed on a rubbing (drawing made over the panel before it is disassembled - this is essentially the cartoon - a fullsize drawing with notes,), Then the glass is reglazed using new (and usually greatly improved) lead came, then resoldered, recemented and reinstalled. Hopefully, during this time, any frame remediation has been made.
JPS (and most of our colleagues/competitors) generally use the more conservative approace to restoration. Of course, priortizing the work is critical. But also, a total restoration of an entire set of maybe 12 windows (96 panels using the previous example) uses a lot of studio personnel and time. And it could be a massive up-front financial hit on the owner. It is best for us to triage (again, my pre-med comes through!) the project. The spreads the work out over a longer period which is better for the studio, and is much better financially, for the owner. And the windows will be happy as well.
If these windows are important and/or significant to the owner, then much care should be exercised in studio selection. Ask where the work will be done on the windows. Is the studio actually doing the work in-house or subbing the work out? Subbing some work is not necessarily a bad thing, especially some parts of it, but the owner needs to know who is responsible for the glass as soon as the first workman gets on-site, until the re-installation is complete and the last worker leaves. What kind of warranty does the restoration studio offer? Whose insurance (the studio's or the sub's) is responsible? If the contracted studio is not responsible for the overall project, from beginning to end, then look for another studio. Make sure that all of these conditions are stated in the proposal prior to executing it.
We hope the information contained in this section is of help if you are considering repairs or restoration work. Although we prefer to deal with new work - the owner of this studio after all is considered by many to be an artist, not just a businessman. We occasionally will do some restoration work if the project is interesting, or if the owner could not find anyone else willing to tackle the project! Examples of our restorations are featured in the R &R Galley (see photos of Sisters of St. Thomas Aquinas, Brooksville FL, and First United Methodist Church, Winter Park, FL.).