Protective Glazing
Attention to the latest literature on restoration combined with our experience, has led to the development of our innovative vented stormglazing system. This system not only protects your stained glass and frames from deterioration, but also offers a clean, neat exterior appearance following the shape of your window and tracery.
Our aluminum T-bar is 1″ X 1″ X 1/8″ and comes in either a hard or soft alloy. The addition of this aluminum to a large window adds structural support by reinforcing the wood frame. By using the soft alloy on curves, we are able to follow the tracery of a gothic or rose window, producing a logical, neat exterior appearance. If you visit the Storm Glazing section of our Gallery you will see examples of our stormglazing system.
We have an unobtrusive system for the venting of the air space between the stained glass and exterior glazing. This venting allows the air to exchange freely, limiting the damages caused by heat damming and excessive humidity.
Glass is set into the aluminum frame with a flexible sealant that does not harden like older style putty glazing, or shrink like vinyl spline glazing. Our system allows easy replacement by a local glass company, thus saving on future maintenance costs.
The brick-to-brick installation covers most of the wood frame, protecting intricate tracery and sills from rot and deterioration. Maintenance costs are reduced by the lessened need for painting and scraping of frames. For most applications we use 4 mm. float glass to give strength and a clean, flat appearance. If vandalism is a concern, we also offer 4 or 5mm. tempered glass, which offers five times the strength.
It is usually straight forward to apply the aluminum framework and install the glass on a window. This was not the case for the south rose window at St. Peter’s Basilica in London.
A level plane from one side of the window to the other is required to install the aluminum T-bar and protective glass. In this case, it was necessary to install custom made aluminum “stand-offs” to create this condition because parts of the frame protruded about 3″ further to the exterior of the building than others. Notice the level line to insure proper installation in the picture below. One of the custom made stand-offs is visible next to the level line.
Here is how the window looked with the old storm glass. It allowed no venting, and trapped moisture in the wood and leaded panels. Protecting the wood tracery from water damage is important. It is not unusual to find frames that have areas in which water can collect. Wood rot is a problem in these areas,and the cost of replacing a tracery frame is often prohibitive
Below is the finished storm glazing system with venting in place and the wood work all protected from weather.
Please visit the Storm Glazing section of the picture gallery for some other examples of our storm glazing system.