The challenge in projects like this one, which is 100 years old, is finding matching glass. We visited The Paul Wissmach Glass Company (1904) in West Virginia and found some of the border colors. For the background, we worked with Kokomo Opalescent Glass Co. (1888) in Kokomo, Indiana, who found matching glass in their storage.
This historic Episcopal church in downtown Chatham was in need of some attention. Though the lead was in good shape, some of the windows had bowed considerably, requiring us to remove them from the sashes, repair broken pieces and flatten the windows. All of the windows in the church were strengthened with a waterproofing compound. Protective coverings, made from tempered glass, was then placed over the windows to protect them from wind and driving rain.
This project required the removal of plastic that was used as protective covering and in turn “yellowed.” Usually the yellowing effect appears around 15 years after installation. After prepping and painting the frames, we installed clear tempered glass that will never yellow.
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Before restoration
This church is an excellent example of our approach toward beautiful small country churches. Our philosophy is not to obscure or override the aesthetics of the wood molding and building architecture, but to blend seamlessly, to be all but invisible. We use only tempered glass, which never fades or yellows. On this church, we removed the old, hazy, yellowed plexiglass, painted all the wood, and installed new tempered glass. |
Removing old covering |
Installing new glass covering |
“We have had Wayne and his crew do some window memorial plates for a number of years. When we needed to replace our window coverings for our stained glass windows Wayne Cain was the fist person I thought of. We gave him a call and right away he came down and looked at the windows, gave us the cost and date that he would start.“Working with Wayne and his crew was great. They were very professional about what they were doing. The workmanship was great and they keep everything clean. Sometimes we had some things going on at the church and he would work around it. If I was to ask who I would get to do a job like that it would be Wayne Cain without a doubt.”Jackie O’BerryWakefield Baptist Church Wakefield, VA. |
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One of the great pleasures of our work is working on beautiful stained glass windows that inspire our own work. This chapel is full of beautiful windows, and the intimacy that evolves in the detailing we do in restoration often gives us a feeling of kinship with the original artist.
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Removing faded and yellowing plastic coverings and replacing them with clear tempered or safety glass with proper venting systems is an important part of what we do to preserve the integrity of our clients architecture. |
This was a complete restoration, in which we removed each window, removed the old putty and glazing and replaced with new. This process not only strengthened the windows, but leaves them looking as when they were first installed. Painting and caulking of the frames, followed by the installation of tempered glass that is recessed to preserve the trim-work around the windows.
Established in 1817, Bethel has become a vital part of the community life in Midlothian, and has achieved both national and state recognition for the registry of historic places.
Just in time for their 100th anniversary, they commissioned us to replace their yellowed plexiglas and repair their stained glass windows.
These wonderful windows were hidden under over a hundred years of filth, covered up so that no light was able to shine through them at all. Many of the more than thirty panels were in severe disrepair as well, bowing, with cracked glass and missing pieces, broken lead joints, and non-existent putty. While the hotel was being restored to welcome the Attorney General, we removed all of the windows and transported them to our studio where we completely restored them over many months. After the building renovation, the windows once again had light shining through them, and they brought the foyer alive. We were very honored to work on this project in tandem with Kjellstrom and Lee Construction, to help with the restoration of the historic Hotel Richmond.
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The finished Hotel foyer with the windows. |
A look from above. |
The three windows before restoration.
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| This beautiful home on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia was undergoing a complete restoration by Dovetail Construction, and this included the century-old beveled glass windows throughout the house. The beveled glass was removed and transported to our studio, where we carefully replaced any broken or cracked bevels with matching ones hand-ground on our antique Henry Lang machinery. We also restored the landing window, which was a beautiful trellis scene with vines and morning glories. These windows now shine again with their original brilliance, and are the highlight of the home. | |
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| This beautiful country church has been standing since 1852, and churches of this age all begin to suffer from the same maladies; slate roofs leak, stained glass repairs need to be made. We installed new 1/4″ clear tempered glass protective coverings, properly vented. We also repainted the window frames and sills, and fixed a few broken pieces of slate while we were there. |  |
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This lovely little chapel in rural Fluvanna County, Virginia was in need of some attention. Having been around for over 150 years, many of the old repairs and elements of the church were deteriorating. We invest so much effort in keeping these small church as unique and authentic as when they were first constructed. We repaired the slate roof, installed new copper flashing to the brick facade, repainted the entrance lettering, as well as installed protective coverings made of non-yellowing tempered glass. |
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Seay’s Chapel Methodist Church is a historic Methodist church located near Palmyra, Fluvanna County, Virginia. It was built between 1893 and 1902, and is a beautiful example of the types of churches we love to help. After a hailstorm destroyed most of the glass on one side of the chapel, we were tasked with matching the glass and repairing the windows.
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After the August 2011 earthquake just a few miles away, this historic church in Mineral, Virginia sustained heavy damage. A complete restoration of the church took place, and we were called upon to provide protection for the stained glass, as well as provide some insulation for the building. We installed perfectly clear 1/4″ tempered glass, which kept the integrity and profile of this beautiful country church. Glass, unlike plastic, never fades or yellows.
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This country church had recently been repainted, and they decided to replace their old yellowed plastic coverings with new tempered glass coverings. We removed all the old plastic, cleaned the frames, thoroughly cleaned the glass, and then installed the new protective coverings. The difference was night and day. Now instead of the windows being muted by the foggy plastic, they could once again be brilliant. Parishioners commented that it made the stained glass look new again. The new tempered glass will never fade or yellow. |
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“The longer we work with Mr. Cain and his studio artisans, the more convinced we are that we employed the best help we could get for the protection of our stained glass windows at Palmyra United Methodist Church. The windows are one of the most valuable parts of our church. They needed to be protected. Mr. Cain suggested to us some options and let us select the method most comfortable to us. Ron Fertile, Co-Chairman of Trustees Palmyra United Methodist Church |
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This humble country church called us to repair broken pieces within their windows and to permanently paint dedication plaques to replace the previous vinyl lettering that had failed. We also were asked to replace their wire-mesh coverings with clear tempered glass protective coverings. We repaired each broken piece with matching glass, thoroughly cleaned the windows, and then properly vented and installed the new, perfectly clear, tempered glass protective coverings.
This was a private restoration for a couple in the Washington DC area. They had a beautiful painted glass window they had brought back from England, but it had a few broken and missing pieces. We carefully matched the color of the glass, as well as the painting techniques to achieve a perfect match. You’d have to look very carefully to distinguish our work from the original.
You can explore this project more in depth on our Facebook page.
These beautiful windows had been brought to the US from England with a family once a tour was completed. They were absolutely filthy, had many broken or missing pieces, and needed some work to correct bowing and bent lead. We took our time and restored these beauties to their original luster, carefully matching each broken piece, replacing lead where needed, and thoroughly cleaning each window.
You can explore this project more in depth on our Facebook page.
Here we were asked to remove four existing windows, reconfigure the design, and relocate to a new location within the church.
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This is one of two large windows in which both of the wood frames had to be replaced. We braced the frames and removed each section of stained glass. Each window was carefully restored to revive the original beauty of the artist who created them.
For St. Paul’s we removed all of the yellowing plastic over the stained glass windows and replaced it with clear safety glass that will never fade or yellow. The stained glass windows were created almost 100 years ago by a German studio. Except for the two large windows, the stained glass was in excellent condition due to the level of craftsmanship and being protected from the elements by the plastic coverings.
This Historic Chapel, located on a private estate that dates back to before the Civil War, was being completely restored, and we were called in to repair and renew the artistic vision of the original stained glass windows. There were over 50 separate windows, each in a serious state of disrepair. We repainted each center panel, retouched numerous original pieces, and used UV resin to salvage as many broken pieces as possible. After re-leading, applying reinforcing bars, applying concrete putty, and completely cleaning each window, the final product was absolutely stunning.
To see the whole process unfold, please visit our Facebook page for Before and After photos and explanations.
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As churches grow and rebuild, they often take their stained glass windows with them. Here we removed one of the two original windows and restored it by cleaning, removing the bows, and bracing the sections. We then installed it into a light box in the new sanctuary and focused the light on the highlights of the window. |  |
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Southern exposure is hard on leaded glass. In this section of the home, the leaded glass was literally falling out of the sashes. We rebuilt the windows using the old glass and new, high quality lead came. |
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Here we removed all of the stained glass windows, brought them to our studio, and removed all of the lead cames. By releading the windows with a high quality lead, properly bracing them, and covering them with clear temper glass protective, these windows will be fine for the next 100 years.
A beautiful church in Fluvanna, Virginia with several styles of stained glass that were greatly enhanced by removing the faded plastic and replacing with clear glass protective coverings, greatly improving the quality of light.
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Removing faded and yellowing plastic coverings and replacing them with clear tempered or safety glass with proper venting systems is an important part of what we do to preserve the integrity of our clients architecture. |
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This is the original skylight window for a four-story stair case in the historic district of Baltimore, Maryland. Found in the basement, we were given this window to restore in hopes it would once again grace the top of the stairs. Caked with dirt and coal dust, sagging, lead joints broken, and also missing the center, we dismantled the four sides and went to work. We decided to make the center panel using a slight different, more opaque glass to lessen in the center and brighten the side panels. |
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This church was moving and wanted to take their stained glass window with them. We removed the old ones along with it’s frame, refurbished the windows and prepared the frame to be stained in the new sanctuary.
A couple of leaded-glass windows that we restored and replaced at college campuses in Virginia.
“We first worked with Mr. Cain in 2017 on a state university project to restore leaded glass transoms. As general contractors, we were more than impressed with Mr. Cain’s updating and reporting during the process. In addition (and most importantly!), we and the university were extremely pleased with the results.
Mr. Cain’s artistic skill set was a key component in helping us to complete restoration of this historic building. In 2018, we did not hesitate to again turn to Mr. Cain for help with restoration work at another state university, again with excellent results. We look forward to future cooperation with Mr. Cain when the next opportunity arises.”
S. Todd Weinberg, Manager
Paisley Kerr Contracting
Henrico, VA
After this historic Baptist church in Petersburg was vandalized, we were tasked to replicate the century-old window for this historic church. When a window is so badly damaged, it is sometimes best to create an all new duplicate. We matched the glass, and made a charcoal rubbing of the original, and then started the recreation. After a great deal of hard work, the finished piece brings the entryway back to life.
This project required us to reduce the size of a window to allow for a new doorway.
