Stained Glass Encapsulation
Encapsulation (Triple Glazing)
The term encapsulation simply means to encase a leaded light / stained glass panel between two pieces of 4mm toughened glass inside a sealed double glazed unit, essentially making it triple glazed. The benefits of this are to retain heat, protect and preserve the leaded light and make cleaning much easier. The drawback of this is that an encapsulated unit is thicker than a single glazed panel. Meaning that the original frame/door may not be suitable and therefore may need to be modified or replaced.
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Contact us for any questions or enquiries you may have about encapsulation.
Encapsulating existing leaded lights
The encapsulation process starts with removing and temporarily boarding or glazing the window/door. In most cases there will be a small reduction in size to compensate for the butyl sealant and spacer bar around the double glazed unit. We remove the necessary amount of glass evenly from each side. Occasionally we will need to increase the size. This can be done in a few different ways, which would be discussed if appropriate. At this time, we would carry out any repairs that are needed.
You can see more about the repair process here.
We then solder new lead around the perimeter and thoroughly clean and polish the glass and lead to a high standard. The leaded light will then be encapsulated into a toughened double glazed unit, ready for glazing into the new or existing frame.
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 1930's Leaded Lights, Encapsulated Into New Hardwood FramesInternal and external view of leaded lights encapsulated inside double glazed units. |  Encapsulated 1930's Leaded Lights, installed into a new uPVC frameInternal and external view of leaded lights encapsulated inside double glazed units. |
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 Installing Encapsulated Units Into The Original FrameIf possible, we will install the encapsulated units into the existing frames, which reduces cost, and preserves the character of the property. |