Recent Gilded Work
We are often asked to produce water-leaf gilded numbers and house names for traditional properties. Unlike the majority of glazing firms (who use vinyl decals), we only use premium quality 23.5ct gold leaf for our hand-painted gilded work.
The gold leaf is applied to the back of clear glass, then painted and varnished to protect it. In stained and leaded glass panels a textured clear or opaque white glass sheet sits behind the gilding in order to add contrast and further protection during construction, but when we gild house numbers in-situ the paint and varnish is all that is required. If you have a simple painted number on plain glass above your front door, chances are it is simply painted on the reverse of the glass and can be easily renewed.
Here are some examples of recent gilding projects. Normally, the first step of a job is to recreate the original lettering. This is usually done by digitising photographs - even if only a trace of the original gold leaf is left it is usually possible to see a "ghost" of the lettering outline.
