How to do glass gilding?
Below you’ll find a photo of a gold leaf sample letter on glass. We made this glass gilding sample letter by hand at the shop. This sample has a matte 23 karat gold leaf interior with a mirror gold leaf outline, plus a painted black outline and shadow. We sent the glass gilding sample letter to the owners of Filomena Restaurante in Washington, DC. In short, the owners approved the letter, and we completed the window gilding at their eatery shortly after that. This was an exciting installation, and we would love to do more projects like it.
What’s the difference between matte gold leaf and mirror gold leaf?
Matte gold leaf and mirror gold leaf are the same type of leaf. We achieve the difference in look and texture by using different methods during application. For a matte letter, we lay the gold leaf on a clear adhesive coat. For a mirror letter, we use a traditional technique known as water gilding, which lets the gold leaf lie directly against the glass and creates a mirror-like effect.
Glass gilding for restaurant windows
We used this technique to gild the restaurant windows at Filomena Restaurante in Georgetown, Washington, DC. First, we prepared the glass and gilded the matte gold sections. Then we returned the next day to add the mirror gold leaf sections. At last, we backed up the entire letter with black Sherwin-Williams paint.
See more glass gilding in Washington, DC and Baltimore.
- Glass Gilding, our specialty, finished at the All Souls Bar.
- The Finest Glass Gilding at Barcelona; it’s a great bar.
- Glass Gilding at The Mt Washington Tavern turned out perfect.
Contact Designs & Signs
Ready for glass gilding? Send us a message through our contact form, or call (410) 798-5115. You’ll find us at 1131 Central Ave. East, Edgewater, MD 21037.
