I got a call from someone asking for help replacing damaged glass with old-looking wavy window glass. Normally this isn’t the sort of thing we do, but since he lived in Oakland and wanted to do the right thing for his historic home, I agreed to take the job. Most glazing contractors can’t be bothered with wavy window glass, but when you see a hundred year-old home and all the glass is original, except for two panes, the flat sheen of modern glass looks out of place.

There are a few options for sourcing this. Bendheim sells two varieties of true wavy glass; full restoration and light restoration. This glass is still made the way it used to be; a large cylinder is blown on the end of a pipe, cut and flattened in a kiln. For homes built around the turn-of-th-century, the light restoration is a perfect match. Cost can be an issue since it’s made in Germany and has to be shipped from New York. Sheet size is 40” x 42” so this works for most small homes.

For larger windows, Schott makes a high quality alternative called Restover that’s lower in cost and very similar to light restoration. They offer 3 products in larger sheet sizes and a variety of thicknesses that can be tempered, laminated and made into insulated units for those interested in energy savings and sound attenuation.

The least expensive option is to use salvaged glass. My local yard sells old sash for $5 each and always has dozens to choose from. By carefully sawing out one of the corners, the sash can be peeled away from the glass (quite easily if the window is in bad shape).

The white border in the upper panel is the glazing compound waiting for the painter.