How To Faux Stained Glass Windows and Doors To Look Like The Real Thing! Instructions and Photos

I love the look of stain glass, especailly in old Victorian houses. I live in a house that is over 100 years old. I moved and restored my house in 1984, and I have been busy ever since. I am always looking around at ways to improve my old house. The name of my old house is the Dolphin House. It was one of several guest houses that were to be demolished. I purchased the house at public auction and had it moved to its present location. I have been busy ever since restoring and improving the house. I invite you to take a look at the two Hubs I wrote about moving and restoring my old house. The links will be found at the bottom of this Hub.

I hired a professional stain glass artist to make a stain glass dolphin for the front door. I was very pleased with that. I began looking around the house to other places for stain glass such as windows and doors, but I knew I couldn’t afford a professional to make those. Then I discovered a way to do it myself! People come into my house and always comment on my beautiful stain glass. I don’t tell them I did it myself. I first tried this technique on a mirror. I was so pleased with the mirror, I decided to do my bathroom window. Next, I painted two full sized plain exterior doors and my kitchen door window pane.

I hope I have got you excited about doing faux stain glass for yourself. If so, go to a large craft store like Michael’s. You can find books filled with ideas for your project. These books have patterns and instructions for different brands of glass paint. They will give you a list of the paints and the amount you will need for whatever project you want to do.

If you can’t find the supplies to do this project locally they can be ordered directly from Amazon. You’ll need the assorted colors of paint and the black leading paint.

I decided to start learning this technique on a bathroom mirror. I would advise you to start out with a mirror because you can lay it down flat to work on it. After you have some confidence in using this technique of faux stain glass, you will be able to do larger projects such as doors and windows that will be vertical.

I cleaned the mirror well with alcohol.

I drew a pattern on the mirror using a scalloped design with a black marker.

Using the liquid leading paint, I went over the lines I made with the marker.

Wait about eight hours until the liquid leading paint has completely dried.

I filled in the lines with the liquid glass paint to get a solid white design.

My kitchen door had a plain glass panel on the top. Using one of the the designs in the book I bought, I created this faux stain glass. It turned out so well, I was encouraged to tackle the two full sized exterior doors.

When you are working on exterior windows and doors, place the pattern on the outside of the window holding it in place with masking tape. Using the pattern as a guide, draw the outlines of the pattern with the leading liquid (you would have purchased this along with the paints). Wait about 8 hours, then fill in with the colors of the glass paint.

I wanted light to come into my bathroom without sacrificing privacy. Instead of putting up curtains that would have prevented light from coming in, I did the faux glass paint technique on the window. It’s a double hung window, so I did the upper and the lower glass window.

I think this is my favorite design using the Faux Stain Glass technique. It looks just like real stain glass. I get many compliments on this work of art.

My Daughter loved the work I had done so far so she asked if she could do her bedroom exterior door using the same technique. She designed this entire project and completed the work herself. She was so proud of the way it looked when she finished. I was too!

You will find instructions in the books on Glass Painting to make Clings to apply to glass. This method is nice if you want to decorate objects such as flower vases. They can also be used to decorate your windows for seasons such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc. These are made on a special work surface using the liquid leading outline and the colors of the glass paint. When they are completely dry, you just peel off the “cling” and apply it to the glass. These “clings” come off easily when you want to take them off.

This is one of those projects that you don’t have to finish in a day! You can just work on it whenever you are in the mood. Go away and leave it alone, and start back up when you want to.

Always start with a clean window that you are going to paint on. Alcohol seems to work the best. This glass paint can be removed from your window or door if you get tired of that design and want a change, or if you just want to go back to plain glass. I don’t think you would ever go back to plain glass, but if you do: Use a single edge razor to peel the design off the glass.

There is no need to put any kind of sealant on your work when you finish.

This is a project that I have really enjoyed learning how to do. It is so rewarding after you finish and your work looks like a professional artist did the real stain glass. I get so many compliments on my work. People really admire my stain glass, and I never tell them it’s “faux” stain glass!

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Thank you so much.