STAINED GLASS STAIR RAIL INSERTS - THE FINISHED PRODUCT

How I created a stained glass stair railing - from boring rails to an eyecatching feature. #stainedglass #leadlight

STAINED GLASS/LEADLIGHTING

Last year I wrote a post about ticking leadlighting off my bucket list. I hadn't realized that leadlighting wasn't a common term - I assumed everybody interchanged it with stained glass, but apparently that's not the case..... Anyway, I made a very simple stained glass image that resulted in a few cuts and bandaids - and an amazing sense of achievement when I'd finished it.

STAINED GLASS AND CREATIVITY

I'm not the craftiest person in the world (I've posted about being referred to as the "AntiCraft" previously!) I find most craft projects incomprehensible - I lack the flair or the creative juices needed to immerse myself in anything beyond a bit of colouring in.

Then, along came stained glass - it fits very neatly into my skill set. Having spent many, many years in the dental field, I have great attention to detail and good manual dexterity. Both of these are go-to qualities when it comes to cutting glass and fitting it all together - even some of the tools had direct correlations to ones I'd used in my hygienist days of old. Needless to say, I've finally found a craft that I'm good at.

stained glass project - www.crestingthehill.com.au

THE NEXT STEP - A STAINED GLASS STAIR RAIL

After finishing my starter project (the candle pictured above), I decided to take a risk and embark on something bigger and more challenging. We have a staircase in our house that has an extremely utilitarian set of railings - very basic and not particularly attractive to look at. I've spent years wondering what to do with it, and then I had an idea where the stained glass skills could come into their own.

How I created a stained glass stair railing - from boring rails to an eyecatching feature. #stainedglass #leadlight

Above is the original staircase and below is the staircase with some lily templates in place. I'm not very arty, so my husband designed the lilies (I'm a big fan of calla lilies) to fit in between the rails - with the concept of removing every second railing to allow for each panel to fit.

How I created a stained glass stair railing - from boring rails to an eyecatching feature. #stainedglass #leadlight

This is how our stairs looked over Christmas and New Year while we let it settle in our heads and got feedback from visitors - and then I started putting it all together at the beginning of February. I wrote a post in the early days about the initial stages of the stained glass stair rail and doing the first panel. From there it progressed in leaps and bounds (you get faster as you get into the swing of things). Many, many hours later - (several days worth of hours) - it's a very painstaking process, I'm finished and we even had the railing powder coated black to match in with the lead. 

THE END RESULT

How I created a stained glass stair railing - from boring rails to an eyecatching feature. #stainedglass #leadlight

We're really happy with the end result - it is all that we'd expected it to be and more. I think it will be the only big project I do in the house (we don't want to live in a cathedral) but it's nice to have something that I actually created in our home.

The other lovely side benefit is the compliments I receive on the staircase. People often remark on it (thinking it was done by a professional leadlighter) and when I tell them that I did it all they are even more impressed. For a person with limited DIY and craft skills, this staircase update has been a massive boost to my self-esteem!

RELATED POSTS:

Learning how to create a stained glass panel

Phase 1 of my stained glass stair rail project



How I created a stained glass stair railing - from boring rails to an eyecatching feature. #stainedglass #leadlight

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31 comments

  1. It's as gorgeous as I knew it was going to be! Love it, Leanne!

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    1. thanks Regina - I'm really happy with it (although I keep coming up with different ideas for what I could have done instead - I'm becoming a bit of a stained glass tragic!)

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  2. That is very smart - well done! I have always wanted to try my hand at stained glass and I am definitely putting it on my bucket list now!

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    1. It's a good bucket list item Amanda - you can do it at any age and stage - all you have to do is find a good teacher and a spot in your house to put the finished product.

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  3. Wow. You should be happy. That looks amazing.

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    1. thanks Carla - it came out really well in the end and it's a big improvement on the original staircase.

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  4. I love the way it looks. Great job and well done! Looks to be a focal point now not just a staircase.

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    1. that's the effect I was hoping for Haralee - it was very pedestrian before :)

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  5. What a lovely project and congratulations on completing it, Leanne.

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    1. thanks Corinne - I must admit to breathing a sigh of relief once it was in place!

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  6. Love it. Your stairwell looks inviting now.

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    1. thanks Jennifer - it's much prettier than it was!

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  7. That looks awesome. I have wanted to try stain glass for quite some time. Maybe I should just do it.

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    1. If you can find a good teacher than my advice would be to go for it :)

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  8. Leanne that is gorgeous!I absolutely love it. No more anti-craft you knocked it out of the park with this one.

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    1. thanks Rena - I won't be launching into scrapbooking or quilting anytime soon though ;)

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  9. Wow! Leanne, it's absolutely gorgeous. I love stained glass. I've never seen (or heard of) a stained glass staircase though. This is a (beautiful) first for me. Ooooh how I'd love the same. Lucky lady... enjoy :)

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    1. thanks so much Kimmie - my teacher hadn't seen one done either (and he's been doing leadlighting for decades) I'm really happy with the end result.

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  10. Really professional. Well done x

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    1. thanks Suzi - I don't think I'm ready to make a career out of it though :)

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  11. That's gorgeous!

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    1. thank so much Lisa - it's nice to have a good response :)

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  12. This is absolutely GORGEOUS !! I honestly have never seen such staircase

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    1. It was my own invention Winnie and it feels really stable still so I don't have to worry about the safety aspects!

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  13. Wow, that is so cool! Great job!

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    1. thanks Wendy - for a non-crafty person I am quite proud of my efforts x

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  14. Leeanne, your project came out beautifully! I'm so glad that I got to see the finished product. Thanks for keeping us abreast of your new hobby at the Over the Moon Link Party.

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    1. thanks for the love Sandy - I'm really happy with the outcome and it will probably be the only piece I ever do, but you never know!

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  15. What a lovely idea! And it looks so lovely. I need to see the other parts of your home!
    Carol
    www.carolcassara.com

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  16. Best blog i have read on this topic. Keep posting blogs like this.

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