Verre églomisé and gilded glass: specification

At a glance

Glass, leaf, paint and size statements are from our own pages. The safety distances are Approved Document K (2013), diagram 5.1. No standard for gilded glass was found.

The stack, and the order of work

Verre églomisé is the gilding of glass on its reverse: metal leaf is laid on the back of the pane with a water-based gelatine size, painted and sealed, and the glass face is the surface the viewer sees, so the gold seems to sit behind the glass (our craftsmanship page and materials page). The artist works in reverse order to a painter: highlights first, background last, in mirror image, and the viewing face is never touched during the work.

The drawing shows the stack. For a specifier it makes four things matter: the glass (type, size and when it is toughened), the leaf and paint (what will tarnish or fade), the seal (what protects the reverse and the edge) and the fixing (what holds it and where it goes). The studio coordinates this work through partner artists and glass suppliers, so this sheet says what to ask for; it does not describe the studio's own production.

Glass, toughening, safety zones and weight

Process order. Our pages say almost all the glass is toughened and that toughened glass cannot be altered once processed, so dimensions, edge details, cut-outs and bevels must be confirmed before the glass is sent for toughening. The gilding and painting happen on the finished glass. Make that a hold point: no glass goes for toughening until the shop drawing is signed. The kinds of glass, heat soaking and the standards are on the sheets on glass for lit joinery and glass shelves and table tops.

Where the safety rules bite. Approved Document K (2013 edition, England) defines critical locations for glazing (paragraph 5.1, Diagram 5.1): doors and door side panels up to 1500 mm above the floor, the part of a side panel within 300 mm of a door, and other glazing in walls below 800 mm. In those places the glazing must either break safely, meeting class 3 of BS EN 12600 or class C of BS 6206 (paragraphs 5.3 and 5.4), or be robust, be in small panes (at most 250 mm in one direction and 0.5 m² in area, annealed glass at least 6 mm; paragraphs 5.6 and 5.7) or be permanently protected by a screen (paragraph 5.8). Door panes wider than 900 mm may use class 2 or class B (paragraph 5.4b). A gilded panel in a door, a side panel or low in a wall is the case to check. Whether a decorative, non-transparent wall panel counts as glazing here is a question for building control, and the sheet does not decide it. Where it applies, the supplier states the class and gives the certificate.

Laminating. A laminated build can hold the pieces together if the glass breaks. Whether a given interlayer is compatible with gelatine size, leaf and paint was not found: ask the partner to say whether they have tested it, and which face of the gilding faces the interlayer.

Weight. Glass weighs about 2.5 kg per square metre for each millimetre of thickness (the density figure on our glass shelves sheet, from the National Glass Association), so 12 mm glass is about 30 kg per m² before the fixing. Full-height panels are heavy: ask for the panel weight and the fixing the supplier has tested.

Backing, edges and humidity

The leaf and paint sit on the back of the glass, so the back and the edges are where the finish is vulnerable. Our pages say the finished panel is sealed on the reverse with a protective paint or backing material, that unsealed leaf can fade, that a good UV sealer can prolong the colour, and that copper and brass leaf oxidise and change over time even when sealed, while high-carat gold stays true. They also describe the size as a thin layer of gelatine in water, which is why moisture is the risk to ask about.

Moisture and edges. We found no published test for gilded glass. The nearest benchmark is the silvered mirror standard BS EN 1036-1:2007 (current, under review, on BSI Knowledge on 8 November 2026): its scope is mirrors from silver-coated float glass for internal use, and its listing mentions corrosion and damp-air testing. It does not cover gilded glass, but it shows what a maker can be asked: what damp-air or condensation test has this build passed, and in what environment is it intended to live. Bathrooms, spas, kitchens, hammams and anywhere with steam or condensation are the cases to name.

Ask for the system. The seal on the reverse (what it is and how many coats), the edge treatment (sealed or protected in a frame), the leaf (type, carat, sealed or not), the paint (lightfast pigment and its light-fastness report if any), and the limits of use (humidity, direct sun, UV). Put the intended environment in the specification so the partner is answering the right question.

Mounting, cleaning and approval

Fixing. The sheet on glass and metal together gives the mirror-mounting points an earlier review took from one glass maker's guide: keep the panel off a damp or newly finished wall, leave an air gap behind it, seal processed edges, and use mechanical fixings with isolation. Those figures are not repeated here, because they were taken from a mirror guide and not a gilded-glass one. The drawing shows the principle with the gap in brackets for the supplier to fill.

Cleaning. The viewing face is glass and can be cleaned as glass. The reverse is the finish: it is never to be wetted or touched, and cleaning fluid must not reach the edge. Our pages give no care instruction for gilded glass, so ask the partner for one in writing: which cleaner, whether any is unsafe, and how to deal with a mark.

Approval. Approve a sample made in the actual build (glass, leaf, paint and seal), seen in the room's light and viewed from where people will stand, and, for a large scheme, a full-size mock-up. Our pages say every piece is unique and that work can be fluid and organic or painted to a precise composition, so write the tolerance for variation into the specification and approve the range. This sheet does not offer samples; the studio's sample wording applies (see the sample hierarchy sheet).

Reverse-gilded glass panel, [ ] × [ ] mm, [4–12] mm [low-iron] [thermally toughened to BS EN 12150-1 [edition] / laminated to BS EN ISO 12543-2 [edition]], [heat soaked to BS EN 14179-1 [edition]: yes / no]. Edges [polished / bevelled [ ] mm], holes and cut-outs as drawing [ref], all made before toughening. Leaf: [24 ct gold / silver / copper / base metal], [sealed / unsealed]. Reverse paint: [lightfast pigments, report ref]. Reverse and edges sealed with [system stated by the partner]. Approved sample [ref] and mock-up [ref] govern.

Where the panel is in a critical location as defined in Approved Document K [edition], paragraph 5.1 (door or side panel to [1500] mm, within [300] mm of a door, or other glazing below [800] mm), the glass is to achieve class [3] to BS EN 12600 [edition] or class [C] to BS 6206 [edition], or another route accepted in writing by building control. The supplier is to provide the certificate. Locations to be agreed with building control before the order: [list].

The panel is intended for [dry interior / bathroom / spa] use at up to [ ] per cent relative humidity with [no] direct sun. The partner is to state the damp-air or condensation test the build has passed, or that none has been done, before the sample is approved.

Panel fixed to a dry, fully cured [wall] with mechanical fixings and an air gap of [ ] mm as drawing [ref], fixings and isolation by the supplier; no adhesive-only fixing. Written cleaning and care instructions for the glass face, the edges and the reverse are to be provided for the handover manual. Panel weight [ ] kg per panel to be stated by the supplier before delivery.

Standards and sources

• Approved Document K, Protection from falling, collision and impact, 2013 edition (England): Requirement K4; paragraphs 5.1 to 5.8; Diagrams 5.1 to 5.3. Read 8 Nov 2026. Check the current edition.
• BS EN 1036-1:2007, mirrors from silver-coated float glass for internal use: current, under review (8 Nov 2026). Benchmark only.
• BS EN 12600:2002, BS 6206:1981, BS EN 12150-1:2015+A1:2019, BS EN 14179-1:2016, BS EN ISO 12543-2: current per earlier library notes (6 to 7 Nov); not re-checked.
• Our verre églomisé pages: glass, leaf, paint and sealing statements.

Questions we are asked

Why is verre églomisé gilded on the back?

So the glass face protects the leaf and is the viewing surface, and the gold appears to sit behind the glass. The artist works in reverse order: highlights first, background last, in mirror image, and the viewing face is not touched.

When is the glass toughened?

Before the gilding. Our pages say toughened glass cannot be altered once processed, so size, edges, holes and bevels must be fixed before it goes for toughening. Make the shop drawing sign-off a hold point.

Does a gilded panel have to be safety glass?

Only where it is glazing in a critical location under Approved Document K: doors and side panels up to 1500 mm, within 300 mm of a door, and other wall glazing below 800 mm. Whether a decorative panel counts is a question for building control. Where it does, the supplier states the class and gives a certificate.

Will gilded glass tolerate a bathroom?

We found no published test for gilded glass. Gelatine size is water based, so moisture is the risk. Ask the partner what damp-air or condensation test the build has passed, how the reverse and edges are sealed, and name the environment in the specification.

Does the leaf tarnish?

Our pages say high-carat gold does not tarnish; silver can be sealed or left to patinate; copper, brass and Dutch metal oxidise and change even when sealed, which can be a deliberate effect. Name the leaf and whether it is sealed.

How do I clean it?

Clean the glass face as glass. Never wet or touch the reverse, and keep cleaning fluid away from the edges. Ask the partner for a written care instruction.