Reglazing Windows and Doors
Replacing glass in wooden frames is painless with the right tools and techniques.
Synopsis: A repair and remodeling contractor shares his secrets for replacing glass in doors and windows, including a good description of how to apply new glazing compound.
I recently remodelled an old home 20 miles outside of Memphis. I needed to head back over to the place to finish off a small punch list. Among the items on the list were a couple of panes of glass that needed replacing. The broken panes were in the wooden double-hung windows in the front of the house, plus a pane broken out of a wooden side door. The job wasn’t big enough to call in a glass company, so in addition to my regular tools, I loaded my van with some stock sizes of single-strength glass, a box of points and a can of glazing compound.
Gloves may help in removing broken glass
Reglazing is simple as long as the proper tools and techniques are used. The first step is removing the broken pieces of glass as carefully as possible, remembering that the edge of broken glass is sharper than any cutting tool. OSHA recommends that gloves be worn at all times when handling glass, but having learned how to handle glass from my uncle, I feel safer being able to feel the glass with bare hands. A lot of the glaziers I’ve talked to swear by the gummy gloves that are made for handling glass. The debate over gloves will probably go on forever, but there are no good reasons for not wearing eye protection. Safety glasses or goggles should be worn at all times, especially when removing the glass shards of a broken pane.
After all of the loose pieces of glass are taken out, I remove the old putty. If the windows haven’t been reglazed in a while, the putty usually separates from the wood fairly easily. If the old putty is stuck to the wood, a sharp utility knife and small scraper will remove it. I also carry an old bottle/can opener to get rid of hardest stuff. The sharpened point of the opener will get into even the smallest cracks.
While removing the glass and old putty, I often come across tiny, flat, diamond-shaped pieces of metal. These things are glazing points, shot into the frame at the factory by a tool similar to a stapling gun. Glazing points hold the glass in the openings of the frames. The putty or glazing compound is meant only to seal the glass from air and moisture infiltration. Without the points the glass would simply fall out over time. Factory points can be saved and put back in, but replacement points are cheap and go in easily.
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