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Replacing Broken Glass In Wood WindowBy Jim Sulski Summary: Replacing the glass in a broken window is an easy project for a do-it-yourselfer. Jim gives you all steps for repairing windows but remember, safety first! With the warm weather still here, this is the time of the year to repair wood
windows that have become broken or cracked during the colder months. Repairing broken windows are an easy do-it-yourselfer project and take only a few dollars to mend. The cost, in fact, will probably more than cover the extra energy dollars used to heat a space made cool by a broken or cracked window. While repairing broken windows is simple, there is a safety concern, however, as there is anytime you work with a sharp object or you're up on a ladder. As a result, it's best to remove the sash and repair the glass on a workbench. If it is too tough to remove the window, you'll need to fix it from the outside, requiring a ladder that adequately reaches the broken window. It's also best to have someone help with a second-story window. 1. To start the repair, remove the broken shards of glass, using heavy gloves
to handle the pieces. Work from the top of the frame down so that any falling
pieces won't strike your arm. Also, wear safety goggles. 2. Then remove the putty that held the old pane in place to the rabbet cut in the frame's molding. If the compound is pliable, use a rigid putty knife to scrape it out. If it has hardened, warm it with a hair dryer until it becomes flexible. Next, locate the glazer's points - small metal triangular objects - embedded into the rabbet cut. The points were used to hold the glass in place. Use a pair of long-nosed pliers to remove the points and get all of them. A halfway hidden point can crack the new piece of glass. With some windows, a wooden bead holds down the glass instead of putty and glazing points. That wooden bead is held in place with screws. Remove the screws to loosen the bead and remove the glass. 3. Next, thoroughly clean any debris from the sash and rabbet cut. Use the rigid putty knife or a chisel to clear out the debris. Go down to the bare wood in the rabbet cut but be careful not to gouge the sash. Then, apply a thin coat of linseed oil to the rabbet cut to keep the new glazing compound from drying out. Then measure the window opening from inside the rabbet cut. Measure both height and width from several points. 4. Cut a piece of glass to match the opening, using a scoring tool or glass cutter. If you have no experience cutting glass, you're best bet is to take the measurements to a hardware store, and have them cut the glass. 5. Next, take a golf ball-sized piece of putty and knead it into to an even consistency. Roll the putty into a rope about an 1/8-inch thick and push it into the rabbet cut in the opening. Then, take the piece of glass and press it gently into the bedding compound and putty. If your measurements were off and the glass is slightly larger than the opening, use a sharp razor blade to trim back the rabbet cut so that it accepts the glass panel. Then reinsert the glass, making sure it fits snugly in the opening. 6. Next, install the glazer's points into the rabbet cut so that they hold the glass in place. Place a point about every six inches or so. Drive them into the frame with a 3/4-inch to one-inch chisel or a rigid blade putty knife. If the window has a wooden bead, replace it carefully - don't exert too much pressure on the bead or it can crack the glass. 7. After the points are in place, roll more compound into a slightly thicker rope, about 3/8-inches in diameter. Press the compound over the glazer's points, completely concealing them. Then, take a flexible blade putty knife and compress the compound so that the exposed surface is flat and pitches 45 degrees from the sash to the glass. Remove any excess compound from the glass or the sash. Allow the compound to dry for at least three weeks before painting it with
an exterior paint. When you do paint, spread the paint so it barely touches
the glass to form a weather seal. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 2, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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