How To Replace Window Glass

Crevice! An errant baseball, a hurled stone, or a falling co-operative is all information technology takes to end the life of a windowpane. And for most modern, double-glazed windows, that means a trip to the local glass shop for repairs.

Just for old-fashioned, single-glazed wood sash, you tin easily replace the pane yourself. It's one of the rare homeowner projects that doesn't require some exercise to tool the putty," says Tom Silva, This Onetime House full general contractor. "You desire to end up with peachy, well-baked creases in the corners and straight runs in between."

The reglazing technique Tom demonstrates on these pages besides comes in handy when the old putty itself cracks or falls out but the glass remains intact. (In that case, Tom removes all the old putty; it'south besides far gone to patch.) Whatsoever the glazing projection, he recommends taking out the window sash and laying it flat on a workbench, if possible. "Trying to reglaze a sash that's still in it's opening takes longer, and it's far more than difficult to practise a skillful chore."

Footstep one

Remove the Glass

Don gloves and prophylactic glasses and encompass the broken pane with a rag. Tap the center of the rag-covered pane with a hammer to loosen the shards.

With gloved hands, wiggle costless any pieces that remain embedded in the putty.

If the sash is still in the window opening, or the pane has a crack or two merely is otherwise intact, it's all-time to remove the putty first, then the glass.

Stride 2

Remove the Former Putty

Pry out any loose putty with a painter'south tool. Gradually soften the putty that'southward even so intact past holding a heat gun nigh an inch abroad and moving it back and along.

Put doubled sheets of aluminum foil on the next panes to keep them from existence cracked by the rut.

Use the chiseled point of the tool to rake out the warm putty. Echo on the remaining sides.

TIP: When removing putty from a pane that isn't broken, Tom holds a piece of metal flashing over the drinking glass to dissipate the heat.

Step three

Prep the Rabbets

Pry the old metal glazing points out of the rabbets, the grooves in the sash where the drinking glass sits.

Scrape and sand the rabbets down to blank wood. Brush an exterior primer onto the bare forest so it won't draw the oils out of the putty and shorten its life.

When the paint dries, knead a scattering of putty until it'south warm and malleable, and so printing information technology into the rabbets, filling them completely (as shown). Neatness doesn't matter at this stage.

Step 4

Bed the Glass

Wiggle the pane into the putty while applying even pressure level with the tips of your fingers.

Continue pushing down until the glass is centered in the opening and about 1/eight inch of putty remains between the face of the glass and the rabbet.

If any voids prove under the glass, pull out the pane, add more than putty, and start over.

Step v

Set the Points

At the centre of each side of the pane, place a glazier's signal flat on the glass and fit the tip of the putty knife against the point's raised shoulders.

While applying slight downward pressure, gently rock the point from side to side until it's seated in the wood.

Repeat on the opposite side, then on the two remaining sides. For panes 12 inches or longer on a side, space the points evenly four to 6 inches apart.

Flip the sash over and scrape off the excess putty that squeezed out the other side.

Step 6

Knead the Putty

Warm a handful of putty and roll information technology into a long rope well-nigh virtually ¾ inch in diameter.

Stride 7

Utilise Putty Rope

Place the rope effectually the edges of the glass and push information technology firmly against the exposed rabbets.

If 1 rope isn't enough, curlicue out more and overlap the ends to form an unbroken ring of putty effectually the edges of the glass.

Step 8

Polish the Putty

Starting in a corner, rest the putty knife's blade at most a 45-caste angle to the drinking glass, with its tip on the acme edge of the rabbet and ane corner on the drinking glass.

Flatten the blade confronting the putty with your index finger and maintain the angle as y'all pull the knife along one side of the pane.

Exit a neat crease in the corner — then collect the excess putty.

For the remaining sides, prepare the blade tip on the crease and repeat the tooling process.

TIP:If the knife pulls the putty off the glass, make clean the blade and endeavour again.

Step 9

Fine-tune

If the underside of the putty can be seen from the other side of the window, the putty is besides wide and needs retooling.

Set the corner of the blade on the drinking glass a lilliputian closer to the rabbet than before and hold the knife handle a bit closer to the drinking glass.

Retool as in Step 8. You lot'll know you've gotten the angle right if the putty's edge lines up with the within edges of the sash or muntins on the opposite side of the window.

Scrape away the backlog (as shown).

Step 10

Prime and Paint

Wait near seven to ten days for the putty to stiffen up, then clean the oily putty flick off the drinking glass with a dry rag.

Pigment the putty with an oil-based primer, overlapping it about ane/16 inch onto the glass to forestall h2o from getting behind the putty.

Afterwards the primer dries, apply a glaze of exterior paint.

When the paint dries, you lot can give the pane a thorough scrubbing.

Tools Needed