How To Replace Broken Glass In A Wood-Frame Window

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If one of your children hit their baseball just a bit too hard and broke the glass in one of your home's windows, then you will be pleased to learn you can easily replace the glass pane yourself. While you will need to call a professional glass contractor if the window is very large, most smaller windows can be replaced with a custom-cut pane of glass you can purchase at your local hardware or home improvement store.

What follows are instructions for replacing glass in a wood-framed window, and the instructions are very similar if your windows are metal-framed or vinyl-framed:

Necessary Tools and Supplies

To safely replace the broken glass, you need each of the following:

  • a replacement glass pane
  • a heat gun or hairdryer
  • a putty knife
  • a small wire brush
  • a package of glazier's push points
  • glazing putty

Also, you should always wear leather gloves while working with glass to protect your hands.

Step 1: Remove the Broken Glass from the Frame

Before you can replace the broken glass, first, you must remove all of the broken glass and clean the window's wood frame. The easiest way to do this is to run a heat gun or hairdryer along all of the glazing putty. The heat will make the material pliable, and then you can easily pull out the pieces of old glass.

Step 2: Clean the Wood Frame

Once all of the glass has been safely removed and disposed of, then you need to clean all of the old glazing putty from the wood frame. To avoid damaging the wood, you should use a wire brush and gently brush the wood to remove the old putty. If the putty doesn't want to come off, then gently heat it again with the heat gun and try again.

Step 3: Place the New Pane of Glass in the Frame

Once the frame is clean, then wipe it off with a rag and place the new glass in place. To keep the glass in place, use the glazier's points you purchased. You should put a point every few inches for the best results.

Step 4: Apply a New Layer of Glazier's Putty

Finally, using your putty knife, apply a layer of glazier's putty to the window frame. Glazier's putty is paintable, so don't stress too much if it gets on the wood frame in areas you would rather it didn't.

For more assistance, contact a window company to help you with your broken window replacement

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