Replacing A Small Glass Pane In Your Door

If you have a door in your home that has several panes of glass, and one of them has a crack or break, you will want to replace it quickly to reduce the risk of injury. It is not that difficult to do glass replacements on your own if you have the proper tools and a friend to help you. Here are some instructions for you to use when replacing a glass pane in your door.

Materials You Will Need

  • Old sheet
  • Heavy-duty gloves
  • Hammer
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Masking tape
  • Replacement glass pane
  • Glass putty
  • Paint
  • Paintbrush

Removing The Damaged Glass

To remove the damaged window pane, you need to be extremely careful so you do not get hurt on any shards. Put on a pair of heavy-duty gloves to do the task. Place an old sheet at the base of the door to catch any pieces of glass that fall.

Use masking tape to help contain the glass shards as you are removing them from the frame. Stick the tape over one side of the broken pane diagonally in both directions to form the letter "X". Use the handle-end of a hammer to gently tap on the glass so that it breaks away from the sides of the frame. 

Use your gloved hands to pick out the pieces one-by-one. For harder to remove, smaller shards, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to loosen them from the frame. Remove all pieces of dried up putty from the edges of the door frame. Scrape away pieces that cannot be removed by hand with a chisel.

Replacing The Pane

Have a friend help you when putting the new pane into place to help reduce the chance of dropping it. Have your friend hold the new pane in place while you use glass putty to seal it into the frame. Roll a piece of glass putty between your fingers to heat it, making it pliable. Roll it into a pencil-shaped cylinder and place it at the edge of the glass so that part of the putty covers the glass and part of it covers the frame. Push it into place using one of your fingers. 

Do this on all four sides of the window pane. Do the same to the other side of the glass. Allow the putty to dry, hardening in the process. Once the putty is hard, cut excess away from the glass using a utility knife. If your door is wood, repaint it now to hide any blemishes caused by the replacement.

If you decide replacing the glass is too difficult to do on your own, get in touch with professionals at a business like A-1 Glass Co Inc.


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