Replacing Glass Pane in a Door

  • 1-3 hours
  • Beginner
  • 50-125
What You'll Need
Replacement Glass Pane
Glazing Compound
Gloves
Putty Knife
Glass Points
Tape Measure
What You'll Need
Replacement Glass Pane
Glazing Compound
Gloves
Putty Knife
Glass Points
Tape Measure

A small glass pane window in your front door can make your house look sophisticated and classy. However, a simple game of baseball can ruin your precious glass panes and you’ll be left with a gaping hole on your front door. But you need not worry, since replacing that glass isn’t as hard as it seems. You don’t need to hire a professional and you can easily do it yourself.

Step 1: Preparations

First thing to is to gather all the materials that you need for this project. Then, to get the perfect size of the glass pane that you need, measure the opening of the frame with the hole and subtract 1/16 of an inch on all sides. This will be the measurement of your new glass pane, and you can have it fabricated immediately.

Step 2: Clean the Affected Area

Next step is to clean and scrape the area where the broken window is. Be sure that you’re already wearing your gloves, in order to avoid injury. Remove the broken glass, the glazing compound and the molding carefully. Be sure that you get everything, and that the affected area is clean from any traces of the old compound and the broken glass pane. Otherwise, the new pane might not fasten itself correctly, and will therefore be compromised. If the molding is undamaged (which is likely) it can be reused. If it is damaged, keep it close by to use to measure new ones.

Step 3: Glazing the Affected Area

Put a thin coat of the glazing compound on the edges of the area. Use your putty knife for the application to spread it evenly. Don’t apply too much, since you don’t want the glaze to take up the space where the glass will go. It will merely cushion the glass later on.

Step 4: Insert the Glass Pane

Carefully slide the replacement pane in making sure that it is in correct and secure. Make the proper adjustments using your hand by moving the glass around. This may take a little finesse and patience on your end, since it may be a bit tedious to insert the glass into that limited space.

Step 5: Inserting Glass Points

Insert the glass points. This is important in keeping the glass in place, so make sure that these are not compromised. You can again use your putty knife in inserting these, since they are quite small.

Step 6: Re-apply Glaze and Attach Molding

Re-apply another coat of the glaze on the sides of the newly installed glass pane. This should now cover the glass points, and they should be hidden from view. Make sure that it is well covered and be thorough in the application. Re-attach the old molding or cut and install the new molding by applying caulk first then putting it along the perimeter.You may need to paint the new molding, if you had to replace the old. Do this before you install it.

Tape the edges of the new glass pane, and touch up any damage to the paint on the new molding. Now you’re all set and you now have a new glass pane installed.