Replacing Outdated Glass

Broken Glass Door Pane? How To Replace It Yourself

Broken glass can happen for a number of different reasons - one of the little ones was playing ball in the house (or too closely outside of the house), a construction accident inside your home, or any number of unexplained accidents. Glass can be replaced, be it glass from a window, or even a door. If you're handy and think you can handle the replacement yourself, follow the directions below to replace a broken glass door pane.

What You'll Need:

• Painter's tape
• Utility knife
• Putty knife
• Caulk and caulk gun
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Measuring tape

Instructions:

1. Use the painter's tape to tape up the glass where it is broken to help keep the glass all in one piece when you remove it, and to protect yourself and your family from getting scraped or cut.
2. Once you have the painter's tape in place, use the utility knife or putty knife to remove the trim surrounding the glass. Use a razor blade to help cut through the paint if needed. Be sure to mark the pieces of trim so you know how to replace them later. You can mark them with a marker or pencil on the backside.
3. Next, have a helper with you to take out the piece of glass. Be sure to wear protective gloves to prevent you both from getting cut. Then discard the glass.
4. Remove any leftover caulking and putty with a utility knife or razor blade. Then clean up the opening completely.
5. Take a measuring tape and measure the opening (length and width). Write down the measurements , then take them to your local glass replacement shop to have a replacement piece of glass cut to fit your door.
6. Grab the new piece of glass, then add painter's tape all around the sides of the glass (just in case another unexplained accident happens).
7. Place the new piece of glass in the opening, then add some caulking all around the edges of the glass.
8. Replace the pieces of trim around the glass using 3/4" finishing nails. 
9. Apply more caulking around the corners of the trim on both the inside of the door and the inside of the door. Then smooth the caulk out with your finger. Remove any excess with a razor once it's dry.
10. Finally, paint over the trim so it matches with the rest of your door.

Replacing a broken glass door pane is a fairly simple job that anyone can do. If you aren't too keen on replacing the glass yourself though, you can leave the job to a professional glass replacement company instead. Contact a business such as Allied Glass & Mirror for more information.