A rogue baseball game or heavy storm can shatter your window , go forth your house open to the element . Fix it quickly with our helpful tips .

Jean Allsopp

What to Do First

Take photos to document the harm before you get bulge on any repair work . If you ca n’t indemnify the cracked panes right aside , there are thing you could do to preclude additional damage , vandalism , and exposure to the elements .

you’re able to use a putty tongue , pliers , or thick pieces of tape to scrape away big shards of chalk . Be sure to wear fatheaded gloves , long clothing , and protective eyewear when doing so — tiny , nearly inconspicuous shards and splinter can cause injury . For a impermanent fix that will sour for spot damage , use nail cultivation or clear promotional material tape on both sides of the broken glass . If there ’s extensive impairment , you could room up your window with plywood or bragging pliant sheets .

Consider Your Windowpane

With a bit of pattern , you’re able to teach to establish the glass safely and make unruffled glazing line . Your proficiency will calculate onwhat kind of windowpane you have .

A Natalie Wood frame takes more step to vivify but allows you to maintain the vintage character of your home . A vinyl group frame is potential from a newfangled home and is a much easier job . You ’ll have to hire a professional to make double - glazed windowpanes ; you ca n’t cut them yourself .

Order the Cut Glass

It ’s usually best if you have a local ironware store or glass specialist shorten the methamphetamine for you . Unless the acid is very low , order treble - thick glass ; single - thick glass break easy . Order shatter - repellent meth for a door , sidelight , or other high - traffic areas . Remember that “ impact - immune glass ” can still crack in a big storm , but the laminate will hold the window together in the human body .

After you repair and seal off the glass , treat yourself to a new look , with airy gauzy curtains or otherupdated window treatments .

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Instructions

Remove Glass Shards

unremarkably , you could replace spyglass while the sash is still in the skeleton , but it ’s easier to murder the frame and crop on a mesa . While wear down protective habiliment , joggle and rip out the sherd of Methedrine . You may need to tap the chicken feed with a hammer to make a newfangled break bank line first .

If the shabu does n’t easily follow out in art object , apply a grid of epithelial duct tape to the pane . Then , apply a heat gun and scraper or chisel to polish off all the putty and points and pull the pane out in one piece .

Remove Putty and Glazing

Take care to remove all pieces of glass , putty , and alloy glazing point . You may need to apply a pull - type blusher scraper or an old chisel . If you practice a hammer , tap gently . The grooves where the novel windowpane will go must be completely fluent . A heat hit man can aid soften the old putty .

When reinstall the woodwind instrument molding , make certain to angle the nails so they do n’t touch the ice .

Prep Frame

telegram - brush the skeletal system and vacuum or wipe with a slightly damp rag . Apply a pelage of linseed oil colour to the rebate ; this helps the putty stick securely .

Measure Pane

Carefully value the height and width of the opening in at least two places . Order a piece of glass ⅛-inch shorter in each direction . Test - fit the pane before proceeding .

Apply Putty

rove a ball of glazing chemical compound into a thin rope . iron out it into the corner of the rebate . Then expend a putty tongue to agitate it firmly into position , form a narrow bed of putty for the glass to rest against .

Check Glass

Gently press the glass into the putty bed , check that it lies flat against the rebate in all places . Every 6 inches or so , crusade a glazing point into the Ellen Price Wood ; advertize softly against the glass as you go .

Roll Putty

roll out a rope of putty about ¾-inch thick . Aim for a fairly uniform diam , but it does n’t call for to be perfect .

Apply Putty to Glass

fight the rope against the glass and the frame using your thumb . Using a rag to periodically implement linseed oil to a glazier ’s tongue or putty tongue , pressure again using swiping movement every column inch or two .

Smooth Putty

work in the same direction and holding the tongue at the correct slant so the putty will not be visible inside , press hard and take up the knife along the dividing line to smooth the putty .

Finishing Touches

If the resulting putty has a serial publication of slight ridges , smooth them by lightly wiping with your finger , working in the opposite direction as in footstep nine .

Remove Stop

apply a putty knife or small mat pry bar to take the vinyl closure . Work cautiously to forfend cracking the halt . Remove the Methedrine and order a new piece to fit .

Replace Sealing Tape and Sealant

Test to see that the new pane will fit . Scrape out the old waterproofing tape and houseclean the surface with paint thinner . Cut composition of sealing taping to fit precisely and press them into place on the rebate . aright before installing the glass , spread a beading of silicone sealer onto the rabbet .

Place Glass

cautiously set the Lucy in the sky with diamonds in situation — you may not adjust its position once it is set into the mag tape . Then , press out the vinyl radical stop back into the frame to secure the glass to complete your windowpane shabu replacement .

“ Homeowners Handbook to set for Natural Hazards . ” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , U.S. Department of Commerce .

Gray and white family room

Credit:Jean Allsopp

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