|
Imagine you wake up one morning and find you have a broken windowpane in your living room. What do you do? The first natural thing of course is to look around and try to find out why you have it. Perhaps a tree limb during the storm the night before, the dogs took a nose dive out of it to get the neighbor’s cat or that area where the weed eater threw the pebble finally gave way and the entire pane is now shot. Of course all the wondering in the world won’t fix the blasted thing so you must now make a decision. Do you pay a large amount to a glass company to come out for thirty minutes to fix it or do you decide to tackle the project yourself.
Many people seem to think there is some magical quality to those who do glass work. There isn’t, they have just worked with glass so much they have lost their fear of it. Regardless of what many think, you can do the windowpane just as well as a professional and for a whole lot less money.
The first rule of working with window glass is safety. Regardless of your feelings about gloves and safety goggles, use them from the beginning to the end of the project. I personally use the welder’s gloves where as my wife has some thick gardening ones that have some type of rubberized spots on them. Both will assure a firm grip and little chance of slippage of the glass.
If you are unable to replace the window immediately, secure it for safety. Some type of plywood would be preferred on both sides of the window but if you don’t have these, duct tape is pretty tough stuff.
If you are able to repair the broken pane right away, the first thing you will want to do is remove the loose, broken pieces. Remember to bring the garbage can to you; don’t go walking across the yard with glass in your hands. Anytime you are mobile with pieces of sharp, broken glass you are in dangerous territory. Uneven ground, steps or even the dog or cat coming up to you could result in you going to the hospital.
Besides gloves, glasses and a garbage can, you will need certain tools to complete the job. These will include a putty knife, utility knife, caulking gun, silicone caulk of your chosen color, glazer tacks and pliers for older, wooden windows, and a measuring tape. An additional safety tip plus an easy way for clean up after the project is to lay paper down on either side of the window to make picking up the shards of glass easier.
Once you have removed the loose pieces of glass, you will then be able to work on those pieces that are still firmly attached to the window. To do this, gently grasp the broken glass (don’t forget the gloves) and using the other hand, take the putty knife and work your way around the window frame by removing the old putty. This may take a bit of effort depending on the age and type of the old caulk. As you remove the caulk, try to move the broken glass slightly. Once you know it is free enough to come out, remove and dispose of it. You will repeat this procedure with each remaining piece of glass.
Once it is all out of the window, use the putty knife to scrape along the inside to make sure all the bits of caulk are gone. If you leave tiny pieces of it, the new pane won’t fit correctly and you may even have stress fracture appear. For those inside corners, your utility knife can often be helpful.
Once all the excess putty has been removed and the old glazer tacks (if present) pulled with the pliers, you can measure the window for size. You will need to measure from both the height and the width. Once you have your measurements, write them down and repeat the procedure. An excellent rule of thumb is “Measure twice, cut once.”
When you have your exact measurements both ways, subtract an eighth of an inch off each measurement. This will give you some room to work with when you do put the new frame in.
Now some people may like cutting their own glass but I much prefer going down to the local hardware store and having them take a chance of breaking it and having to start over. Glass doesn’t come cheap and a typical pane for a three-foot window can start at $9. If you feel adventuresome and decide to try cutting it, don’t forget to put a layer of 4-in-1 oil down your cutting path so the glass cutter will cut smoothly and lower the chances of chips or unwanted breakage.
If you decide to let the hardware worker cut the glass take an old blanket to wrap it in. Imagine for a moment having a piece of loose glass in the car in case of an automobile accident. If the idea gives you goose bumps you have the correct mental picture.
After you have come back from the store with your new pane, you will need to place your caulk tube into the gun and cut the tip off at a 45-degree angle. Remember some brands will open when you cut the tip; others have an aluminum barrier that must be punctured before the caulk will come out. Many a tube of caulk has exploded from the rear because the barrier wasn’t removed before the operator began pressing the trigger.
Administering a fine bead (line) of caulk, go around the inside of the window frame against the backstop that is there to hold the glass on one side. Allow this to set a few moments to become tacky and then place your new pane of glass into its slot.
If you have the old wooden windows and plan on replacing the glazer tacks, now is the time to do so. Set two on each side of the window being very careful not to tap the glass as you are tapping the tacks into place.
After this, you are ready to apply the outside bead of caulk. I personally prefer a heavier bead than the one used on the inside edge of the window. When applying your bead, try to make a single pass from one corner to the next. Any stops in between the two will show up as excess globs of caulk. Once you have applied the caulk to all four sides of the window, it should hold itself until the caulk completely dries. The label will tell you when the window is completely set and how long you have to wait before applying any paint.
One thing you will want to do before putting away your tools will be to use your putty knife to smooth the bead of caulk. This is done by gently placing one side of the knife on the pane of glass and the other on the edge of the frame. This in essence makes a 45-degree slant to the caulk. Home Depot and other lumber/hardware stores also have a little fingertip gadget that looks like a mini trowel. Some find these work in the same manner but seem to have more control over it that a putty knife. Either implement will work; it is simply a matter of choice.
After you have completed the finishing touches to the window caulk, pick up your paper with its glass and old caulk shavings and place in trash. Then get a damp sponge and wipe away any stray caulk from windowpane or frame. Follow this by putting up your tools and enjoy the window (and the money you saved) until the next time something comes crashing through.
| 
