HOW TO

Now that fall is upon us we are all trying to find ways to save on our energy costs. If you have a cracked or broken window or the old glazing has fallen out it’s time to fix the problem. This How-To will help you tackle the job. Re-glazing is an easy and inexpensive job that will give you an airtight, watertight bond. To make the window look like a pro did the job will take patience. The good thing is that glazing compound is very forgiving, just remove the putty and re-apply.

When removing broken glass always wear heavy gloves and safety glasses. Work from the top of the frame toward the bottom, and use pliers to wiggle glass shards free from the putty. Work on the exterior of the window if possible, since the putty around the glass is on the outside of the window.

For upper story windows work from the inside. To remove the window from the frame you’ll need to remove the mouldings around the front of the window. To remove the back window take out the spacer that holds the back window in. Be careful not to mar the wood because you’ll be re-using the trim when replacing the sash back in the frame. Use a putty knife to separate the moulding enough to place a flathead screwdriver in to get a better bite on the wood. For safety issues never remove a upper story window from the outside. With larger glass it will be easier to work on when the sash is removed and placed on a flat surface.

With the help from Mark Wambold, owner of Acme Glass Company, Inc., we worked on one of my windows in his shop. I had to repair this window and when making the repairs I had to remove all the glass. I asked Mark what it would cost to repair a broken window. He said it depends on how big the window. A 2’x 2’ window could cost around $50-$100 based on time and materials. By doing this yourself you could save some money. So let’s get started.