5 Glass Window Repair and Replacement Tips

There are numerous reasons why you may want to install new windows in your home. For instance, your home may be showing signs of structural depreciation – installing new windows may be a way to update your home. There is also the chance that you are moving into a new home, but the windows are old and perhaps falling apart. Whatever the case is, you want to be sure to keep a few things in mind when you install new glass windows. If you don’t install your windows correctly, you may wind up with bigger problems than the ones you started off with. Here are five glass window repair and replacement tips.

1. Carefully remove the old window. Before you do anything, you want to carefully remove the old window. You can do this by removing the sealant and then the pane. When it comes time to remove the pane, you will need someone by your side to catch the glass. If the glass breaks, you will have a lot of extra work on your hands.

2. Decide if you are removing the entire frame or just the glass. If you are removing the frame as well as the panes, you may just want to remove the entire window in one fell swoop. You can do this by literally cutting the frame out of the wall. Of course, this is a big project, so if you aren’t sure what you are doing, you may want to call on the professionals, like Lyndhurst Lumber. If you don’t know what you are doing, you could cause a lot of damage.

3. Be sure to remove all left over sealant and debris. If you have removed the windowpanes, but are now dealing with a lot of left over sealant and debris, you will need to remove the detritus before you can install new panes. You can remove the old sealant by scraping it off the frame. If the frame is made of wood, you don’t want to scrape too hard, because you could cause damage – damage that may make the reinstallation process difficult. After you get a bulk of the sealant removed, you can use sandpaper to get all the small particles that were left behind.

4. Carefully install the new glass. When you install glass, you obviously want to be very careful. If you aren’t, you could easily chip the edge or corner of the pane, which will render the entire pane of glass useless. This is why you may want to call on the help of a friend – someone that can help you guide the glass in place. You will also need someone to spot you when you are using tools or when your hands are full.

5. Seal the windowpanes into place. Another reason why you’ll need a friend with you is because when you seal the window into place, you will need someone to hold the glass until the sealant dries. If you leave the glass unattended, it could shift or even fall out of the frame, which would be devastating. In the end, sealing the windows will ensure that they are in place and that your windows are weather proof.