The ways of glazing windows with your own hands

How to glaze old windows (with a wooden frame) and modern plastic windows with your own hands.

When a question how to glaze a window appear you should realize that this work is simple enough to be done with your own hands.

How to glaze a window with a wooden frame?

You will need:

• a sheet of glass required size 3-4 mm thick;
• a roulette;
• a glass cutter;
• a chisel (or a spatula);
• a wide screwdriver);
• a small hammer;
• window sealant;
• pliers;
• a knife;
• a hacksaw with fine teeth;
• nails with diameter of about 0,5 inch;
• adhesive tape);
• gloves;
• a glass marker;
• rags.

If you need to install the glass instead of the broken one in a window which has a wooden frame, you must first carefully remove the remnants of the old one. You should do it in leather/knitted gloves having stuck all the pieces of the broken glass with adhesive tape. After removing the glass remove the old glazing beads and nails which are attached to the frame, using a chisel, knife and pliers. Purify the installation site with a spatula, a wide chisel or a flathead screwdriver.

The glass should be cut to the size of folds in the frame, leaving the assembly clearance of about 2-3 mm (according to the usual non-rectangular form of windows traditionally acquired as a result of warping of the frame).

A sheet of glass is placed on a flat table surface preferably covered with a cloth, then with help of a roulette and a glass marker you should mark the future contour of the glass. For best cutting of the glass lines are usually pre-moistened with engine oil or other petroleum product.

Then you should work with the glass cutter strongly and firmly enough. In places where the cutting line is on the edge, you should more carefully cut it. First cut the short side of your future window glass, then the long one.

Here is the most risky part of the work. Put your glass on the table with its cutting place to the edge, then with light strikes of the glass cutter you should get a fracture along the whole line of the cut. If you don’t, break off the unnecessary part of the glass with a slight movement from its top to bottom.

The next step is the installation of the cut glass into the window. Apply sealant to the seams of the frame. You can also do it with putty. Then your glass should be placed exactly in the center of the window opening. If you want to create a gap, you can put a match under the lower edge of the end. Sealant is also applied on the other side of the glass, so the top bead sets itself. The nails are hammered in parallel with the surface of the glass (in order to avoid hitting the nail in the edge of the glass and being damaged). The final step is to remove the extra sealant using a cloth.

How to glaze a plastic window?

Sometimes it is cheaper to replace the whole window or a sash. If you do decide to change the glazing, you should work very carefully.

You will need:

• a roulette;
• a rubber hammer;
• a knife;
• gloves;
• a towel;
• a plastic spatula.

At the very beginning you should measure the visible part of the glazing (with the millimeter accuracy) and the amount of cells in it (if the spacer is not divided inside, you deal with one-celled glazing, if it is divided into two parts, you deal with two-celled glazing, etc.). The size can also be set by measuring the distance from the outer edges of the opposite glazing beads minus 10 mm. Now you can start your work.

First you should dismantle the glazing beads: inserted a knife under the bead and with little power shift it from its place. In the resulting slot you should place a plastic lining and then loosen it until it clicks. After this the bead can be easily dismantled. At first long glazing beads are removed, then the lower ones and finally the top ones, in order to avoid falling of the glazing. We need to notice the location of each bead for the installation of spacers between the window frame and glazing.

Following the previous arrangement of struts you should insert the glazing in the window. Then you should center it so that the gaps were equal using a plastic blade. You should be very careful for the glazing not to fall. Invite the assistant to help you.

Installing glazing beads on their seats is rather easy: first the top one, then the bottom one and only then the side one. If a bead is installed correctly you will hear a click. To do this use a rubber mallet. Additional sealing is not required. After the replacing check and, if necessary, adjust the casements of the window for their proper locking and general quality.

We hope this article was a good guide for you in case you were looking for an answer to the question how to glaze windows.