A moment of cleanup inspiration immediately turned into frustration and panic once I made a rookie error — as soon as I leaned an old window contrary to my mudroom’s old glass door, I heard the heart-wrenching sound of broken glass. A glass that is broken pane? Not only did I not know where to begin, but I didn’t know where to get a replacement piece of glass. Fortunately, a friend reassured me that my handywoman abilities were up to par, and after I eventually found a glass shop, I put these abilities to the test.

Meg Padgett

You too, can handle this very simple fix with only a couple of supplies and tools. In fact, tracking down the glass might be the toughest part.

What you’ll need:

Painter’s tape
Utility knife
Chisel or small pry bar
3/4-inch finishing nails
Replacement glass
Paintable doorway and window sealant
Paint and paintbrush
Protective gloves and goggles

Meg Padgett

To ensure easy and safe removal of the broken glass pane, cassette off the rest of the glass with painter’s tape.

Meg Padgett

To remove the window panel frame, use a razor blade to cut through the paint along with any sealant.

Meg Padgett

Use a chisel or small pry bar to thoroughly remove the wood in the panel frame. Set it aside. Label each slice for replacement that is ideal.

Meg Padgett

While wearing protective gloves, then carefully remove the glass in the door frame and discard it.

Eliminate any residual caulk or putty together with the chisel.

Meg Padgett

Together with the glass removed along with the opening tidy, measure the dimensions of the opening. Order a replacement piece of glass from your regional glass shop or hardware store, or cut the glass to size using a glass cutter and a straight edge. The new pane should be cut up to ⅛ inch smaller than the opening, which will enable to your wood doorway to expand and contract with changes in the weather.

Note: Safety glass is necessary for new doors but was often not utilized in elderly doors. We chose to replace the broken pane with new safety glass, which is thicker than the original glass but is less likely to break or to present a hazard when broken.

Meg Padgett

Carefully put the new pane into the opening. Use painter’s tape or have a friend hold the glass in place. Apply sealant around the border of the pane.

Meg Padgett

Put the pieces of the frame back in place and secure them with nails. We utilized 3/4-inch finishing nails.

Meg Padgett

Apply sealant to the inside and outer edges of the frame bits, fill any nail holes and then wipe off any surplus. Allow the sealant dry.

Meg Padgett

Last, finish the doorway by painting the frame with a couple of coats of paint.

Tip: Together with the paint and brush convenient, take the chance to perform a little touch-up painting round the house in which you’ve used the exact same paint color.

Meg Padgett

After a thorough cleaning, this doorway was as good as new. Since I had most of the things on hand, I was only out $7 for the replacement glass, and my handywoman status was safely intact.

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