How to Replace Broken Window Glass Yourself

About seven years ago, the company that I worked for had the windows all replaced in the building. The contractors who did the job told me that they were just going to throw away all of the old windows, so it would be okay for me to take them if I wanted them. They also showed me how to replace the glass if one broke. It was much easier than I'd ever imagined, and I took the old windows and painted bright colors on their glass.

When I was done, I wrapped them in Christmas lights and hung them on the walls. If you need to replace a pane of glass in a window in your home, or if you have decorative ideas for an old window pane, being able to replace the glass yourself can save you a good bit of money in the future. Follow these easy steps.

You can use regular glass for interior windows and doors usually, but for storm windows you will need to use tempered glass.

It is much easier to replace a window when the casing for the window is lying flat on your work surface and is clamped down, caulked side of window facing up.. In order to make this happen, you must remove the window from the casing if possible; take the door with the broken window off the hinges. If this isn't possible, you can replace the glass in place, but if you do this it is wise to make sure you have a solid footing and are at eye level with the upper third of the pane.

Protective gloves are very important so that you don't cut yourself if you have any type of accident. Making sure you have on protective gloves, remove the broken glass and put it in some kind of a trash receptacle that you can later tape up and clearly mark as "Broken Glass" when all the glass is out of the window. This is very important that you do this in order to prevent someone who may be digging through garbage cans to find aluminum cans or other tossed treasures.

It is also very important that you remove any remaining old caulk with a putty knife. It is helpful, but not necessary to use a heat gun to heat up the old caulk to get it all very loose. Also remove and save any of the old glazier's points from the broken pane; it's a good idea to save them in case they're a different size than modern points. Use the metal brush to get the surface as clean as possible.