If you're not ready to sink money into replacement windows but your windows are drafty and in poor shape, you can make simple window glazing repairs yourself. Also known as reglazing, this is simply the removal of the old glazing (the putty around the panes of glass) and application of a fresh coat. The glazing makes a seal around the glass and holds it firmly in place. And when it starts to dry out and crack, you'll have drafty, unattractive windows that may even leak and rattle.
Glazing repairs aren't difficult. The hardest part is taking care not to break the glass when removing old glazing. You'll know when it's time to make repairs, because the glazing compound will be hard to the touch, cracked and in extreme cases it may even be falling away in pieces, leaving huge gaps. It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour-and-a-half to reglaze a window, depending on how easily the old putty comes out.
It's easiest if you can remove the window for glazing repairs, but if this isn't possible or isn't easy to do, you can do it with the window in place. If you're replacing broken or cracked glass, remove all the glass first rather than attempt to get the putty out around it. To remove the glass, cover it with a cloth like an old t-shirt or towel and use a hammer to break it up. Be sure and wear eye protection and heavy gloves. Once you pull all the broken glass out, use small pliers to remove the glazing points that held the glass in place. Then the putty can be dug out.
Very old putty will break up in pieces and can be pried out pretty easily. To remove the putty, either in an empty frame or around the glass, you'll need a heat gun and a putty knife. Use the heat gun to soften the old glazing compound and then use the putty knife to pry it out. Don't hold the heat gun in one place--you need to keep it moving steadily to keep from cracking the glass with too much heat. After the putty is all removed, use a primer on the bare wood, like one that's shellac-based and fast drying.
If you removed broken glass, you'll need to measure the window's opening. Subtract an eighth-of-an-inch from this and then have a pane of that size cut to fit. You can take a piece of broken glass to the store so you can get a pane of the same thickness. You'll also need new glazing points and glazing compound. Even for a fairly large pane of glass, points and compound, you probably won't have to spend more than $50. For the smoothest finish, especially if you're new to glazing repairs, choose an oil-based glazing compound. This takes days to dry, but latex compound can start to dry before you even have a chance to smooth it out.
Follow instructions on the glazing compound to properly install the new glass, or apply the glaze around the existing pane. Then smooth it out and your glazing repairs are finished.
Photo Credits: Lars Plougmann
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