Replacing Broken Door Glass

[AdrianeS]

My son tripped and fell into the back door and broke the glass. I was going to just replace the glass but I can't figure out how to insert it. Instead of being held in by removable moldings, it slides into a channel that 1/2" deep around all 4 sides of the window. So I think it would be impossible to simply slide in a new piece of glass without cutting the door apart. Does anyone have any ideas how I can repair this? I'm posting a picture of the window, and also a close up of the channel which runs around the perimeter of the glass.

 

[RedneckGrump]

I would personally call in a glazer... I think that would be your most straightforward way, and then you have a guarantee with it in case of leaks doing it yourselves...

 

[Snoonyb]

Depending g upon the glazer, they may refuse, because it could affect their lic.

IBC:
2406.4.1 Glazing in doors. Glazing in all fixed and operable panels of swinging, sliding and bi-fold doors shall be considered a hazardous location.
Exceptions:
1. Glazed openings of a size through which a 3-inch-diameter (76 mm) sphere is unable to pass.
2. Decorative glazing.
3. Glazing materials used as curved glazed panels in revolving doors. 4. Commercial refrigerated cabinet glazed doors.

It could also be expensive, because glazing in hazards applications must be tempered, for safety and security.

 

[bud16415]

Take a closer look one side or the other should be a molding that is mitered to fit in all 4 corners. Many layers of paint are making it look solid. Take a utility knife and try cutting in the corner thru the paint and then get a putty knife in there and work the moldings out.

You might want to think about a piece of Plexiglas or safety glass as replacement.

 

[Sparky617]

You'd definitely want tempered safety glass in that location. I hope you weren't hurt on the sharp shards when you fell into the door. That is why code has required safety glass for decades now. I'd contact a glazer to get a piece of safety glass installed. You're not going be able to go to the local home center to get a piece of safety glass cut. It needs to be cut and then tempered, once it is tempered it can't be cut.

It may be better to replace the door with a new steel or fiberglass door with a light (window). The window would be safety glass, and it would be thermal (2 panes separated by air or an inert gas). To DIY it, you'd probably need to go with plexiglass. I broke my garage access door a few years ago when my weed wacker kicked up a stone that hit the window. It was safety glass. Since the door was relatively new (1999 build) and a standard door, I was able to order a replacement window from Lowe's and swap it out in 20 minutes. You could possibly get a replacement like I used if the opening is standard to what is being used in doors today. I'm not sure how likely that is, since it would appear your door is from before the 1970s.

 

[AdrianeS]

You'd definitely want tempered safety glass in that location. I hope you weren't hurt on the sharp shards when you fell into the door. That is why code has required safety glass for decades now. I'd contact a glazer to get a piece of safety glass installed. You're not going be able to go to the local home center to get a piece of safety glass cut. It needs to be cut and then tempered, once it is tempered it can't be cut.

It may be better to replace the door with a new steel or fiberglass door with a light (window). The window would be safety glass, and it would be thermal (2 panes separated by air or an inert gas). To DIY it, you'd probably need to go with plexiglass. I broke my garage access door a few years ago when my weed wacker kicked up a stone that hit the window. It was safety glass. Since the door was relatively new (1999 build) and a standard door, I was able to order a replacement window from Lowe's and swap it out in 20 minutes. You could possibly get a replacement like I used if the opening is standard to what is being used in doors today. I'm not sure how likely that is, since it would appear your door is from before the 1970s.

Thanks for your reply. I'm planning on putting in a new door sometime in the next few months. I was just hoping to get something in there now at least temporarily.

 

[AdrianeS]

Take a closer look one side or the other should be a molding that is mitered to fit in all 4 corners. Many layers of paint are making it look solid. Take a utility knife and try cutting in the corner thru the paint and then get a putty knife in there and work the moldings out.

You might want to think about a piece of Plexiglas or safety glass as replacement.

Well no kidding! So you think the piece surrounding the glass is actually a moulding? I'll have to have another look at it tomorrow and scrape down to see if I can find a seam in the mitered corner. Thanks Bud!

 

[bud16415]

For a couple months I would hunt around for a scrap of plywood cut it a few inches larger and screw it on to the inside of the door with dry wall screws.

 

[WasVilla]

Oh my. Speaking from direct experience, and based on your direction, here is what you do:
1. Using a painters multi-tool, very carefully cut the paint line along the molding. Pry the molding being careful NOT TO BREAK IT
2. Measure the inside dimensions. Go to a glass supplier. Take a sample of your glass. They will match it. They must give you the exact dimensions minus 1/8”
3. Clean the track. Remove any wood or paint that interferes
4. Place glass into opening. Use a 1/16” spacer on bottom to center it.
5. Optional: apply a very thin rope of window glazing putty to seat the glass.
6. Re-install the molding with a friction fit. I have used 1” brads (4) with a nail gun to be sure
7. Repaint as necessary.

 

[AdrianeS]

Okay, I've decided to just replace the entire door. It's in terrible shape and not worth saving. My issue is, all the prehung doors at the big box stores come with 4" jams. I'm not sure exactly where to start and stop measuring my current jam but if I exclude the mouldings on either side, it's about 6 1?2". So what do I do to compensate for the missing 2 1/2" off the new door? The piece where the latch goes into, you can see it's in terrible shape and I'd like to replace it too.

 

[AdrianeS]

For a couple months I would hunt around for a scrap of plywood cut it a few inches larger and screw it on to the inside of the door with dry wall screws.

I'm going to replace it, it's not worth saving. See my reply for help with this too please!

 

[bud16415]

Is there a storm door on the outside that can act as a door while you do the project being that it is summer now?



Start with the weather stripping around the inside then remove the inside trim. Pull the hinge pins on the old door and get it out of the way. The old jam you won’t be using so you can rough on it getting it out.



Once you get down to the framing you can measure the opening, figure out what size will fit in the hole and how much shimming or padding out the opening will be needed.

 

[Eddie_T]

Shouldn't just removing inside trim be enough to get rough-in measurements?

 

[AdrianeS]

I do have a storm door there now. I'm okay with installing a new door, but like I said, the jamb on the replacement door is about 3 inches wider than what I have now. It's a 100 year-old house with thick plaster walls. How do I go about making this work? Get a jamb extension kit?

 

[AdrianeS]

Also, the piece you can see in the picture above, where the deadbolt goes into, is in awful shape and I'd like to replace it. Is this considered part of the door jamb?

 

[Eddie_T]

With a pre-hung door that is part of the jamb. I've only installed one pre-hung door and that was years ago so I don't recall the difficulties and how I resolved them. I think my problem was that my MIL's house wasn't a frame house and didn't have studs and headers (the wall was thinner than the door jamb).

 

[bud16415]

Shouldn't just removing inside trim be enough to get rough-in measurements?

Yes

 

[Sparky617]

Standard doors are designed for 3 1/5" studs with sheet rock on the inside and sheathing on the outside, so roughly 4 1/2" jambs. You can order doors with wider 6 1/2" jambs. I can't tell what is going on with your door jamb from your picture. You don't want to include any of the trim in the measurement. The brickmold trim attached to the outside of the door isn't included in the jamb thickness.

What is the construction of your house? Is it a 2x4 framed house with siding, 2x4 with a standard brick veneer, or solid masonry? From your picture it looks like you're including the storm door frame in your measurement. Is that the case? You want to measure just the door jamb not including any of the trim. So you measurement should include where the deadbolt and latch go into the jamb.

Installing a prehung door is fairly DIY friendly if you're handy. I'd want a helper, though a single door I could do alone. I installed a double patio door on my basement project and it would have been extremely hard to do by myself. This may be a time when you want to bring in an experienced friend to help or hire it out if you've never done one.

 

[bud16415]

Also, the piece you can see in the picture above, where the deadbolt goes into, is in awful shape and I'd like to replace it. Is this considered part of the door jamb?

It is part of the old jamb and if you go with a pre-hung door the old jamb will be replaced by the new one.

Your door is an in-swing so when mounting it it will favor the inside wall. once you have the opening cleaned out of the old door you will be able to see if the framing is enough to support a regular jamb or will you need an extension jamb.

In my old house when i hung my kitchen door the walls were so thick that I actually used two jambs to fill the opening. I happened to have a spare because the front door I didn't use it as i mounted the door into the old 150 year old jamb as to not disturb the hard wood trim.

That's the reason I suggested ripping it down first so you can get the big picture of what you have to work with.

 

[Sparky617]

This is one of my basement doors, it has a standard jamb and is an inswing. The tape measure is showing what is part of the prehung door jamb. Roughly 4 1/2" wide. The part to the left unmeasured is the brick moulding, the exterior wood trim. The part to the right is a jamb extension I added. This didn't matter to the swing because the door is a patio door that swings in the middle. My walls are 8" thick in this part of the basement.

If your door can't open 180ish degrees because of a wall perpendicular to the door you can add jamb extensions to fill out any distance between the door jamb and the wall.

You have to know the thickness of the wall, and the swing clearance before you go buy the door. If it is a standard 4 1/2" wall construction you can go buy a door off the rack at Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards, et al that fits your design. If it requires a wider jamb, it will likely be a special order. So knowing the wall construction is key, and drives how far you go in tearing things out before purchasing or ordering a door.