Hi, Scott,
Here in UK, at least, the normal way of doing things is, if you take a
cross-section through your door:
1. On the outside of the door, there will be a bead securing the glass.
For security reasons, this bead is normally moulded as a part of the door
itself, and you can't remove it. In other words, the glass fits into a
rebate on the inside of the door, so work from the inside, when you come to
removing bits.
2. There will then be a layer of putty which seals the joint between the
glazing unit and the outer frame. This may be traditional linseed putty, or
a more recent compound, such as Flexistrip, which is basically a mastic
compound which is formed into a tape, much like double-sided tape, which is
smoothed around the inside of the door rebate, mitring it into the corners,
then the glazing unit is planted onto it.
3. The glazing unit consists of two layers of glass, separated by a
spacer and bonded with an adhesive. The spacer and glass size can vary, but
here in UK, a typical unit would be a 4-6-4. This means that there are two
layers of 4mm thick glass, separated by a 6 mm spacer. This is not the most
efficient configuration heat-wise, but it makes for a more compact door,
rather than the wider spacing which would be more desirable. The glazing
unit, if done by a pro, will be secured with a glazier's tack hammer. This
is like a stapler, but fires small triangular or diamond-shaped pins into
the glazing bars to hold the glass in place.
Following the glazing unit, there will be another putty or mastic layer.
Finally, securing the lot, there will be a wooden bead, moulded to match the
moulding on the outside of of the door. This is normally a fairly thin
section, say 12mm x 9 mm (typical) mitred at the corners, and is bedded into
the last layer of mastic.
This is normally pinned to the glazing bars with fine pins, say 2 per side.
You won't get these out, but they have virtually no head, so you can simply
pry off the bead, then remove the pins with pliers.
You then have to remove the mastic/putty under the bead - use a scraper and
a utility knife, carefully.
Remove the glazier's tacks. Shoving them sideways with a small screwdriver
is easiest.
Removing the glazing unit, or its remains, is hard to do. It sticks like
**** to a blanket. Tapping from the outside with a soft face mallet,
levering, trying to break the seal with a craft knife or scalpel are all
options.
Eventually you'll get it out, and all you have to do is to clean out the
remaining putty/mastic, and refit the new unit.
This is basically the same process in reverse. Order your new unit about
5mm in both directions smaller than the rebate size. For a door, you'll
want toughened glass, so that it won't maim a kid who sticks his leg through
it. You might also need to consider K-glass, which is more heat -efficient
than standard toughened. After you've bedded it in the new mastic, fit
plastic spacers around the edges (couple per side) to centralise the unit in
the frame, and install the unit. Fill the voids between the unit and the
rebate with sealant mastic from a gun.
Secure the unit with a glazier's tack hammer. Steal one if you must. You
can do the same thing by tapping in small pins sideways with a small hammer,
but it's pretty nerve-racking.
Apply the next lot of mastic tape/putty, and bed the pre-mitred glazing
beads.. Secure these with a couple of fine glazing pins apiece, using a
tiny hammer. Keep them almost parallel to the glass, or you run the risk of
chipping the glazing unit.
Punch these pins down with a fine pine-punch, and fill the holes with a
matching filler.
Go down the pub and have a couple of beers, and ask yourself if it wouldn't
have been a lot less hassle to get a pro in...
HTH
Frank
Who has just made a pair of 15-pane French doors, and can hold forth, with
real feeling, on the subject of glazing the *******s...
"Scott Vajdos" wrote in message
om...
Greetings!
Okay, here's the situation. My wife & I moved into a brand new house
last month, complete with a set a French doors that open up on the
back yard. This morning, I was mowing the grass when the mower found
a small rock that I didn't see, and flung it towards the French doors.
The doors are each approximately 29 1/2 x 79 inches, and come with
double-paned glass, measuring approximately 20 x 64 inches. And the
outer pane in one now has a spectacular-looking fracture pattern.
The way I see it, I have two options. Replace the door or replace the
glass. The only problem is, I have zilch experience doing either.
I'm assuming that replacing the door will be more expensive than
simply replacing the glass, as well as be more of a general pain in
the ass (matching paint, making sure it's aligned correctly, etc.)
The doors have molding around the glass. If I could get a new pane,
what surprises would be waiting for me if I were to remove the
molding? What actually secures the glass to the door?
Thanks for all your help.
Scott
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