How to Glaze Windows

Secure glass tightly into a window frame with silicone caulk.

Window glaze specifically refers to the glass pane. Glazing a window is the art of putting the glass in the window frame and seating it tightly in place. Homeowners install new glass in windows if the glass breaks, cracks, chips or if the glazing putty dries and leaves the windowpane loose. Broken or loose panes of glass pose a danger those who open and close the windows or doors and require replacement.

Things You'll Need

• Leather gloves
• Eye protection
• Plastic
• Masking tape
• Needle-nose pliers
• Linseed oil or caulk remover
• Wood chisel or flat-blade screwdriver
• Wire brush
• 120-grit sandpaper
• Tape measure
• Silicone window caulk
• Metal putty knife
• Glazier's points

Instructions

1. Wear heavy leather gloves and eye protection.

2. Place plastic over cracked or broken glass if you're replacing a windowpane. Tape the plastic to the window frame with masking tape, working from the window's interior. Pick glass out of the window frame by hand or with needle-nose pliers.

3. Coat the old window-glazing putty with linseed oil. Allow the linseed oil to soak into the old glazing putty for 30 to 45 minutes to soften the putty. If window caulking holds the window in place, apply caulk remover to the existing caulk. Scrape the old putty or caulk off the window frame and the groove where the glass sits with a small wood chisel or a flat-blade screwdriver.

4. Pull the metal pieces, known as glazier's points, out of the grooves on the sides, top and bottom of the window frame with needle-nose pliers. Take the plastic off the window frame and throw it away along with any glass that fell into the plastic.

5. Rub the window frame with a wire brush to remove any remaining glazing putty or old caulk from the grooves. Sand the window frame lightly with 120-grit sandpaper to remove stuck-on caulk, putty or wood splinters.

6. Measure the window frame from one side to the opposite side and from the bottom to the top. Measure the depth of the groove. Note the measurements. Take the window frame measurements with you to buy a new pane of glass. Glass-cutters will determine the exact size of the glass pane based on the measurements.

7. Squeeze silicone window caulk into the groove around the entire window frame until the window caulk fills the groove.

8. Align the windowpane with the groove in the frame. Have a helper hold the glass from the inside of the house. Push the glass into the caulk.

9. Hold a metal putty knife at a low angle to the window frame and push the knife along the window frame to remove the excess caulk.

10. Push metal glazier's points into the soft window caulk with a flat-blade screwdriver every 4 to 6 inches around the entire windowpane.

11. Run a thin bead of window caulk next to the windowpane on the frame. Push the caulk in place against the windowpane and frame with your finger. Angle the caulk away from the windowpane down to the frame. Repeat on the inside of the window.

Tips & Warnings

• Draw a large "X" on the glass panes with a grease pencil, so the pane is easily visible.

• Don't handle glass or glass shards without gloves.

References

• "Home Repair and Improvement"; Creative Homeowner Editors; 2006
• "Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual"; Family Handyman Magazine Editors; 2005
• "Handbook of Adhesives and Sealants"; Edward M. Petrie; 2006