What You Need to Know About Fixing Residential Glass

What You Need to Know About Fixing Residential Glass

Cracked windows, chipped shower doors, and damaged glass-front cabinets happen to even the most careful of homeowners. If you find yourself staring at a broken pane and wondering if you have the skillset to attempt a DIY repair, consider this: the time, effort, cost of materials, and even potential danger involved in fixing your own glass fixtures may be more than the immediate cost of hiring residential glass repair experts to do it for you. 

Here’s what you need to know:

It’s likely better to replace the glass piece entirely.

Small chips and breaks at the corner of glass panes are good candidates for repair. Most damage exceeds that level, however, and will require an outright replacement. 

Double – or triple-paned glass will need to be replaced regardless of the amount of damage.

Multi-paned glass windows come from the factory in a special frame that maintains a vacuum seal between each sheet of glass. This air gap reduces the transfer of heat energy from inside your house to outside and vice versa. Unfortunately, if one of these panes breaks, a full replacement of the glass and the frame is necessary. 

There is a possibility of lead exposure.

One of the most popular and cost-effective remedies for “fixing” lead-based paint in older homes is to simply paint over the whole interior so the dangerous paint is sealed off from you and your family. If the surface paint layer remains undamaged, that method works fine. However, if your paint is flaking or your window frame has cracked or chipped, those under-layers of paint that still contain lead may be exposed. 

Older homes may not be equipped with safety glass.

Safety glass is glass that has been coated, laminated, or otherwise reinforced to prevent it from forming dangerous shards when it breaks. While many modern homes do have safety glass by default, older homes may not. If you break the glass during your DIY repair, you risk serious injury and may wind up with a costly ER visit. 

DIY repairs and replacements may be more prone to failure in the future.

Glass repair experts know what type of glass will work best in your home, which materials would be the best choice, and how to install all of those components correctly. With DIY repairs, you’re taking the chance that a glass fixture might fall, break, or come loose with time, which could be a safety hazard. 

Broken windows in older homes provide an opportunity for upgrading to more energy-efficient windows.

While it may mean a larger up-front cost, upgrading to energy efficient windows can help you save a lot more money than you might think in the long run. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that windows are responsible for up to 30% of your monthly heating and cooling costs. Think of how much money you won’t have to spend each month on your energy bill, and all the other benefits of window replacements in an older home.

If you have broken glass in your home, don’t mess around with hazardous and costly DIY fixes. Call the experts at Dan’s Glass by dialing 925-827-417 or using our online contact form

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