Aluminium door glass replacement

Why doors take safety glass

Doors get pushed, slammed, leaned on and, now and then, walked into. That is why glass in doors should be safety glass rather than ordinary float glass. There are two kinds.

Laminated glass is two sheets bonded to a tough interlayer. If it breaks, the pieces stick to the interlayer and the pane stays in the frame. The 6.38mm laminated glass we carry is the standard for most doors, which is a big part of why many door repairs can be done on the day.

Toughened glass is heat-treated so that it is up to five times stronger than float glass of the same thickness, and when it does break, it crumbles into small blunt pieces instead of long sharp shards. It is made to size, so we source it for your door.

Hinged and French doors

On a hinged aluminium door the glass is held in the frame with rubber glazing seals, much like an aluminium window. The broken pane comes out, the channel is cleaned, the new glass goes in and the seals are pressed back in all the way round. On French doors we check that both leaves still meet and latch properly once the new pane is in.

Laminated or toughened?

For a back door or French doors where security matters, laminated glass has the edge because it holds together when struck. Laminated glass comes in three performance variations: Normal Strength (NS), High Penetration Resistant (HPR) and High Impact (HI). Where strength and resistance to knocks matter more, toughened glass is the better pick. If you are not sure, tell us how the door is used and we will talk you through it.

Checking the door itself

A door pane sometimes breaks because the door has dropped on its hinges and started catching the frame, or because it slams in the wind. When we replace the glass, we check that the door opens and closes freely and meets its frame evenly. If it does not, fixing that at the same time helps protect the new pane from the same fate.

Sliding doors are different

Aluminium sliding doors run on wheels in a track and are glazed a little differently. If that is what you have, our sliding door glass page is the place to start. If a hinged door is dropping, catching or refusing to close, the hinges may need attention too, and that falls under aluminium window and door maintenance.

If your glass is not on the van

For doors with glass we do not carry, we source it fast and cover the opening in the meantime, so the house can still be locked up. Send us a close-up of the damage and a photo of the whole door, and we will come back to you with a quote.