Wooden window glass replacement

Why wood needs care

Uhm, wood? Yes, wood. A wooden frame is softer than steel or aluminium, and after years in the sun and rain it can be drier and more brittle than it looks. Prise out a strip of beading carelessly and it splits; lever against the wrong spot and you leave a dent in the frame that shows long after the glass is fixed.

So we take our time. Each strip of beading is eased out gently so it can go back in, the old glass is removed in pieces rather than knocked out, and the rebate that the pane sits in is cleaned before anything new goes near it.

Beading, glazing and a neat finish

In most wooden windows the pane rests in a rebate cut into the frame and is held there by thin strips of wood called beading, pinned in place along each edge. Some older frames use a glazing compound instead of, or as well as, beading. Either way, the aim is the same: the glass sits snugly, the joint is sealed against the weather and the finished window looks tidy.

Once the new pane is bedded in, the beading goes back and is pinned securely. If a strip is too damaged to reuse, we let you know so it can be replaced rather than forced back into place.

Older homes and character frames

Many of Gauteng's older homes still have their original timber windows, and it is worth keeping them. Replacing the glass is far less disruptive than replacing the whole window, and it keeps the character of the house intact. If the frames are part of what made you fall in love with the place, we will treat them that way.

The glass that goes in

For most wooden windows, 4mm float glass is the right replacement and it is carried on our vans. Where a pane is large, or you would like something that holds together if it is struck, 6.38mm laminated shatterproof glass is a sensible upgrade. Anything unusual we source fast, and we can cover the opening until it arrives.

Finishing the frame

Timber beading that has been refitted, or new beading that has been put in, is best painted or sealed to match the rest of the frame. That protects the wood from sun and rain and keeps the joint between glass and frame watertight. If the frame itself is due for a coat of paint, now is a good time to do it.

Before and after

The photos on this page show one of our wooden window jobs: a crack across the left pane before, and new glass in both panes after. Drag the slider, or use the arrow keys, to compare the two.