So your beautiful French door has a broken window? Don’t worry! Just because your window is a lost cause does not mean you need to go out and buy a whole new door! Replacing a broken window in a French door is extremely simple and just takes a little elbow grease and patience. Replacing or repairing the broken window in a French door will save you more money than buying a whole new door. Before you start take the broken window out of your door, there are a few things you will need before you get started:
- Oil
- Paint
- Wood Putty
- Five-in-One Painter’s Tool
- A putty Knife
- Straight Edge
- Nippers
- Pen
- Nail Punch
- Folding Ruler
- Utility Knife
- Towels
- Hacksaw
- Gloves
- Safety Glasses
- Glass Cutter
- Latex Caulk
- Particleboard
- Sheet of Glass
- Hammer
Removing Broken Glass from French Door
If you want to start repairing your broken window on your door, you first need to remove the broken glass from the pane. Put on your safety glasses and gloves and cover the broken pane with a cloth or towel and start tapping out the loose shards or cracked glass. Remove any extra pieces that are still in the putty of the window paine. Once the glass is removed, take a measurement of the pane. Next, cut paint seams along the trim and the at the joints of the paint using your utility knife. When you’ve cut around all the edges, start prying the trim up with a putty knife. With some French doors, there are nails that hold the trim in place, pry the trim up as much as you can and cut the nail using your hacksaw. When you pry the trim out, pop it out from the frame and label each piece.
Replace a Broken Window in French Door
Once the broken or cracked glass is removed and you’ve taken the trim from the window pane, you can replace a broken window in a french door. Take the measurements of your window and transfer the dimensions onto the glass and place it on the particle board. With your safety gloves and glasses on, dab a small amount of oil on the glass cutter. Cut the first line with the glass cutter using a ruler or straightedge. Move the glass to the edge of the particle board and gently tap or snap the glass. Repeat this process for the rest of the cuts. When you have cut the correct piece of glass for your pane, put a small amount of latex caulk into the setting to keep the glass inside the window pane. Replace your trim and be careful not to break or shatter the glass when you tap it into place. When the trim is completely replaced, run a small amount of caulk around the outside of the trim. Putty any visible nail holes and paint the trim to match the rest.