How to Replace a Window Pane

Crack! An errant baseball, a hurled stone, or a falling branch is all it takes to end the life of a windowpane. And for most modern, double-glazed windows, that means a trip to the local glass shop for repairs.

But for old-fashioned, single-glazed wood sash, you can easily replace the pane yourself. It's one of the rare homeowner projects that doesn't require some practice to tool the putty," says Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor. "You want to end up with neat, crisp creases in the corners and straight runs in between."

The reglazing technique Tom demonstrates on these pages also comes in handy when the old putty itself cracks or falls out but the glass remains intact. (In that case, Tom removes all the old putty; it's too far gone to patch.) Whatever the glazing project, he recommends taking out the window sash and laying it flat on a workbench, if possible. "Trying to reglaze a sash that's still in it's opening takes longer, and it's far more difficult to do a good job."

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Helpful Info

Skill Builder: Using a Putty Knife

Article: Cutting Glass

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