How to Replace Glass in Antique Doors

Antique wooden doors add character to a home or building, especially if still with the original glass. However, like most glass applications, windows will inevitably break. You can replace the pane of glass with either a new piece of safety glass from your local hardware store or perhaps an old pane from another old door with the same-sized panes. The process is the same. Most of the work involved is lifting the trim that holds the window in place.

Leather work gloves
Putty knife
Hammer
Glazing compound
Glazier points
1-inch brad nails
Nail set

Instructions

- 1
  Pull out the old broken glass with your hands but only after putting on a pair of leather work gloves to protect yourself.
- 2
  Work from the inside of the door and pry out the strips of wood trim, also called stock bead, holding the window in place. Start with the long side, then move to the other three sides. Carefully tap the sharp ends of the nails with a hammer to push them back out of the trim.
- 3
  Clean out any remaining glass shards or debris from the window crevice. Squeeze a thin 1/16-inch bead of glazing compound around the inside edge of the outer frame.
- 4
  Cut a new piece of glass the same size as the opening, minus 1/8 inch to allow a little room for expansion of the wood in the door. Press the new window pane in place firmly against the putty.
- 5
  Slide glazier points on each side of the window using a putty knife to push them into the wood.
- 6
  Set new nails in the stock bead or wood trim using a hammer until the points just start to come out the inside. Place the trim in place along the window in the same positions as before. Hammer the nails in place. Use a nail set to sink the nails below the surface of the wood.

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