How to Replace the Door Glass in Antique Cabinets

Don work gloves and eye protection, and open the door to the cabinet. Remove any remaining pieces of broken glass with extreme care. Grasp each piece between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and wiggle it back and forth until it becomes free from the door frame.

Have someone hold the door open while you use a screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the top hinge to the frame of the cabinet. Antique cabinet screws usually require a flat-head screwdriver. Always start with the top screws first.

Unscrew the screws that hold the bottom hinge to the cabinet frame. Before freeing the final screw from the wood, caution your assistant to expect that the full weight of the door will be in his hands.

Cover a tabletop with an old blanket to protect the table and also to cushion the door. Lay the door, face down, on the blanket.

Look for a small wood “beading” or thin molding along the inside edges of the door. This is the most common method cabinet makers used to secure door glass in place. You might see small shards of glass trapped behind it and the wood of the door.

Insert the blade of a 2-inch putty knife under the narrow molding and gently twist the blade in an upward motion. Thin brads or small nails hold the molding in place. Pry the molding up and allow the molding to come free of the door. Do not totally remove the brads from the molding. Continue to loosen all the sections of molding in this fashion and be wary of miniature shards of glass.

Lift the molding out and remove it. With the molding gone, the “rabbet,” the indented space around the opening in the door, becomes exposed. Remove any remaining debris from the rabbet with a putty knife and hand brush.

Measure the width from the inside of the rabbet on the left side of the door to the inside of the rabbet on the right. Measure the height from the inside of the rabbet on the top of the door to the inside of the rabbet on the bottom. You will need these measurements to purchase replacement glass.

Hold the replacement glass on the palms of your hand. Slowly position it above the door's rabbet. Gently lower the pane until it sits in the rabbet. Well-fitting glass will have slight movement from left to right, and up and down. This allows for expansion due to temperature and humidity changes.

Line up the tips of the brads that you left attached to the molding with their corresponding holes in the edge of the rabbet. Replace rusted or broken brads with new ones of the same size. Drive the brads into place with a tack hammer. Once replaced, the moldings secure the new pane of glass firmly in place.

Position the cabinet door in the opening of the cabinet and screw the top hinge onto the cabinet frame. Have your assistant steady the door while you work.