Interior doors are often decorated with additional decorative elements, you can often see the decor in the form of a glass insert. But when using low-quality glass inserts or improper and careless operation of the door leaf, it may be necessary to dismantle this fragile part. We will talk today about how to properly replace glass in an interior door.
How to remove cracked glass?
Replacement of broken or cracked glass in an interior door begins with its removal from the door leaf. The greatest difficulties arise if the glass insert is cracked, because it must be removed in such a way that the glass does not crumble into pieces during dismantling.
It is best to perform all work after the door is removed from the hinges and laid on a flat horizontal surface. If this is not possible, it is necessary to open the door and fix it securely at the bottom so that the door leaf does not wobble during operation.
On the cracks themselves, it is necessary to glue a transparent strong adhesive tape in several layers on both sides of the glass. It is very important at the same time that the adhesive tape also captures its intact part. Such a manipulation will fix the glass and prevent it from falling apart during the dismantling process.
You will also need:
- gloves, best rubberized on a fabric basis;
- broom and scoop;
- chisel;
- several pieces of thick paper;
- small hammer.
All work must be carried out with gloves, this will help protect your hands from damage. The further procedure for removing cracked glass will consist of the following steps:
- It is necessary to establish how exactly the glass insert is fixed in the door leaf. It can be brought in through the end or fixed with glazing beads.
- If the glass is installed through the end, then the door will still have to be removed from the hinges. It can only be removed through a special hole.
- If the insert is fixed with glazing beads, then using a chisel and a hammer, they must be slightly moved to the side. There is no need to completely remove these fasteners.
- Then the glass is slowly removed from the canvas. It is better to perform this operation with two people, especially if the insert is large. One person will have to hold the glass at the location of the cracks, while the second will carefully remove it from the door.
- It is necessary to clean all grooves of sawdust, door putty or sealant.
The dismantled insert should be disposed of immediately after wrapping it in prepared paper. If in the process of work a piece of glass broke off, it should be carefully swept in the room.
There are no particular difficulties in performing such work. The main thing is to immediately prepare all the necessary material and perform the actions slowly.
Worth paying attention to gum condition, which is located between the glazing bead and the glass itself. If it is severely damaged or torn, it must be replaced with a new one.
What can be replaced?
After removing the cracked glass from the canvas, a new insert must be installed in its place. Many people have difficulty choosing the right replacement material. Before proceeding to the description of possible alternative inserts, I would like to say that sometimes you can just fix broken or cracked glass with the following options:
- A special decorative film in cases where a crack or chip is small. It is glued to all the glass at once, so that the door looks harmonious and complete.
- Hardboard sheet. This option is temporary and can only be used until a new glass is selected. To improve the appearance, it is also recommended to paste over the temporary insert with a decorative film.
For the final replacement of cracked glass in the door, you can use other materials:
- Ordinary glass. This material does not have any decor of its own, it is completely transparent, widely available and low price. When choosing this option for a replacement, it becomes possible to decorate it in any way in the future.
- Organic glass has a high level of strength, and it is very difficult to break it, but at the same time, scratches on such material appear quite quickly. You can eliminate this drawback with the help of a decorative film, which will decorate the door itself and protect the insert from minor damage.
- Decorative (stained glass) glass. This replacement option is the most stylish, beautiful and expensive. An insert made of such glass is distinguished by its unusual appearance and high strength. True, it will be necessary to spend a lot of time on the selection of a drawing suitable for the general style of the interior. Some varieties of this material will not be possible to install at home.
- The tempered glass, differs in the increased durability, fire safety and a noise isolation.
There are quite a few materials to replace old cracked glass. It is worth giving preference to the one that most accurately fits not only in terms of its technical characteristics, but also in appearance.
How to paste with your own hands: step by step instructions
The installation of a new decorative part in the door leaf should not begin with the work itself, but with measurement. It is necessary to accurately determine the size of the future insert. When performing measuring work, you need to remember that the glass itself should not fit too tightly into the grooves, otherwise it may burst again from strong pressure.
To install a new insert, you will need the following equipment:
- sealant;
- small nails;
- a hammer;
- glue;
- rubber insert.
The replacement itself is quite simple in several stages:
- The sealant is applied on one side of the door leaf in special grooves for glass.
- The newly acquired insert is inserted into the elastic and then installed into the grooves. It is possible to glue glass and wood directly without using such a rubber seal, however, such an installation will be unsafe, and the glass itself will not be securely fixed in the grooves.
- Sealant is applied again, but on the other side of the door.
- After 5 minutes, the previously removed glazing beads are installed. If necessary, they should be securely fixed using special small nails.
- The door leaf must be left stationary for another couple of hours. During this time, the entire structure is completely fixed inside the door.
You can glue glass into a wooden door not only using a sealant, but also a special wood or universal glue. The application of sealant also remains a mandatory part, but this stage is performed after the installation of the glass.
It is best to do this work after removing the door from the hinges. This installation option is the simplest and is suitable for glasses of ordinary rectangular shape.
The technology of performing the work itself can be used for other types of inserts installed not only in ordinary doors, but also sliding or collapsible.
If the glass is located in the side door, and it is not possible to remove the leaf itself from the hinges, then it is necessary to fix the door leaf firmly in such a way that so that it does not move during operation.
How to change in the royal door?
In addition to ordinary interior doors, today you can also find side doors, which can also have a damaged glass insert. The side door leaf differs from the usual one in that it has special reinforcement bars that securely fix the structure itself in the doorway. The replacement of the insert in such a door will be carried out as follows:
- It is necessary to remove the door from the hinges, using a screwdriver and removing the plugs first. Unscrew the bolts from the inside of the hinges.
- The door leaf is laid on a flat horizontal surface located above the floor level.
- Using a ruler or chisel, it is necessary to remove the remaining plugs located along the edges of the canvas.
- Remove fasteners with a screwdriver.
- With the help of a hammer and a wooden block, it is necessary to disconnect the drawer along the entire perimeter from the door itself. The direction of movement is from bottom to top. It is necessary to start removing the drawer from the place where the fasteners were located.
- After detaching the drawer, it is necessary to carefully remove it from the canvas and, wearing gloves, remove the cracked glass from the grooves along with the silicone sealant.
- We measure glass and purchase replacements.
- But we put on a new insert and insert it into the grooves.
- We install the tsargi in place.
- Now you need to assemble and install the entire canvas in the reverse order of the analysis of the structure.
Replacing glass inserts in a tsargovy door is considered more difficult than the work performed on ordinary interior doors, so it should be approached very responsibly and carefully.
How to fix shaky glass in the apartment?
The glass in such door panels does not always crack or break. Much more often you can hear that it just starts to stagger strongly and make loud and unpleasant sounds at the same time. There are several ways to solve this problem without replacing the decorative insert:
- You should purchase a special "sanitary" sealant, which is applied in a thin strip into the cracks formed between the insert and the tree.
- Ordinary matches, one at a time, are inserted into the corners of the glass panel. Instead, you can use acrylic putty, which is also applied to the corners of the insert.
- Small pieces of cork are liberally lubricated with universal glue and inserted into the slots along the perimeter of the glass.
- You can also carefully remove the glazing beads themselves, apply sealant to the glass, and reinstall them on top, but closer to the decorative panel itself.
All these ways to eliminate noise and glass movement in the doors really help get rid of the problem, and their implementation does not take much time.
Installation options
There are two main ways to replace glass in interior doors, and each of them, in turn, has two varieties:
- Installation of a new insert with preservation or increase in size. In the first case, the cracked or broken glass is removed and a new one of the same size is installed in its place. Such work is considered the simplest and fastest.
- In the second case, after dismantling the damaged insert on the door leaf, he draws an image of a new one with a pencil, then measurements are taken, and then glass of a suitable size is purchased. With the help of a hacksaw, the desired shape of the hole is cut out, special grooves are made in it, and only then the installation takes place. Such work requires special care in measuring and care when cutting out a new shape in the door, otherwise you can only spoil all the material without solving the problem.
Replacing glass in interior doors is a problem that often occurs in everyday life. It is permissible to do the repair of interior doors with your own hands, if you familiarize yourself with the basic principles for the correct installation of a glass insert in the door.
Rebirth of old glazing or replacement
Interior doors with glass harmoniously complement the interior decor of any type of room.
Interior doors with glass are functional
At the same time, doors with glass inserts complement the design of the area not only from the aesthetic side of consideration, but are also endowed with functional features:
- visually expand the space of the room;
- the room is saturated with an additional source of natural light.
During the period of active operation of the ceiling of the opening, glass for interior doors often becomes unusable for a number of different reasons:
- Damage.
Doors with glass of any type of material are fragile products. Applying a little more force when closing the sash leads to minor damage to the glazing. The issue of breaking the insert is especially relevant if there are small active children in the house. In addition to breaking, the window in the door gets scratched over time, gets dirty with chemicals, or becomes cloudy over time.
- Rebirth and refreshment.
Previously, glass inserts in the doors were not particularly distinguished by the variety of choices. Today, it is possible to buy glass for a door of the most diverse quality (triplex, tempered glass, transparent plastic, etc.), as well as decorative finishes (stained glass, mirror, sandblasting, and so on).
Decorative modern glazing doors
Moreover, over time, as noted above, glass sheets tend to become cloudy. So the new design of the dwelling requires aesthetic design, and the old wooden door will still be ready to serve for a dozen years after restoration.
- Reconstruction and innovation.
Changing the environment perfectly establishes an internal harmonious state of mind. Glazing the door, as part of the decor of the room, can help if there is a desire to slightly change something in your life, but bring a new flow into it.
Bright decoration of glass inserts
It is not necessary to buy new glass for doors, you can decorate it with your own hands: make a stained-glass window, paste over with a film or paint.
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Freeing the door from a broken insert: preparation and tools
However, to reproduce each of the points of the restoration, you will need some tool, inspiration and an hour of free time.
Specialized glass gloves
Before changing the glass in the interior unit, whether it is broken or whole, it is worth acquiring a simple tool and improvised material:
- Gloves to prevent cuts.
Gloves should be made of a fairly dense material, but not very thick, in order to feel the grip of the glass insert or the remnants of broken glazing with your hands.
- Slotted wide screwdriver.
A screwdriver is needed more in order to pry off the wooden platbands (glazing beads) holding the glazing in the canvas. If the door is of a different design, for example, a paneled collapsible one, then a screwdriver may not be needed in the work.
- Chisel.
A chisel is needed for virtually all work where natural wood material is involved.
- Small hammer.
A hammer is also needed to secure the glazing beads with small finishing nails. In the case of paneled construction, it is better to get a rubber mallet to lightly knock the panels when landing in place during assembly.
Prefabricated tool for working with a door structure
- Stationery knife.
This tool may be necessary to remove old sealant at the glazing seat.
- Rubberized gasket or sealant.
Adhesives and sealants for fixing glass
The choice of material type for dense shrink glass depends on the specific product and the prevailing circumstances. The door glass seal not only tightly shrinks a piece of fragile canvas, but also prevents it from rattling during active operation. A poorly fixed product in the canvas can tap unpleasantly even with a slight draft in the room.
- Construction paper bag, cardboard box or a piece of thick paper.
Paper will be required in order to wrap and safely take out the fragments of the old glazing of the doors.
- A broom with a dustpan and a piece of plasticine, a vacuum cleaner.
Smaller fragments can be collected with plasticine
A dustpan and a broom will help to collect the fallen remains of broken glass from the floor. Plasticine will help to collect the smallest fragments, which are extremely unsafe to collect with a wet rag. To do this, the plasticine is kneaded in the hands to plasticity, and rolled over the surface of the floor or floor covering.
The process of safely removing glass residues and replacing
To determine the course of action that will free the door from the old glazing, it is worth recognizing the type of construction.
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Accuracy when assembling glass
In other words, you need to accurately determine the method of fixing the glass in the sash, otherwise it will not be possible to safely remove it. To install interior ceilings in private buildings, structures are used:
- where the inserts are fixed by means of fastening glazing beads by the overlay method - panel products;
- where the glass is inserted into the cavity of the sash - the canvases have a groove for insertion on one side;
- where the glass is inserted into the grooves of the structure itself - these are paneled typesetting blocks.
Paneled collapsible canvas
Doors with paneled collapsible type glass need to be virtually completely disassembled into elements. Glasses in such structures are often panels. A lot of collapsible elements can confuse the home master, but do not panic. It is permissible not to disassemble the canvas completely, you just need to free access to the glass panel itself, if you know the design in detail:
- vertical support (longitudinal) - side racks of the canvas;
- horizontal (transverse) support - hold the longitudinal racks and glass inserts;
- panels - thinner insert elements that are placed between the transverse supports;
- baguette decorative element - is the same transverse support, but is used as a decorative insert.
Panel assembly design
High-quality panel doors are assembled according to the tenon / groove principle, and disassembly should not be difficult. That is, you do not have to deal with the problem of cleaning the sealant that holds the prefabricated structure. Otherwise, you have become the owner of a low-quality product created in an artisanal way.
The process of disassembling a paneled product is simple: the upper crossbar is removed, after which the side racks are slightly moved apart. The rest of the details will open themselves, as in the constructor. The main thing is to work on a flat horizontal surface.
After the successful excavation of the old glazing of the doors, a new glass is inserted in the same place. The canvas is carefully assembled in the reverse order of disassembly, after which the repair of interior doors can be considered completed.
Modern products with special grooves
Many designs of modern door production are equipped with special grooves where glass for doors is inserted. Interior doors with glass inserted through a special groove created at the end of the sash can be of the most diverse configuration: sliding structures, classic swing, pendulum and others. Replacing glass in the doors of such products is quite simple with your own hands:
- the canvas is removed from the canopies of the door frame and laid on a flat plane - it is better to free up space on the floor or use a large table;
- on the end side of the sash, the same mysterious groove is found where the glass was previously inserted;
- the old glazing of the doors or its remains are removed from the groove;
- a new piece of decorative glass is placed inside, selected and fitted to the dimensions.