Storefronts · Montreal
Repairing or replacing a storefront's glass
A display pane with a crack running in from the edge, a window broken overnight, a thermos, the sealed double-glazed unit, gone cloudy above the door. Storefront glass seldom fails at a convenient moment, and it is often one pane, not the whole front. We connect Montreal merchants and building owners with independent commercial glass contractors who secure the opening, measure it and quote the new glass. For doors, curtain walls and the rest, start from commercial glass.
- The opening secured first
- Tempered, laminated or thermos glass
- Heritage and borough rules explained
When the glass breaks
Broken storefront: make the premises safe, then board up
The order matters more than the speed. Here is what usually happens on the first night, and what has to wait for new glass.
Keep people clear
Close off the area inside and on the sidewalk, and leave loose pieces in the frame for the pro. If someone broke in, call the police before touching anything.
Photograph everything
Wide shots of the front, close-ups of the break and the frame, and anything damaged inside. Your insurer will want them, and so will the pro.
Cover the opening
Plywood or a temporary panel (placardage) closes the gap so you can lock up. That is often possible the same night, depending on the hour and who is available. Emergency board-up explains what to expect.
Order the permanent glass
Display panes are made to measure. Tempered glass is cut and edged before it is heat-treated, so nothing can be trimmed on site. The board-up stays until the new piece is ready.
The glass
Storefront glass: tempered, laminated or thermos
Most display windows are one of three kinds, and the pro matches what's there or suggests a better fit.
Tempered
Heat-treated for strength; it breaks into small pieces rather than long shards. Common in doors and low panes.
Laminated (verre feuilleté)
Two layers bonded to a plastic interlayer. When it cracks, the pieces stay on the film and the opening stays closed, which is why many merchants choose it for street-facing display panes.
Thermos units
Two panes sealed around a spacer, for heated shops and restaurants. A thermos that fogs has lost its seal, and the unit can usually be replaced in the existing frame. See foggy thermos units.
Older fronts
Heritage storefronts: keeping the original look
On older arteries, the storefront is part of the building's character. Much of Old Montreal was declared a historic district in 1964, and under Quebec's heritage rules, work that repairs or changes the appearance of a heritage building or site needs authorization first. Ville-Marie's own permit page says that work to keep or restore a building's original form or appearance is favoured.
Outside heritage sectors, the rules still differ by borough, and most boroughs require a permit even for doors and windows replaced at the same size. The City's analysis fee has a higher minimum for commercial and mixed-use buildings than for homes, and it isn't refunded. Check with your borough before you sign; our borough permit guide explains where the file starts.
Before the quote
Preparing the quote: photos, measurements and access
A pro can often give a first figure from good photos. These details move the price most:
- Size of each pane, and whether the front is one piece or several
- Glass type: tempered, laminated, thermos, tinted or low-E coated
- Frame material and condition, including older wood fronts
- Access: transom height, sidewalk width and where the pro can park
- Work outside business hours, and lettering or film to redo
Send a straight-on photo of the front, a close-up of the damage and the rough width and height.
On the street
Working on a busy commercial artery
Storefront work in Montreal happens where the foot traffic is: Sainte-Catherine downtown, the Main, Mount Royal Avenue and the neighbourhood arteries, many with their own SDC (business development association). There, replacing a large pane means installers handling heavy glass beside pedestrians.
Ask the pro how they plan the day: before opening or after closing, how long the front stays boarded, and where the glass is unloaded. Pass on any rules your landlord has about work on the façade.
Around the glass
Storefront doors and hardware
A closer that slams, a pivot that drags or a lock that won't catch are separate, usually smaller repairs; see commercial glass doors and closers.
If a window higher up the same building is fogged or cracked, mention it; one visit may cover both. See curtain wall and commercial window glass.
Questions
Storefront glass questions
Explore your options
Related commercial glass
Independent pros take storefront work across the island and on both shores, including Montréal, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Westmount, Verdun and Laval.
Send a photo of the storefront
Include the business address, which panes are affected and whether the premises are secure. We pass it to an independent commercial glass contractor who quotes the work. If one pane will do, they'll say so.