Broken window glass · Montreal
Cracked or broken window glass: what gets replaced, and how
A crack creeping from the corner, a pane broken by a ball from the ruelle, a thermos that split in a cold snap. In most cases the window stays and only the glass is replaced. Montreal's older plexes still have plenty of single glass in wood sash, which a glazier can reglaze in place. We connect you with an independent local glass professional who replaces house window glass, not car windows. Ask for the soumission in writing before work starts.
- House window glass, not car glass
- Single panes, thermos units and door glass
- Clear steps for tenants and owners alike
What gets replaced
Single glass, thermos or tempered glass: what needs replacing
The fix depends on what kind of glass broke. The pro identifies it from a photo or on site.
Single glass in an old sash
One pane held with glazier's points and putty. A new pane is cut to size and puttied in. It is the simplest and most traditional repair in the trade.
A thermos (sealed double glass)
If either pane cracks, the whole unit is replaced, since its seal is broken too. The new thermos is made to measure; the foggy thermos page explains the same job for fogged units.
Tempered or laminated safety glass
Found in patio doors, many entry doors and some low panes. It can't be cut once it is made, so the replacement is ordered to exact size.
Before the glazier
Cracked pane: making it safe in the meantime
A cracked window is rarely an emergency on its own. These steps keep it from becoming one.
Make the area safe
Keep children and pets away, pick up loose pieces with gloves, and don't press on a cracked pane to test it. If glass is hanging loose in the frame, leave it for the pro.
Keep the heat in
In January, clear packing tape along the crack on the inside slows it and cuts the draft. Where a pane is missing, plastic sheeting taped to the inside of the frame holds the heat until a panel goes up.
Photograph it
Take photos of the crack, the whole window and whatever caused it, before you clean up. Your insurer, your landlord or your tenant may ask for them.
Cover the opening if needed
If the pane is gone or the flat can't be secured, the opening needs a temporary panel first; see the board-up section below.
Old windows
Old wood windows: new glass, same sash
Much of Montreal's housing was built before 1961, and many of those plexes keep wood guillotine or casement sash with single glass. A broken pane in one of them is among the most modest repairs in the trade: the old putty is cleared, a new pane is set on glazier's points and fresh putty goes on. The sash stays, and so does the look of the façade.
Some owners bring the sash to a glazier's counter. On upper floors, or where the sash doesn't come out easily, the pro works on site. Keeping the original sash also sits well with boroughs that favour restoration, and the windows overview covers the other parts of an old window that wear.
What affects the quote
What affects the cost of replacing window glass
Glass is cut or made to order, so the price depends on the window in front of the pro:
- Type of glass: single pane, thermos, tempered or laminated
- Size and shape, including arched or divided panes
- Whether the sash comes out or the work is done in place
- Floor and access: upper flats, balconies and exterior stairs
- Old putty or a damaged sash that needs work before the new glass goes in
A photo with rough dimensions often gets you a first answer before anyone visits.
Doors and transoms
Glass in doors, transoms and patio doors
Door glass follows its own rules. Glass in sliding patio doors, and most glass that reaches low on a door, has to be safety glass, tempered or laminated, under the building codes used in Canada. The pro confirms what Quebec's code requires for your door and orders the pane to size.
The imposte above a plex front door is often original and worth keeping; some boroughs, Verdun among them, ask for transoms to be kept when doors change. For glass in entry and balcony doors, see door glass replacement.
Tenants and landlords
In a rented flat: notify, photograph, document
Most Montrealers rent, so a broken window often involves two people. Whoever finds it, the same steps protect both sides:
- Tell the other party in writing the same day, by text or email, with photos attached.
- Note the date, the cause if known, and what was done to make the window safe.
- Keep receipts for any temporary cover.
Who is responsible depends on the lease and the circumstances, and that is not ours to decide. The Tribunal administratif du logement explains urgent and necessary repairs for tenants and landlords alike. Landlords with several flats may also find our page for property managers useful.
Tonight
When the window needs boarding
If the glass is gone, the frame is damaged or the flat can't be locked, cover the opening first and measure for glass afterwards. A panel keeps out cold and rain while a thermos or tempered pane is made. The emergency board-up page covers that first night.
Questions
Broken window glass questions
Explore your options
Other window problems we can help with
Local glaziers replace window glass across Montreal and nearby, including Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Verdun, Le Sud-Ouest, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
Send a photo of the broken glass
Include rough dimensions and which floor it's on. We pass your request to an independent local glazier, who replies with a soumission and tells you whether the sash can stay.