How to Glaze a Window

Posted on September 9th, 2009 by Elaine

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If you live in an old house, chances are you have wooden-framed windows with glazing in their windowpanes. Overtime, the glazing becomes old, lowering insulation efficiency and making the frame and glass prone to breakage. If you’re not ready to buy and replace your windows, then you can just apply new glazing to them. Here’s how to do it correctly.

What You’ll Need:

Glazing
Heat gun or blowtorch
Putty knife
Ladder (if the window is high)
Scraper
Primer paint
Latex gloves
Paintbrushes

Procedure:

Gather all the items you need. You can buy glazing at many hardware stores in different brands. Check the directions, so you”ll know what else you need to get ready for. For example, some glazing need primer painting when they dry up, which can take 14 days or more.
Get the window which you need glazing, bringing them down from their frame. If you’re working on multiple windows, make sure they’re laid out on one area, so you won’t have to keep going up and down a ladder.
Remove the old glazing from the window. You can either heat them or scrape them out. Sometimes, the glazing also becomes loose, so it pops out with a bit of prying with the scraper. For more stubborn glazing, use a blowtorch and put it in the lowest setting to melt it. Make sure it doesn’t bubble paint on the frame or break the window. You can use wood for protection, cover the window with it so it’s protected from the heat.
After the putty is removed, take away the points. These are the small metal pieces you find lodged in the wood, holding the glass in place. You can save them for later if they’re in good condition. If not, you need to replace them, Make sure the new points you get still fit the window.
Remove the glass from the frame. If it won’t budge because there’s still old glazing holding it in, get the heat gun and hold it one to three inches above, for 20 seconds. This heats the glass so the glazing is warmed and the window freed.
Scrape and sand the frame, so you reach the bare wood. Prime this, so the wood will be sealed and it won’t soak the oil from the glazing. Otherwise, the glazing dries out and cracks in a couple of years. Wait 24 hours for the primer to dry.
Apply new glazing when the primer is dry. You can do this using a caulking tube or by hand. Use the heat gun to warm the glazing, or just roll it around your hand. Put a thin bead all around the frame, then carefully press the glass in. When it’s tight against the glaze, put in the points, then trim the putty that got out from the opposite side of the frame.
Use your fingers or a putty knife to press the glazing in the glas, so the groove becomes overfilled. Create a finished look by starting in one corner, then gliding the knife over the putty, pressing firmly into the frame, and removing the excess at the same time. Slowly and carefully move the knife at a deep angle. Smooth with your fingers or with a clean paintbrush.
Let the glazing dry for a few days. When dried, prime and paint it. Just make sure that when you paint, there’s only a small margin from the glazing on the glass, so your glazing is sealed and protected.
Return the windows to their original places.

Glazing a window ensures that it stays sturdy for a longer time. It’s a challenging and grueling task, but it’s certainly worth it in the end.