Nobody walks into a picture window at head height. The glass that sends people to hospital is the glass people mistake for open space, or that a dog hits at a run.
The three places to look
- Patio and balcony doors. A full height leaf, dead centre in the path between kitchen and yard.
- Side lights and door inserts. Narrow full length panes right where hands, shoulders and toys land.
- Low windows. Anything with glass starting near the floor, common in Hamilton splits and basement walk-outs.
If any of those is plain single pane and it is older glass, treat it as the first thing to change.
Tempered and laminated, plainly
Tempered is heat treated so it is several times stronger, and when it does break it collapses into small blunt granules instead of shards. Patio doors, shower glass, railings and low windows are typically tempered.
Laminated is two panes bonded to a clear interlayer. It cracks but the pieces stay stuck to the film, so the opening stays covered. Good where you also care about security or noise.
Ontario's building code requires safety glass in the spots most likely to be walked into, including doors and glazing close to the floor. Replacement glass in those locations goes back in as safety glass.
How to tell what you have
Look for a small etched stamp in a bottom corner. Tempered glass almost always carries one with the maker and a standard number. No stamp on a door leaf or a side light usually means ordinary annealed glass.
You cannot temper existing glass. It has to be made that way, so the fix is a new pane.
Cheap things that help today
- Put something at eye level on clear doors. Decals, a frosted band, even a plant in front of the glass.
- Keep the slider clean but marked. Spotless glass is the invisible kind.
- Move the launch pad. Dogs hit doors hardest when their toy lands on the other side.
- Fix the hardware. A slider that jams gets shoved, and shoving is how glass and rollers break. Roller and hardware repairs are a small job.
- Screens are not a barrier. A dog goes through a screen. Rescreening runs $45 to $95.
What replacement runs
| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| Single pane | $150 to $350 installed |
| Sealed unit, standard | $350 to $650 installed |
| Large or tempered | $650 to $900+ |
| Patio slider glass | quoted by size and glass type |
| Screen rescreen | $45 to $95 |
Tempered costs more than plain glass and takes a few days because it is made to order. In a doorway or at floor level it is worth it.
If it has already broken
Keep everyone out of the room, including the dog, and vacuum rather than sweep, because tempered granules travel. If the opening is not secure we board it up the same day and fit the new glass once it is made.
Want to know whether your patio door and side lights are safety glass? Send us a photo of the corner stamp and we will tell you, and give you a price if they need changing.