Broken glass
Cracked or smashed window glass: what to do tonight, and who fixes it
Most broken house windows can be made safe tonight and fixed properly once the new glass is ready. Keep people clear, take photos, cover the opening, then get it measured. This page is about home and shop windows in Hamilton, Ontario, not car glass; other problems are on the windows page. We connect you with an independent local glass pro who replaces broken panes and sealed units; they quote and do the work.
- Safe tonight, fixed properly after
- Single panes, sealed units, safety glass
- House and shop glass, not car glass
The first hour
The first hour: make it safe and keep the weather out
A broken window feels urgent, and sometimes it is. The first hour comes down to four things, in this order:
Keep people and pets back
Close the door to the room. Wear shoes and gloves, lift out the big pieces, then sweep and vacuum; slivers travel far.
Take photos before you tidy
Photograph the window inside and out, the glass on the floor, and whatever came through. Your insurer will want these.
Tape a crack, cover a hole
A cracked pane still in one piece can be held with a crosshatch of tape. A hole needs heavy plastic stapled to the frame, or plywood cut to fit. Don't glue a crack: it makes the pane harder to remove.
Board up if it can't wait
A big opening or a back door you can't lock needs a board-up. Whether a pro can come that evening depends on who's free; we pass your request on and the pro tells you what's possible.
What broke
Single pane, sealed unit or safety glass? Working out what broke
Look closely at the edge of the broken glass. A photo of a corner usually tells a pro which of these it is.
One thin layer held in a wood sash with putty is single glazing. It's common in older Lower City houses and storms, and it's the simplest window pane replacement there is.
Two panes with a metal or plastic bar between them at the edge is a sealed unit. If only one pane cracked, the whole unit is still replaced, because its seal is broken too; the frame usually stays. If it had fogged before it broke, see foggy sealed units.
Glass that burst into small blunt cubes was tempered; glass that cracked into a web but stayed put was laminated. Both are safety glass, and the replacement must match.
The lasting fix
Can a crack be repaired, or does the pane need replacing?
Honest answer: window glass can't be mended like a windshield chip. Tape can hold a small crack for a while, but the lasting fix is new glass, and rarely a new window.
Measured
The pro measures and confirms the glass type. Single glass can often be cut locally; a sealed unit or tempered pane is made to order.
Covered in the meantime
The opening stays taped or boarded until the glass is ready. Ask for it to be left weather-tight and secure, especially on a ground-floor window.
Glazed
The broken glass comes out, the frame is cleaned up, and the new pane or unit goes in. The rest of the window stays as it was.
Safety glass
Where Ontario code requires safety glass (doors, sidelights, showers, guards)
Some glass has to be tempered or laminated so it breaks safely. The Ontario Building Code sets out where, and the pro who replaces your glass checks the current wording. These are the places it usually comes up:
Doors
Glass in sliding patio doors and storm doors. Door glass can usually be replaced without a new door.
Sidelights
Wider glass beside a door that someone could mistake for a way through.
Showers and tubs
Any glass enclosing a shower or bathtub.
Guards
Glass that works as a railing on stairs, balconies or decks.
Older homes
Older wood sash and heritage homes: reglazing one light, no Heritage Permit usually needed
Many Lower City sash windows are split into small panes, each called a light. When one breaks, a pro can take out just that light and set a new piece in fresh putty. The sash and other lights stay.
If your house is designated or in a heritage district, this usually doesn't need a Heritage Permit: the City lists repairing broken window glass among work that normally goes ahead without one. Replacing the window, or even adding storms, is different; our heritage district guide explains. If the sash itself is loose or rotting, see wood window repair.
What affects the quote
What changes the price of a replacement pane
A photo and a rough size let a pro give you a first idea before visiting. These move the price:
- Single glass, a sealed unit, or tempered or laminated safety glass
- The size of the pane, and whether it's a rectangle or a shape
- How it's held in: putty in an old sash, stops, or a sash that has to come out
- Height and access, such as an upstairs window or a bay
- Whether a board-up is needed first
- Timing: an evening or weekend call can cost more than a booked weekday visit
Ask for the quote in writing, with the board-up and the new glass listed separately.
Storms and break-ins
Wind, storm and break-in damage: photos for insurance
Hamilton gets its share of wind. Plenty of people remember the 2005 tornado on the Mountain and the December 2021 windstorm that brought trees down across the city. When a branch breaks a window, the order doesn't change: safe first, photos second, cover third, new glass last.
For a claim, photograph everything before it's moved and keep the board-up receipt. A written quote for the glass helps you weigh a claim against your deductible.
After a break-in, the same steps apply. Once police and your insurer have what they need, board up and get the glass measured. For a back door, ask about laminated glass or window film. Shops: see storefront glass repair.
Questions
Broken glass questions
Explore your options
Other glass problems we can help with
Local pros replace broken house glass across the city, including Downtown Hamilton, Crown Point, Kirkendall and Locke Street, the Mountain and Dundas.
Send a photo of the break and the window size
Say where the window is, whether it's single glass or a sealed unit if you can tell, and roughly how big. We pass it to a local glass pro, who gets back to you about covering it and quoting the glass.