Main-street storefronts
Shop window broken? Secure it, then replace it properly
A brick through the display window, a crack creeping in from a corner, or a unit gone cloudy at the front of the shop. Storefront glass is usually replaced a pane at a time, and the frame and door often stay. We connect Hamilton shop owners with independent local commercial glass pros who board up, measure and replace it. We pass on your photos; the pro quotes you directly.
- Board-up first, glass made to fit
- Tempered, laminated or insulated
- Heritage and grant rules flagged
The first hour
After a break: clear it, photograph it, board it
Board-up now, glass later is the normal order, not a sign anything's gone wrong. Storefront glass is made to measure, so tonight's aim is a shop that's secure and dry.
Keep people back
Block off the sidewalk if shards hang in the frame, and don't pull pieces out by hand. After a break-in, call the police before anything moves.
Photograph it first
The whole shop front from the curb, then the damage up close. Your insurer will ask, and so will the pro quoting the glass.
Cover the opening
Plywood or a temporary panel so you can lock up. Many pros do the board-up and the glass. For a smaller cracked pane, see broken window glass.
The new pane
What goes back in: tempered, laminated or an insulated unit
The glass that broke isn't always what should replace it. For doors, and sidelights that could be mistaken for one, the Ontario Building Code calls for safety glass; the pro confirms each opening.
Tempered
Breaks into small, blunt pieces and is common in doors. It can't be cut once it's made, so every piece is ordered to size.
Laminated
Two layers bonded to a plastic interlayer. When it cracks it stays in the frame, so the opening stays closed.
Insulated unit
Two panes sealed around a spacer, for heated shops. Cloudy between the panes? See foggy sealed units.
Beyond the glass
Tired frames, sills and entrance doors
Sometimes the pane isn't the problem. Storefront framing holds glass with rubber gaskets, and on an older shop front they shrink and crack until the glass rattles in a west wind. New gaskets can quiet a sound pane. A door that won't close can be sorted at the same visit; see commercial glass doors or the commercial glass hub.
Heritage fronts
Heritage storefronts downtown and in the village cores
Some older shop fronts sit in a heritage conservation district, such as MacNab-Charles downtown or Mill Street in Waterdown, or on a designated building. There, exterior changes need a Heritage Permit first. It's free, and no building permit is issued until it's approved.
Replacing a broken pane like for like counts as repair and usually needs no permit. Changing the framing, the door or the glass layout does. Check the City's heritage map, and see our downtown Hamilton page for the older blocks.
The quote
What drives a storefront glass quote
Each pane is made for its opening, so the quote comes from the job. The pro will ask about:
- Pane size and shape, including transoms and oversized display glass
- Tempered, laminated or insulated, plus any tint
- Whether a board-up comes first
- Reach: awnings, signs or a pane that needs a lift
- Frame, gasket and sill condition
- Lettering or film to put back on
One photo from the curb that takes in the whole shop front, one of the damage, and a tape measure across the pane if it's safe.
Main streets
Façade grants and BIA corridors
Many older main streets, from Locke Street to Concession Street, have a business improvement area; ask yours which City programs are open. The City's Commercial Districts Revitalization Grant offers matching grants for façade work in certain districts. Rules change, so confirm your street and your glass qualify before you sign. On the King Street LRT corridor, new or bigger openings may need Metrolinx approval before the building permit.
Claims
Insurance claims: what the adjuster will want
Call the insurer before the permanent glass is ordered. Keep the board-up invoice and your photos. Ask the pro to note the pane size, glass type and anything else hit, like the frame or lettering; that list becomes the quote the adjuster checks. Coverage is between you and your insurer.
Questions
Storefront glass questions
Explore your options
Other glass jobs on a shop front
Pros we work with replace storefront glass on main streets and in village cores, including Downtown Hamilton, Locke Street, Westdale Village, Ottawa Street and Dundas.
Send the shop front and the pane size
Add the address, which pane broke and whether plywood's up. A local commercial glass pro gets your photos and quotes directly. Still need a board-up? Say so first.