What Is Glass Door Repair?
Glass door repair is fixing the glass or the hardware of a door without replacing the whole door. It covers two kinds of problem. The first is broken or cracked glass: a French door lite, a storm door panel, a sidelite or a commercial entrance door. The second is hardware: a glass door that sags, drags, slams or no longer locks because a pivot, hinge or closer has worn out.
Often it is both. A commercial door that has been slamming for months because the closer is out of adjustment is the door most likely to crack its glass.
Doors We Repair
| Door type | Common problems | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| French doors | Cracked lite, loose stops | In-situ re-glaze with tempered |
| Storm and screen doors | Broken panel | Tempered panel swap |
| Exterior doors with sealed lites | Foggy or cracked IGU | New tempered Low-E unit |
| Commercial aluminium entrance doors | Cracked lite, drags, will not latch | Re-glaze, closer and pivot adjustment |
| Frameless Herculite-style doors | Cracked glass, worn patch fittings | New 1/2-inch tempered, fittings reset |
| Interior office glass doors | Chipped edge, worn pivot | Panel swap, hardware reset |
In-Situ Re-Glazing
For most residential doors, we re-glaze in place. The door stays on its hinges, or is lifted off onto padded horses if it is easier to work flat. The stops come off, the broken glass is removed, the rebate is cleaned, and new glazing tape and setting blocks go in. The new tempered lite is set, the stops are refitted and sealed, and the door goes back to work.
Wood stile-and-rail doors in older homes in Forest Hill, Roncesvalles and Leaside get extra care: stops are numbered and refitted in the same place, nail holes are filled, and paint touch-up is left neat.
Commercial Door Hardware
Glass entrance doors on storefronts and in plazas take a lot of abuse. Thousands of openings a week, wind loads, and the occasional delivery cart. The hardware we see fail most often:
- Floor closers and overhead concealed closers that lose their check and let the door slam.
- Top and bottom pivots that wear and let the door drop.
- Patch fittings on frameless doors that loosen around the glass.
- Adams Rite and similar locks that stop lining up with the strike when the door sags.
Adjusting them early keeps the glass from being stressed and keeps the door AODA-friendly for customers with mobility devices.
Repair or Replace the Door?
Repair the door when the leaf and frame are sound and the hardware can be adjusted or replaced. Replace it when the frame is bent, the door no longer meets fire or AODA requirements, or you want a different style. If you are unsure, the crew will show you both prices on the same quote. Full door work is covered under glass door replacement.
Send a photo of the door and the damage, and our Toronto glass repair crew will tell you which it is.
Written by The Elite Glass Repair Toronto Crew. Last updated .
