The Problem
A Harbourfront condo owner had two foggy sealed units in her living room window: a milky haze between the panes that never cleared. The units were original to the 1998 building and had a reflective Pilkington coating that gives the tower its blue-silver look from the lake.
The property manager was clear: the condo corporation would only approve replacement units that matched the original coating. A previous contractor had installed a clear unit in another suite, and the board made the owner pay to replace it again.
Matching a 28-Year-Old Spec
The crew read the spacer stamp to confirm the fabricator and date, measured each lite and the overall unit thickness with a micrometer, and took spectrophotometer readings of the coating’s reflectivity and tint on a neighbouring unit. Pilkington still makes a direct equivalent of the original coating, so we ordered two units to that spec with a modern warm-edge spacer in the original grey.
Materials
- Two Pilkington coated insulated glass units, Argon filled, coating matched by spectrophotometer
- Warm-edge spacer in grey to match the building
- New setting blocks and glazing tape
Timeline
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Measurement and coating readings | Day 1 |
| Units ordered | Day 1 |
| Units delivered | Day 11 |
| 24-hour suite booking, install | Day 12 |
| PM walkthrough | Day 13, approved |
The building only allows contractor elevator use with a 24-hour suite booking, so we coordinated the date with the PM and installed both units in one morning.
Final Cost
$1,850 CAD for both units, installed, including the coating match, elevator coordination and disposal. The PM approved the work on the first walkthrough, and the owner received the Pilkington seal warranty plus our written 2-year workmanship warranty.
Related service: foggy window repair.
