Commercial properties such as shops, bars and showrooms often have glazed external doors so that passersby can see inside easily. The same is true, of course, of many residential buildings, where homeowners want glass in their doorway so that they can see outside from within. Either way, glazed doors are susceptible to becoming cracked if they are knocked into with any force. In a city centre or a shopping mall, this all too frequently occurs because people bump into the doors with shopping trolleys or because vandalism is committed. In homes, French doors can be easily caught by the wind and slam into a wall, thereby cracking them, too.

Whatever the cause of a crack in your glazed door, it is important to act on it. Leaving a cracked pane of glass makes your property seem insecure and encourages unwanted attention from would-be intruders! What should you do?

Check For Shards

A cracked pane of glass in a door or a window may be perfectly sound, but it could also mean that the structural integrity of the glass has been compromised. Without touching the crack, inspect it closely for shards or signs that the crack is growing. If you see either, then you will need an emergency glass repair service to replace it for you before you can make your property secure once more.

Carry Out a Temporary Repair

If the crack is free from shards and doesn't look like it is spreading, then you have a little longer to organise the necessary glass replacement. Indeed, you can prevent the situation from getting worse by covering the crack with clear adhesive plastic. A sheet of this is easy to stick on and will offer protection from further damage due to subsequent impacts. Doing so helps to make your glazed door look like it has been properly secured prior to a full repair job being carried out by professional glaziers.

Dealing With Multiple Cracks

In some cases, your glazed door will have a series of cracks that have been caused by an impact. This can be because something heavy has been dropped against the glazing or because someone has attempted to kick it in. In such cases, an emergency repair is preferable, but if you need to secure the door before you can organise one, then the best thing is to cover the damaged area with plywood or MDF. Just hammer this into position into the door's frame to completely cover the affected area and prevent broken glass from spreading around.

Share