What storefront glass repair involves
Storefront glass repair covers the glass in the ground floor facade of a store, restaurant, bank branch or office lobby: display windows, entrance doors, sidelites beside doors and transoms above them. Most storefronts are aluminum framed systems in which each pane sits in a gasket or glazing tape and is held by removable stops. When a pane cracks or breaks, the work usually runs in this order:
- Make safe. Remove loose glass that could fall, sweep the walkway and cordon the area.
- Secure the opening. Install plywood board-up or a temporary panel so the location can close. See Emergency board up.
- Identify the glass. Record the size, thickness and makeup of the broken pane: annealed, tempered, laminated, or an insulating unit made of two panes with a sealed air space. Check the corner of a matching pane for a permanent safety glazing label.
- Order the replacement. Tempered glass has to be made to size. ASTM C1048 states that all fabrication, including cutting to size, edgework and drilled holes, is performed before tempering, and that heat treated flat glass cannot be cut afterward. This is why a tempered or insulating unit often takes longer to arrive than a plain pane.
- Install. Remove the stops and old gaskets, set the new pane on setting blocks, replace gaskets or glazing tape, reinstall the stops and seal where the system calls for it.
- Close out. Clean the glass, remove the board-up, photograph the finished opening and the safety glazing label.
Repair rather than replacement is sometimes possible for a small stone chip in laminated glass or a loose stop, but a crack in tempered glass, or a fogged insulating unit, means the pane is replaced.
Safety glazing and code requirements for storefront glass
Glass in and around doors is regulated because people walk into it and push on it.
- Federal safety glazing standard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission standard at 16 CFR Part 1201 sets safety requirements for glazing materials used in doors, among other products, to reduce the risk of death or serious injury when glazing is broken by human contact. It sets Category I for doors with no single piece of glazing over 9 square feet per side and the more demanding Category II for doors with any larger piece, tested under ANSI Z97.1.
- Labels. The Safety Glazing Certification Council requires certified safety glazing to be permanently labeled on each piece, showing the certification number, the standard (ANSI Z97.1, 16 CFR 1201 or CAN/CGSB 12.1) and the impact class. Without the label the product is not covered by the certification program. A photo of the label is the simplest proof that a replacement meets the requirement.
- Hazardous locations in the building code. Model building codes also require safety glazing in certain locations next to doors and in some large, low windows near walking surfaces. The local building official decides how the adopted code applies to a replacement.
- Hurricane regions. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety recommends impact rated windows and doors with glass, tested to ASTM E1996, and warns that typical glass can be shattered by high winds and flying debris. Where a storefront was originally approved as impact rated, the replacement product should be confirmed with the building official before it is ordered.
- Energy ratings. The National Fenestration Rating Council notes that code jurisdictions can use NFRC labels to check fenestration products against energy code requirements. Whether a glass-only replacement triggers them is a question for the building official.
- Facade inspections. Some jurisdictions require periodic inspection of glazed facades on taller buildings. Miami-Dade County, for example, requires structural glazing facades on existing threshold buildings, which include buildings greater than 3 stories or 50 feet in height, to be examined at least every 5 years.
Whether a permit is needed for glass replacement is set locally, and the landlord or shopping center often has its own storefront standards.
Preventive maintenance schedule for storefront glass
Storefront glass is mostly repaired on demand, but planned checks find loose stops, failed gaskets and small cracks before a pane falls out. A set schedule also puts each opening’s glass size and type on file before an emergency, which shortens the time a location spends boarded up.
| Task | Recommended frequency | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Walk the storefront for cracks, edge chips, fogged insulating units and loose stops | Quarterly | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Check entrance door glass and sidelites for cracks and loose glazing beads | Monthly, with entrance door checks | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Inspect perimeter sealant, gaskets and weep holes; quote repairs as found | Annually | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Inspect security or safety film for peeling, bubbling or edge lift | Annually | Facility First program default, adjusted per site; manufacturer instructions for cleaning |
| Record each opening’s size, glass makeup and safety glazing label | Once, then after every replacement | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Confirm storm shutters or panels are on site, labeled and operable, where used | Annually, before storm season | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Install shutters or storm panels, where used | Before an approaching hurricane | Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) |
| Structural glazing facade examination, where the jurisdiction requires it | As set locally; for example, at least every 5 years for structural glazing facades on threshold buildings in Miami-Dade County | Miami-Dade County Structural Glazing Facade Inspection Guidelines |
The authority having jurisdiction, the manufacturer and the property’s insurer can require more frequent service, and each location’s schedule is set in its program and recorded on every visit.
Signs storefront glass needs repair
- A crack running in from an edge, or a chip at the edge of a tempered pane
- Fogging or moisture between the panes of an insulating unit, a sign of a failed seal
- Glass that rattles or moves when the door closes
- Gaskets that have shrunk away from corners or stops that have worked loose
- Water at the sill after rain
- Scratches or etching from vandalism that block the view into the store
Records to keep
- Opening list for each location: position, dimensions, glass type and thickness, tint or coating
- Photo of the safety glazing label on each replaced pane
- Supplier, order date, delivery date and any warranty
- Police report number for break-ins, for the insurance claim
- Board-up installation and removal dates
- Before and after photos and the provider’s invoice
How Facility First runs storefront glass repair across a portfolio
- Request. Submitted through the platform or by phone, with photos where available.
- Triage. Facility First confirms whether the opening is secure, whether board-up is needed first, and the glass details already on file.
- Dispatch. A vetted glazing provider in the location’s market receives the work order and measures the opening.
- Completion. The provider installs the pane, removes the board-up and closes out with photos.
- Verification and invoice. The work is checked against the request, the opening record is updated, and the job is invoiced in one format.
Board-up and like-for-like replacements within the client’s approval limit proceed directly; anything above it is quoted first. Where a broken storefront leaves a location unsecured, McCray can post an officer until the work is complete. See Security by McCray.
What affects the cost of storefront glass repair
- Size and thickness of the pane
- Glass makeup: annealed, tempered, laminated or insulating
- Impact rated glazing in hurricane regions
- Tints, coatings, film and logos that must be reapplied
- Frame or door damage found once the glass is out
- Lift equipment or extra crew for large panes
- After-hours work and board-up while the pane is made
Storefront glass repair for retail stores, restaurants and offices
- Retail stores. Display windows often carry vinyl graphics and are part of visual merchandising, so replacement is timed with the display team. Shopping center landlords may restrict when work happens in the common area.
- Restaurants. Broken glass near food preparation or service areas is cleared completely before service resumes, and work is scheduled outside meal periods.
- Offices and bank branches. Lobby entrances often serve as exits, so a door glass replacement is planned to keep the exit route open.
Where a frame, door or whole window unit has failed rather than just the glass, the job moves to Commercial window replacement.
Frequently asked questions
Can a cracked storefront pane be repaired instead of replaced?
Small chips in laminated glass can sometimes be repaired, but cracked tempered glass and fogged insulating units are replaced. A cracked pane should be assessed promptly because cracks can spread.
Why does tempered storefront glass take longer to replace?
Tempered glass has to be cut, edged and drilled before it is tempered, and it cannot be cut afterward, so each pane is made to order. Board-up secures the opening in the meantime.
Does storefront door glass have to be safety glass?
Glazing in doors falls under the federal safety glazing standard, 16 CFR Part 1201, and building codes add other locations near doors. Certified safety glazing carries a permanent label.
What should happen after a storefront is broken in a break-in?
The glass is made safe, the opening is boarded up and a police report is filed for the insurance claim. The pane is then measured and replaced, and an officer can be posted where the site cannot be secured.
How often should storefront glass be inspected?
Facility First programs walk storefront glass quarterly, check entrance door glass monthly and review sealant and gaskets annually. Jurisdictions with facade inspection rules set their own intervals for taller buildings.
Is impact rated glass required for a replacement?
Where the original storefront was approved as impact rated, the replacement product is confirmed with the local building official before it is ordered, because the official decides what applies at each location.
Sources
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 1201, Safety Standard for Architectural Glazing Materials
- Safety Glazing Certification Council: SD-203, SGCC Label Requirements
- ASTM International: C1048, Standard Specification for Heat-Strengthened and Fully Tempered Flat Glass
- Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety: Hurricane Ready Business Upgrades
- National Fenestration Rating Council: Commercial Certification Program
- Miami-Dade County: Structural Glazing Facade Inspection Guidelines