Broken glass in door - how do I keep it from falling out?

[Slipper]

This is more of a DIY type of question. We have a door with a solid glass panel and framework over it to look like it has 12 small panels of glass. Somehow the glass shattered, which shattered the whole thing. It looks like tempered glass - lots of little pieces.

 

It's still in the door frame but any little jolt and it will come tumbling out.

 

This door leads to my laundry room and my washer isn't working correctly. It shakes and rattles. I have no doubt that one load of laundry will break the glass into millions of little pieces on the floor.

 

How can I support the glass until I can get it fixed? It will probably take a couple of days to repair but my washing needs to be done daily. Should I tape it? And if so, with what? I don't know if I can wedge cardboard on top of the glass on both sides of the door and I don't want tape marks all over the door frame.

 

Any suggestions?

[Tap]

Personally, if it is tempered glass, I would just put the kids in another room, put on some safety glasses, shoes and leather gloves and break it out. I would put cardboard under the door to help protect the floor and make clean up easier. I would tape it in a grid pattering with duck tape to help contain some of it and take it out. Get rid of the problem. Use pliers to break out pieces if you need to and a shop vac to vacuum as you need.

 

If you are not up for that, then duct tape or clear packing tape would probably work to contain it.. But like you said, it could still fall spontaneously. Thin card board will help to support it, but so would heavy packing paper/painting paper. If you don't have one of those, using saran wrap would help to contain some of it if it breaks, but it would only minimize the fallout not take care of it completely.

 

Can you tell if it is tempered (usually breaks into cube shaped pieces with no large pieces left) or if it just has a film on it (irregular shaped pieces held together by a piece of plastic overlay. Tempered glass will also be marked in the corners.

 

Is it possible to just remove the door for a few days?

[Slipper]

It looks like tempered glass. The entire window (not just point of impact of something) looks cracked - like little pieces all over. Only one place on the other side feels sharp, but it all looks like it will fall out at any moment.

 

I can't remove the entire door because we do not have a screen door. This is the door leading from the laundry room (right off the kitchen) to the outside. Even if I remove the glass today, that leaves us with no ability to secure our home at night (not just from people, but from animals as well). We are in a very low crime area (and out in the country - nobody would even notice the missing glass), but I won't sleep well.

 

I have someone coming out to look at it (but not repair) today. (He's coming out to give us quotes on other projects).

 

[AMJ]

When our front door similarly broke DH taped the living daylights out of the glass (very carefully) and we went shopping for a new door immediately. The taped glass collapsed while he was removing the door from its hinges.

 

Our laundry room (in that house) had a pocket door (disappears into the wall). If your door is a pocket door you will need to leave it closed (outside of the wall) until you get the glass cleared completely or you replace the door.

 

If your door is hinged tape the glass all over with several layers of tape (both sides), firmly anchor this tape cocoon to the door itself, then prop the door open and as out of the way as possible until you can replace it. Leave the mullions (those strips that make it look like several small panes) in place to help provide support for the taped glass.

 

If the taped glass starts to slump before you have gotten the broken door down be prepared -- restrict everyone from the area, get the shop vac handy, make sure your legs and arms are covered, and put on stout shoes and good gloves and EYE PROTECTION. Carefully cut the tape free from the door and peel downward slowly, trying to contain as much glass as you can. Clean as you go to avoid glass shards being spread all over the place.

 

You really want to contain contain contain as much glass as you can. Once the glass starts to fall it can and will get EVERYWHERE. You will be picking it out of places you never knew you had for months afterwards.

[Slipper]

Thanks. I'm taping away at the moment until I figure out what to do. It's a hinged door.

 

Unfortunately, the only duct tape I have are the fun fashion ones. So my door is a bright mixture of peace signs and animal prints. My step-dad is bringing over more secure stuff (they live next door).

 

Thanks for all the suggestions (and I welcome further input!). I'm laying down old sheets to hopefully contain it as much as possible (I can throw the sheets away).

[Slipper]

Also, will I need a new door or can I replace the glass in this one?

[gingersmom]

My front glass door shattered (I think from gardeners mower kicking up rocks) and I had a pile of glass several inches high. Nearly 2 years later I am still sweeping away shards of glass.

 

You can just have the glass replaced.

 

I used a place called Glass Doctor (they have locations all over)

[Tap]

Also, will I need a new door or can I replace the glass in this one?

 

I would get a quote with both options. It may be cheaper to just get a new door, but it depends on what kind of door you have and how readily available they are.