It’s crystal clear; your glass door has seen better days
The large glass panes on your sliding patio doors are great for watching sunsets, but they’re also highly susceptible to chips, scratches, and other damage. A rogue rock from the lawn mower can cause it to crack or shatter. Moisture can fog up the inside of your double-paned glass, and older glass is notoriously drafty.
While replacing glass on a sliding glass door yourself is not always advisable, doors with a glazing bead are easier to handle. Here’s how to do it.
A glazing bead is an interior line of trim that frames your glass pane. It is typically made of vinyl, rubber, or wood and either holds the glass in place through pressure or works in tandem with silicone sealant.
Let's start by clarifying that not all sliding doors can be replaced without a pro. Our instructions walk you through how to replace the glass in sliding doors that feature a glazing bead. (These “beads” refer to a certain type of strip that holds the glass in place in the sash portion of the frame. They may be on the frame’s interior or exterior.)
If the glass in your sliding door fits directly into a solid wood, vinyl, or metal frame and does not have a glazing bead, you'll need to call professional window installers, as this model requires far more disassembly to access the glass.
Next, use your measuring tape to measure the existing pane of glass from side to side and top to bottom, including the length of the glazing bead. Your measuring tape should sit up against the edge of the frame just past the bead.
Most sliding glass doors come in standard sizes—between 60 to 144 inches wide and 80 to 96 inches high. You’ll need to consider the standard sizes of glass panes.
Finally, identify your sliding glass door model by finding the serial number on the glass or by contacting the manufacturer. These pros can clarify if your glass pane is double-paned, tempered, or even Low-E glass for better insulation.
Your glass pane should come pre-cut and ready to install. Some new panes will even come with a sealant or gasket around their edge for extra weatherproofing (essential for when you’re replacing exterior doors) and easy installation.
Take a look at the design and state of your glass door pane. Can you fully access the glass without removing the panel? In most cases, there's no need to remove the door itself to replace the glass. Locate the interior glazing bead that surrounds the frame of your glass—and likely faces the interior of your house. You should see a visible seam between the glazing bead and the sash. Take a picture to record how the glazing bead strips meet at the corners. It may be necessary to reassemble the strips later in the same order.
Starting with the two side glazing beads, place the sharp edge of a putty knife in the seam between the glazing bead and the sash. Use a rubber mallet to gently tap the back of the knife and separate the bead from the trim. Move all the way down the bead until it's easy to peel the bead away by hand. Repeat with the bottom bead. You may need to pry underneath the bead to remove the caulking. If you have a wooden glazing beam trim, use a screwdriver to remove the screws or pry out old staples. Try to protect the glazing beads as much as possible, so you can reuse them with the new glass.
Using a putty knife, remove the top glazing bead last. Ask a friend to hold the pane in place as you remove it. If you attempt to do this alone, the pane may fall toward you.
At this point, the full pane of glass should come loose. Remember to wear safety goggles, gloves, and work shoes throughout the project, especially during this step. If your glass was broken or cracked, delicately remove each piece of glass from the interior frame and safely dispose of the shards.
Even if your old glass is fully intact, check the interior frame of the door. If you detect significant damage—such as the rail pulling away from the sash—call a professional window repair team to inspect it. If the frame is in good shape, grab your handheld vacuum or thin vacuum attachment to remove any dust, bits of caulk, or remaining glass from the frame before moving forward.
At this point, project instructions will deviate depending on your door model and glass pane manufacturer recommendations. Some panels will snap right into the old location and secure properly with the glazing beads. However, many panes—particularly those in the sliding panel—require additional adhesive. Purchase a clear silicone caulk and run a line along the edges of the glass before putting it back in place. Some doors also require a line of caulk along the inside of the glazing beads.
With the help of a friend, line up the new pane of glass with your opening and press it into the frame. Hold the glass in place as you wait for the caulk to cure slightly. Caulk takes about 24 hours to cure fully, so avoid placing pressure on your glass during this time.
Review the photograph from earlier and reinstall the glazing beads in the opposite order you removed them with the corners matching up as before. Most glazing beads snap back into place, but you may need to resecure wooden trim with screws and a screwdriver.
While you will save a bit of money on tackling a sliding door glass replacement project yourself, it's not always worth the effort. Incorrect glass installation can lead to poor insulation and leaks. Even worse, the glass pane could fall out of the door if your glazing beads aren’t strong and secure. If you don't hire a professional for the whole project, we recommend calling one in to inspect the new glass once you're finished.
If you hire a pro, it may be more cost-effective to replace the entire sliding glass door, especially if your door is over 10 years old. The cost to install a new sliding glass door averages around $2,400, depending on the size and features added like glazing or tinting. You can also replace the entire sliding glass door yourself to save on installation costs. Overall, the typical range for installing sliding glass doors is between $1,170 and $4,030.
Ginny Bartolone contributed to this piece.
It's not uncommon for the thermal seal of double-paned windows to break down, but the repair is best left to professionals. The cost to repair a window's broken seal ranges from $70 to $120.
The average sliding glass door lasts about 30 years, depending on how often you use it and whether you keep up with maintaining the sliding components. If you're beyond the point of basic repairs, it may be better to replace the whole sliding glass door instead of just the glass itself.
New glass costs anywhere from $3 to $100 per square foot. More specifically, tempered and insulated glass—a common option for sliding glass doors—costs between $10 and $14 per square foot.
As long as the track on your sliding glass door isn’t too damaged, it may be possible to replace a worn-down track with a new one. Doing this may help prevent the sliding glass door from getting jammed or sticking while opening or closing the door. Still, it’s best to consult with a pro to determine if purchasing a strip for your track will allow the rollers to function properly. If this remedy works, fixing the track versus replacing the entire glass sliding door can be a big cost- and time-saver.
Yes, you can replace just one pane of glass in a sliding glass door, but you may need to contact the door manufacturer directly to get the proper dimensions of the pane. It’s also worth checking your door’s warranty, as various parts may be covered for a particular timeframe, in which case, you may not have to pay for the replacement pane. But consider the condition of the rest of the door. If the door is old or in bad shape, it’s probably more cost-effective to replace the entire door.
