Glazing - What Is It?

If you've been conducting research about Glass, you might have heard the term "glazing" being used. In simple terms, glazing refers to the process of installing the glass. In this article, we will explain ways to apply glaze on storefronts or, more, precisely how to set up glass on commercial doors.

 Understanding Glass Stops and How They Work

Glass stops are the aluminum extrusion that keeps the glass in place inside the door. Extrusions made of glass are equipped with an insert that houses the rubber strip called the glazing gasket, which slides down the entire long length of glass to stop extrusion. It is made to lock into the door via compression and basically keeps the glass in the door. The gasket for glazing compresses the glass for a strong seal.

 Glass Stop Sizes

The most popular glass stop sizes are compatible using 1/16" glass. However other glass stop sizes are available which allow the door to accept insulated glass such as 5/8" or 1" glass with insulation.

 Storefront Door Preparation

Before any glazing can take place the door to the storefront should be properly prepared. Here are a few important things to be aware of prior to setting up the glass.

 Glass Jack (Door Leveling Adjustment Screw)

The majority of storefront doors feature an adjustment screw in the top rail of the door close to the stile for the lock. The adjustment screw is often known as a door leveling screw, or the glass jack. Before glass is put in place, it is the best practice to ensure the glass jack has been backed off, so that the glass is in a position to be able to fit inside the door with no interference.

 Door and frame Must Be Plumb and Square

Before the glass is installed the storefront door and frame should be level and secured properly. It is best to set the door in the frame and then verify the swing and operation of the door, as well as any sag or height adjustment prior to installing the glass. Glass can be fitted when the door is inside the frame of the door We recommend taking the door out of the frame and placing it flat on the floor of two sawhorses, so it can then be laid on top of it.

 Installing The Glass

Step 1: Install Interior Side Glass Stops

It is possible to have the glass fitted when the door is inside the frame of the door. However we suggest removing the the frame and placing it flat on two sawhorses as it will be easier to install. First, you need to set up the glass's interior side stops. There are four glass stops on the side (two for door stiles and two for rails for the doors). The glass stops in the interior should have the gasket for glazing inside them for the entire width of the stop. The glass stop inside is engaged in a way and "slips" into place in the door.

 Step 2: Glass Setting Blocks Placed

Turn the door upside down and place down on top of the saw horses. The door must be positioned so that the gasket for glazing of the glass stop inside is clearly visible. Before any glazing can take place, however, the door to the storefront should be prepared properly to allow glass installation. To allow the glass to sit upon the doors, plastic or rubber blocking blocks have to be set in the front of the storefront door. The glass will rest on the blocks and prevent the glass to break. If the glass was installed without setting blocks glass will break because it is directly in contact with the aluminum metal. For a standard 3'0" x 7'-0" (36" x 84") storefront door, there are four block sets for glass. There is a setting block on each side of top of the lower rail about 2 inches away from the stile of the door. The setting block should sit the opposite side of the door's top stile about 2 inches from the top of the door rail.

 Step 3: Set The Glass In Place

Set the glass carefully onto the setting blocks that are on the lower rail of the door. Be sure that the glass is aligned in the rail at the bottom with equally space on both sides of the door's stile. When the glass is lined up, the whole piece of glass is ready to be put inside the door. The glass must be placed on the door with an equally space on each side and then the glass is put against the glass's interior gasket. In most glass installations, there should be about 3/16" of space between glass and rail, or stile.

 Step 4: Adjust The Glass Jack

When the glass is set placed Adjust the screw for leveling of the door (glass jack) to ensure that it barely gets to the glass. IMPORTANT: DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN AS IT CAN SHATTER THE GLASS!

 Step 5: Install The Exterior Glass Stops

Following that, you need to put in the glass stops on the outside. The glass stops will need to have glazing gaskets running across the entire width of the stop. Start by putting one of the glass stops on the outside into the door. To install the glass stop, it needs to be pushed into the door and then "snapped" into place. To do this we suggest using a rubber mallet as well as an nylon block or wood block for this. Start at the other edge of the glass stop, and place the block of wood against the stopper of glass. With the mallet, hit the block with the mallet to snap the stop into position. Gradually reduce your glass stop till the whole glass stop is snapped into position. Repeat this process for the 3 glass stops that are on the outside.

 Conclusion

This guide will show you how to glaze a commercial aluminum storefront. If you're in need of a replacement or new storefront doors, we suggest Com-al for storefronts. Every com-al front door for stores is made in Australia and offers excellent security for the building it is installed in. Get today your Com-al windows in Perth now and receive fast and free delivery!