Replacing Window Glass, Fixing broken window

I thought this would be really hard, but it is not.

What you need:
Gloves
chisel
putty knife
razor
needle nose pliers
caulk
paint
windex

Farming:

Farming glass is an task of patience. I am not a patient person, so I broke three panes before I truly learned that lesson. When you are looking at the old glass, one side of the window has the wood trim that frames the glass, the other side has caulking. You want to work on the side with the caulking. Make sure your chisel is sharp, because a dull chisel can break glass pretty easily.

All you want to do is chip away the caulking from the glass. If it is old, then it will probably be split and chunky. When I did it, the caulk usually came off in big hunks...that was a bit satisfying, I have to admit.

Once you think you have gotten all the caulk off, press the glass from the underside and see if it wants to pop out. It probably doesn't. This is because there is still caulking to the side of the pane, between the glass and the wood, holding the pane in place. There are also little metal pointy clips, that look like diamond shaped metal, helping to hold the glass in place. Use the edge of the chisel to bend those up. Then grab your needle nose pliers and pull them out.

This is where you have to be patient. Just keep pushing on the underside of the glass. You will feel the pane starting to give and where it is still sticking. Just keep working on the area's it is sticking in until the glass lifts up easily.

After you remove the pane, run the chisel down the edge of the glass to clean off any remaining caulk or paint. I also recommend using some glass cleaner on it before you put it into the other window.

Replacing Glass:

If your window is just cracked and not broken, you will need to break out the old window. I would break it from the inside, so the glass goes out. Regardless, put down plastic to catch the glass. After breaking the window, or if the window is already broken, use the chisel to help clean out all that glass. Also use the chisel to clean out any old caulking.

Windows often have these little pointy clips that help hold in the glass. You want to remove these clips. I just put the tip of my chisel underneath them and they popped right out. You can also use needle nose pliers to pull them out if they are giving you a hard tme.

If you have unpainted, exposed wood, it is a good idea to throw some primer on there. It will seal the wood against moisture and help prolong the life of your window.

Run a light bead of caulk along the edge of the wood. This will help secure the window against heat and cold air leaks. But it will also give you a cushion for your glass and a nice sticky surface to hold your pane in place while you are putting on the rest of the caulk.

Once you glass is in place, squeeze caulk around the entire edge of the glass. Don't be afraid to be generous. Then use the putty knife to smooth out the caulk making roughly a 45 degree angle from the glass to the top of the wood. Dont worry if this is not 100% smooth. After it sets for a little while you can take a sponge and smooth it out. Take a look at the instructions provided by the caulk you are using, they will give you all the specifics...including whether you need to paint the caulk after it sets. It is usually a good idea because it adds another layer of weather protection, but the instructions on the caulk will give you the low down on that.

So have fun farming and replacing, I found it to be enormously satisfying and it saved me a bunch of money. Plus using your old glass, if you have any, is a good way to recycle. If you don't have old glass, go to freecycle.org or craigslist.org and see if anyone is getting rid of old windows. Of course you can also go to the hardware store and buy some...but free is better!

Here are some good links for replacing glass:

Doityourself.com
HGTV