What Does Storefront Glass Replacement Involve?
Less disruption than most business owners expect — in most cases the aluminum framing never comes out.
In most cases only the glass is replaced: the glazing stops come off, the damaged lite comes out, a new one goes in and is re-sealed. Aluminum storefront framing is designed to be re-glazed, so the frame stays in place. The work is normally scheduled before opening, after close or at a weekend, and a single lite is usually completed in a few hours.
Two things determine the timeline: field measuring the opening as it actually sits today, and fabricating a lite that matches the tint, coating and thickness of the rest of your frontage.
- Does the frame come out?
- Usually not — storefront is designed to re-glaze
- Typical fabrication
- 1–2 weeks for a matched lite
- Installation
- Often a few hours per opening
- Scheduling
- Around your trading hours
Why the Frame Almost Always Stays
Commercial storefront systems are built around the assumption that glass gets replaced. The aluminum framing holds each lite with removable glazing stops and gaskets, precisely so a damaged pane can be swapped without dismantling the frontage.
So a typical replacement is: remove the stops from one side, take out the damaged lite and old gasket, clean the glazing pocket, set the new lite on fresh setting blocks, fit new gaskets or sealant, and refit the stops. The structural frame, the anchoring into the building and the adjacent lites are all untouched.
Frame replacement becomes necessary only in specific circumstances: aluminum bent by vehicle impact, corrosion that prevents a reliable seal, or a building that has settled enough that the opening is no longer square. That last one is worth taking seriously on the older commercial stock around downtown McKinney, Grand Prairie and east Fort Worth.
What Actually Takes the Time
| Stage | What's Involved |
|---|---|
| Field measuring | We measure the opening as it sits today rather than from drawings. On older buildings a frame square at construction may be a quarter inch out now. |
| Identifying the existing glass | Tint, coating, thickness and whether it is tempered, laminated or insulated. This determines whether the new lite reads the same as its neighbors. |
| Code check | Storefront glazing within 24 inches of a door or 18 inches of the walking surface is a hazardous location requiring tempered or laminated safety glass, permanently marked. |
| Fabrication | Typically one to two weeks. Tempered lites are cut and finished before tempering; tinted and coated glass may take longer to source. |
| Scheduling | Before opening, after close or at a weekend, so you do not lose trading hours. |
| Installation | Often a few hours for a single lite. Larger frontages are sequenced opening by opening so the building is never left open overnight. |
If the frontage is broken now, securing and glazing are two separate jobs. A board-up happens the same day; the permanent lite follows in one to two weeks. Nobody should have an open commercial building while glass is fabricated.
The Details Business Owners Should Ask About
A few things worth raising with any contractor quoting your frontage, because they separate a repair that disappears from one that everybody notices:
- Will the new lite match? Tint and coating vary subtly. A mismatched pane in a run of frontage is visible to every customer who walks past, every day.
- Is safety glazing being specified correctly? Replacing a broken storefront lite with ordinary annealed glass is a code violation and a liability exposure.
- Who clears the sidewalk? Glass in a public walkway is an occupier liability, and it is the element most often overlooked.
- Can they provide a certificate of insurance? Most commercial landlords and property managers require one naming the entity as additional insured before work begins.
- What documentation comes with it? Itemized scope, specification and photographs, for your insurer, landlord or property manager.
- Is the hardware being checked? If the entrance was involved, pivots, closers and thresholds often need attention alongside the glass.
How a Storefront Replacement Runs
From first call to a frontage nobody can tell was repaired.
Assessment & Field Measure
We measure the actual opening, identify the existing glass and check the framing for square and settlement. Free, no obligation.
Specification & Written Quote
Glass type, coating and safety glazing requirement stated, with an itemized price and a realistic lead time.
Fabrication
The lite is made to your measurements and matched to the existing frontage. Typically one to two weeks.
Installation Around Your Hours
Fitted before opening, after close or at a weekend. Glass set and sealed, debris hauled off, walkthrough before we leave.
Frontage Broken and Open?
We board up the same day, clear the sidewalk and measure for permanent glass in the same visit. 24/7 across DFW.
What DFW Property Owners Say
Verified reviews from commercial and residential clients across the Metroplex.
★★★★★Called late night after my front door to my business was broken. They were out to me within 90 minutes to board the door. Had my door as good as new within a week with replacement glass. Good people that do good business. Highly recommend!
Dal Poteat
★★★★★I am a contractor, and I work with this glass shop on a regular basis because I have a lot of clients who want to install custom shower doors. They are the ones that I use for these orders, and they are always on point. I really like the way they do business.
Wayne Castillo
Storefront Replacement Questions
What business owners and property managers ask.
Will I have to close my business?
Rarely. Most storefront work is scheduled before opening, after close or at a weekend so you do not lose a day of trade, and for larger frontage replacements we sequence the work opening by opening, securing each before moving to the next. If the frontage is already broken, a board-up usually lets you trade the following morning while the permanent lite is fabricated.
Does storefront glass have to be tempered?
In nearly every case, yes. Storefront glazing sits in what the building code designates a hazardous location — glass within 24 inches of a door or within 18 inches of the walking surface must be safety glazing, meaning tempered or laminated and permanently marked. Replacing a broken lite with ordinary annealed glass is both a code violation and a genuine liability exposure.
Can you match glass on an older building?
Usually, though it takes identifying the original correctly rather than guessing. Tint, coating and thickness all affect how a lite reads beside its neighbors. Older tinted glass can be harder to match exactly because product ranges change, and where an exact match is not available we will tell you before ordering rather than after installation.
My frontage was broken into twice. What are my options?
Laminated or impact-resistant glazing is the honest answer. It has a tough interlayer bonded between two lites, so it cracks but holds together in the frame instead of falling out. A smash-and-grab takes far longer, makes considerably more noise and often fails outright. It costs more than standard tempered, but if you have already replaced the same lite twice it usually pays for itself.
Who is responsible — me or my landlord?
It depends entirely on the lease, and it varies more than people expect. Many commercial leases place glazing and securing obligations on the tenant while the landlord's policy covers the building structure; others are the reverse. The practical advice is to secure the premises first and resolve responsibility afterwards, since delay creates further loss neither party wants. We invoice whoever instructs us.
Do you work with property managers across multiple sites?
Yes. We run recurring repair programs for multi-site operators and property managers across DFW, with consolidated documentation across locations. For a portfolio this usually costs less over a year than emergency-only calling, because deteriorating door hardware, failing seals and perimeter sealant get caught before they become after-hours callouts.
Storefront Glazing in Your City
We install and replace commercial storefront glass across the Metroplex. Pick your city.
Get a Free Storefront Assessment
Field-measured, specified correctly and quoted in writing — with scheduling around your trading hours.
Commercial Storefront Glass Replacement in Dallas-Fort Worth
Blade Glazing LLC replaces commercial storefront glass throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Grand Prairie, Irving, McKinney and Plano. Aluminum storefront framing is designed to be re-glazed, so in most cases the glazing stops are removed and the damaged lite replaced without disturbing the frame, anchoring or adjacent glazing. Frame replacement is required only where aluminum has been bent by impact, has corroded beyond reliable sealing, or where building settlement has left the opening out of square.
Storefront glazing within 24 inches of a door or within 18 inches of the walking surface is a code-designated hazardous location requiring tempered or laminated safety glass, permanently marked. Services include field measuring, glass matching for tint, coating and thickness, insulated and low-E units, laminated and impact-resistant glazing for frontages with break-in history, entrance hardware repair, 24-hour emergency board-up and sidewalk glass clearance. Work is scheduled around trading hours, and certificates of insurance are provided for landlords and property managers.
Blade Glazing LLC · 1504 South I-35E #250, Lancaster, TX 75134 · (214) 687-1216 · Family owned and operated · OSHA-certified technicians · BBB accredited · Serving Dallas-Fort Worth 24 hours a day.