Storefront glass replacement · Winnipeg
Storefront glass, repaired and replaced
A rock through the front window, a crack creeping in from the corner after a cold night, or fogged units across the shop front: storefront glass replacement is rarely planned. Often the fix is one pane, not the whole storefront. We connect Winnipeg businesses with independent local commercial glass pros who secure the opening, measure it and quote the new glass.
- Board-up first, new glass second
- One pane, not the whole frontage
- Heritage storefronts checked first
The glass
Replacing broken storefront glass: tempered, laminated or insulated
What's in the frame now decides what the replacement is and how long it takes to make. For a house window, see broken window glass.
Tempered glass
Heat-treated to break into small pebbles. Common in doors and low panes near the sidewalk. It can't be cut once made, so a replacement is ordered to size.
Laminated glass
Two layers bonded to a plastic interlayer. It cracks but tends to stay in the frame, so some owners switch to it after a break-in.
Insulated sealed units
Two or three panes with a sealed space between. Warmer in winter. Fog between the panes means a failed seal, and the unit is replaced on its own.
Cracked but still in the frame
A cracked pane can hold for a while, but it's weakened. Tape it, keep people clear and get it measured.
After a break-in or hail
First steps after a break-in or hail: securing the opening
Break-ins happen in every part of the city, and so does summer hail. The order is the same either way: secure the opening first, then order made-to-measure glass.
Make it safe
Keep people clear. Don't pull loose shards from the frame by hand. After a break-in, call the police before anything is moved.
Photograph everything
Wide shots of the front, then close-ups of the break, the frame and any damaged door hardware, before cleanup.
Secure the opening
A board-up or temporary panel closes the gap and, in winter, keeps the heat in. See emergency board-up.
Measure and reglaze
The pro measures and orders the glass. It goes in year-round, but sealants don't like deep cold, so in a cold snap the install may wait for a milder day.
Around the glass
Storefront framing, doors and hardware
Sometimes the glass broke because something around it failed.
Framing, stops and gaskets
Bent glazing stops or hardened gaskets can be replaced with the pane, so the new glass seals properly.
Storefront doors
A door that slams or drags stresses its glass. Closers and pivots are usually repairable; see commercial glass door repair.
Security film and tint
Film helps hold broken glass in place and cuts glare on a sunny display. See window film for businesses.
Heritage check
Historic storefronts in the Exchange District
The Exchange District is a National Historic Site of turn-of-the-century warehouses and early terracotta towers, and many storefronts there keep original transoms or wood framing.
If your building is on the City's heritage list, a heritage permit may be required before the storefront changes. Check with the City before altering a historic storefront, even if the plan seems small; its heritage permits page explains the process.
The quote
What affects a storefront quote
Storefront glass is made to measure, so the quote depends on the opening:
- Tempered, laminated or insulated glass, and any tint or coating
- Size and number of panes, including transoms over the door
- Framing condition, and whether stops, gaskets or the door need work
- Access: height, sidewalk space and whether a lift is needed
- After-hours board-up, plus a second visit for the permanent glass
- Heritage requirements, if the building is listed
Photos of the whole front and the damaged corner, with rough sizes, help a pro quote before visiting.
Around the city
Winnipeg's retail strips and malls: what changes the job
On older street-front strips like Corydon and Osborne, storefronts sit in buildings of different ages, some with wood framing and some redone in aluminum, often with suites above. A lift on a busy sidewalk takes planning.
In an enclosed mall like St. Vital Centre, glass work often goes through mall management, so check your lease first. In big-box clusters like Tuxedo South, fronts tend to be wide aluminum systems where pane size and lift access drive the quote. And after hail like August 2023's in the northern neighbourhoods, see our hail damage page.
Questions
Storefront glass questions
Explore your options
Other commercial glass jobs
Local pros replace storefront glass downtown, along the older retail strips and at suburban plazas, including Osborne Village, St. Boniface, St. Vital, Garden City and Tuxedo.
Send a photo of the damaged storefront
Tell us where the shop is, which pane is broken and whether it's covered yet. We'll pass it to a local commercial glass pro who can quote the board-up and the new glass.