Home Damage Resources Windows Doors Ceilings Roofs Walls Services Furnishings Re-building Damaged Homes - Window Repairs and Replacements : By Richard Edkins Introduction : Except in the case of strongly-made double and triple glazing, explosive blast or fire can destroy most glass windows elements. Glass panes will therefore be the one most precious material. Anything more than 75 mm across should be saved for use in lattice type window glazing. However, there are some good alternative materials, which will be listed in order of transparency and suitability. With a few exceptions, they will need to be mounted in some kind of lattice or wooden grille. :- (a) : Transparent Materials :- Flat rigid clear plastic sheeting : This is used for glazing purposes and is an excellent replacement for glass. Often used in greenhouses and similar. Corrugated rigid clear plastic sheeting : Designed to be used with corrugated iron or composition roofs, but excellent for building re-glazing as long as it is mounted properly. Salvaged clear rigid plastic cut from damaged plastic bottles and water containers : Undamaged bottles should only be used for this purpose if there is a regular supply of them. However, softened and flattened in boiling water, this material can be mounted in lattice windows. Flexible heavy-gauge clear plastic : An apparent obvious choice, except for it flapping noisily in the wind. Families in damaged housing have complained about the noise keeping them awake. Mounting over a simple lattice and taping the plastic in place can help. Fine clear plastic (e.g. Clingfilm) : Stretched over padded latticework, this may keep out wind and water for a time but it is very fragile and easily damaged by the sun. May be a short-term reinforcement on both sides of cracked panes of glass, but not to be recommended. (b) : Translucent Materials :- Flat rigid coloured or translucent thin 'white' plastic : This is as usable as salvaged clear plastic and has the same terms of use. Flexible coloured or translucent flexible thin plastic sheeting : Use similarly to flexible clear heavy-gauge plastic. May be cut from damaged fertiliser or storage sacks, but these may be more suitable as a damp proof membrane in repaired roofs. Note that black or dark-colour plastic lets through very little light and is useless for glazing. Plastic food-packaging : Unless metallised and so opaque, many food shrink-wrap packs and bags can be pieced together in latticed glazing units. Waxed fabric (e.g. cotton or nylon sheet) : Fabric and some kind of wax or varnish can make good translucent panes. The first aircraft were made from something similar. Oiled paper : Another ancient solution to glazing, but needing replacement at regular intervals. The other disadvantage of oil may be smell. Use strong white paper and an oil or a heat-softened wax. Bases of broken drinking or bottle-glass : Glass bottles and drinking glasses should be kept as they are, but fragments could be pieced together with narrow strips of tape and used in lattices. Alternatively, hand-carved sections of wood could be used to hold glass bottle-, jar-, or drinking glass to form elements of a lattice window. Transparent, but a bit dangerous to arrange. Flattened and scraped-thin sections of animal horn : An ancient glazing material, made from cylinders of horn that have been split and then heated in oil or on sand-trays until they open up into small, flat sheets. A skilled task, but possible to do in areas where horn is available. Used up to the Nineteenth Century (1800s) in lanthorns and lattice windows. Animal membrane / parchment : The inner skin of the animal (typically de-haired sheepskin) or washed, stretched and dried entrails, with some kind of preservative oil. Of uncertain value, except in areas where such material is more common than plastic. Used up to the Nineteenth Century (1800s) in poorer rural areas in Britain, and into the Twentieth Century (1900s) in parts of Egypt, the Balkans and Asia. Window Frames, Shutters and Glazing Units : A window frame is a timber, stone, brick or steel frame, which is fixed permanently in place in the wall. Within it are mounted fixed or movable glazing units that hold the glazing elements. So-called 'window furniture' of metal latches and hinges holds the glazing elements open or closed. For greater protection against storms or thieves, many houses are equipped with hinged or roller shutters that can protect the glazing units against damage. This is common in many European countries, where shutters have been customary. Shutters can also form part of home protection against the shrapnel and debris from nearby explosions, so are common in countries like Northern Ireland and Lebanon where war and terrorism can be a regular problem. More details in the Doors section. The glazing units can be made from a latticework of wooden pieces glued and nailed together. Convention is to fit the glazing after construction, holding it in place on the lattice by nailed battens or by glazing sprigs and putty. Historically, glazing has been held in place by oil and lime putty, or the glazing is held together by strips of soldered lead fastened by wires to wood or metal bars. The alternative to lead might have to be waterproof duct tape, or the latticework might be glazed by glazing being slotted into grooves during construction of the lattice. Home Damage Resources Windows Doors Ceilings Roofs Walls Services Furnishings © 2003 Richard Edkins. Site maintained by Dalbeattie Internet. Last Updated 16th April 2003.