Glass Restoration

Damaged architectural glass can be a problem for every company with a store or business front, especially when display or view windows are involved. Scratches, welding slag, chips, vandalism, atmospheric contaminants, condensation (in insulated glass), and more types of damage can cause unsightly issues that are unacceptable in your business environment.

Glass restoration can save businesses time, money, and hassle, and keep operations running smoothly.

The cost-effective alternative to replacing damaged glass

Replacement of installed flat glass is expensive, time consuming, and sometimes next to impossible, depending on location and customization of the glass. If you’re like most businesses and are watching expenses, glass restoration instead of replacement may be the answer to damaged glass problems.

You may not realize that there are targeted solutions available to remove many types of glass damage, on all kinds of glass. There are even solutions to help prevent damage before it begins. Stuart Dean’s national service providers can deliver these solutions anywhere, through a network of properly equipped and highly trained technicians.

We strive to meet and exceed your expectations, and take great care to extend the life, increase the value, and enhance the beauty of your glass.

Benefits of Stuart Dean glass restoration versus replacement:

• Cost savings of up to 80%, when compared with replacement's total cost 
• Uses a one-step process that is fast, effective and can employ alternative systems tailored to your restoration needs
• Restores all types of glass by removing water scale, acid etching, scratches, paint overspray and other imperfections typically without distortion
• Reduces cost and inconvenience associated with tenant, worker, or guest displacement
• Eliminates costs associated with ordering, shipping, and installing replacement glass
• Uses biodegradeable, environmentally safe polishing compounds
• Saves the environment by keeping glass out of the landfills

Causes of glass damage

In many cases, it is almost as important to identify the cause of glass damage as it is to repair the glass damage itself. Finding a responsible party is vital when dealing with insurance claims and addressing liability concerns.

Damage can happen to glass just about anywhere during its life cycle, from its manufacture to its distribution, and from installation to cleaning. Key causes of glass damage range from manufacturer defects all the way to post-installation construction or cleaning damage, resulting in aesthetic, environmental, and safety concerns. Some major causes of damage include:

Manufacturing and distribution damage can happen at any point along the supply chain. Whether fabricating debris (below) is deposited on the glass in the manufacturing plant, or the glass retains chips or scratches during shipping and handling, it is important to target the cause.

Construction damage can occur during the installation process and after installation, from any number of subcontractors. Some examples include:

• Workers putting ladders and equipment against windows
• Lathers dragging wire lath across glass
• Plasterers wiping plaster off glass
• Painters dry razor blading paint off glass and sanding perimeter wood doors
• Welders grinding steel rails in area of glass, or causing welding slag to fall onto installed glass
• Masons smearing mortar on glass
• Tile contractors wiping tile grout off of glass
• Interior texture contractors scraping excess texture off a dry window and/or letting sanding pad ride on glass when sanding texture, prior to painting

Cleaning damage can occur most often when there is fabricating debris present on the glass. This type of debris is made up of tiny glass chips and glass dust particles that become baked onto the surface of some tempered glass during manufacture. These surface defects may create scratches during window cleaning with a scraper or other device. This is such a prevalent problem that the International Window Cleaner’s Association (IWCA) recommends a tempered glass scratch liability waiver for all construction window cleaning contracts, and for maintenance contracts.

Environmental damage is most commonly caused through etching from acid rain or water spots from hard water stains. Acid rain is a broad term used to describe several ways that acids fall out of the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the primary causes of acid rain. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. It causes unsightly crusts and deposits to form on the surface of glass.

Vandalism can range from paint tagging to deep scratching in the glass from glass cutters. Sometimes, when vandals scratch glass, they push so hard that pieces of the glass will pop out around the edges of the scratch, making deep chips. Vandals also have been known to use hydrochloric acid or a glass-etching product sold in stores to write their names in the glass. The acid gives the glass a white, milky look.

Fog or condensation between the panes of insulated glass can occur for several reasons. Most double-pane windows have two perimeter seals, an inner seal that resists water, aging and corrosion, and an outer seal that provides rigidity and strength. When these seals break down due to age, water exposure from perimeter puddles or excess heat, then moist air can make its way between the panes and cause fogginess.