Glass, Glazing or Window Glazing?

Do you know how many windows you have in your house? Probably more than you realize so understanding more about how they're put together and common repairs can be helpful. Window glazing is a confusing term because it can refer to different parts of a window, that is physical windows versus the Windows operating system.

What Window Glazing Might Refer to …

• Window glass is called glazing and energy efficient windows with multiple panes of glass are called glazing “systems”.
• Glazing compounds refer to the putty used to seal the glass against the front of the window frame and some of the putty will also squeeze between the glass and the frame.
• Window glazing also refers to the process of applying the putty or glazing compound to the window. The phrase you’ll hear is re-glazing a window. It starts with removing the old, cracked and missing putty. Once the putty is removed, you clean the glass and apply new putty, wait for it to harden from oxidation and then you can paint the window.
• Replacing window glass always includes re-glazing. You can do this yourself for single pane glass. With double or triple pane glass, you want the glass company to do the glazing to get their warranty in case the seal between the glass gets broken.

Why You Must Use Glazing Putty for Window Glazing

Using OldHouseOnline's diagram of a window above (hint: their Window Glazing article shows you what not to do), you can visualize each of the ways in which glazing is used to describe part of the window or the process of replacing the putty used to seal the gap between the glass and the window frame. If you're planning to re-glaze any windows, you'll want to read their article on how to Repair a Wood Window in 12 Steps.

To check out other articles we have on installing and/or repairing windows:

• Window Parts are Like a Puzzle
• Caulking Windows Inside and Outside
• How to Buy Weatherstripping
• Changing Window Sizes with Open Floor Plans

Or maybe you've got a great view outdoors and wish you had bigger windows so you could enjoy the view? That's when you want to read Changing Window Sizes with Open Floor Plans and Changing Window Sizes with Open Floor Plans.