Old single pane House window has a crack, can I fix it using a resin?

Question

Old single pane House window has a crack, can I fix it using a resin? Sort of like how a windshield crack can be repaired with resin?

Answer 1

I'm going to say no on this because of how a windshield is made. They are a layered construction with glass on the outside and a plastic material on the inside. A small crack or chip in a windshield doesn't cause a structural failure - the other layers hold the window together. Resin can be injected into the glass crack and pushed against the other layers with pressure to completely fill the crack.

On a single pane window, there is no backup. A crack means the glass is literally broken in half at that point and the crack will spread very easily. And pressure put on the glass to force the resin into the crack would probably be enough to make the crack expand across the glass.

If you were very careful, you may be able to just dab some resin on the surface of the crack and possibly reduce its visibility and give it a little extra strength, but it won't be the same fix as a car window.

Answer 2

Replacing a single window pane in a multi-pane window sash in the window of an old house is not that hard. My friend taught me how to do it. In our old house the putty is mostly on the inside face of the window pane enclosure in the sash. You carefully take out the old window putty that is holding in the old, broken pane. Then (with gloves and safety glasses) take out the pieces of the broken pane. You will need the smallest tub of window putty the hardware store sells, a putty tool for doing window panes, and you will need to measure the opening in the sash. The hardware store can then cut you a new pane to measure, and sell you the glazing putty, the glazing points, and the putty knife and box cutter for maybe $30 - a lot less than $80. Here's a YouTube video on how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc67opK57sk

Answer 3

I have had single pane glass replaced before typically it is quite affordable - I think last time my bill was $80. You just call glass people to do it.

Even if you could use a resin which I suspect you couldn't in an aesthetic way - it never looks as good and would be a lot of work.