Need advice on glass for front door?

[Rich W]

Thank you. I think I already have a large piece of extra-strong glass that could (hopefully) be cut up into small panes for the new door. It is the single large pane in the door I have just replaced. I tried to break it with a hammer once, when I locked myself out - and couldn't. I was amazed. (Mind you, I didn't strike it will full force, for fear of disturbing my neighbours.)

I wonder if I can cut it into smaller pieces? Will a regular hand-held glass-cutter (type with a small wheel) work? I guess the answer is to try.... If trying to cut it is going to be a major PITA, I may as well go to the glazier and buy the laminated panes ready-cut.

Yes, that might be an option. The other idea I'm considering is using clear (laminated) glass, plus a net curtain plus a roller blind (bamboo-type, so that one can see through it if one's eye is up close to the blind). The curtain will provide privacy during daylight, and roller blind can be dropped at nightfall. I haven't actually tried this combo yet. I will have to experiment. Alternatively, a paper roller blind with a tiny peep-hole should work.

Rich

[Rich W]

Thanks. I'll probably leav it well alone then. That way, the old door can be sold on or given away to someone else who can use it.

3 more questions, if you don't mind: 1) Does anyone have a rough idea how much laminated glass costs? I'll need 9 panes, each 200mm x 300mm. 2) What is the best sealant to use around the edges when inserting the new panes? I have some clear 'glazier's silicone' in a tube. Is that any good? 3) The thin quadrant used to hold the panes in place still seems in good condition. Is there a nack to removing these without breaking them so that they can be re-used? They are merely nailed in with brads, and seem to pry up at the center of their length no problem, but getting them out at the corners may be trickier. (Very tight and professional bit of mitre-cutting!)

Thanks again,

Rich

[Dave Liquorice]

And people outside at night, with the room/hall lit, will be able to see in. Not quite as well as just a net but still be able to see.

[Bob Mannix]

Even if it isn't, glass' ability to be cut cleanly deteriorates with age so it would probably break randomly anyway. That's why glazing suppliers make it look so easy, new glass breaks cleanly.

[nightjar]

Mine only requires the deadlocks to be on when the house is unoccupied.

Colin Bignell

[nightjar]

There are not that many people who can keep calm and act rationally in a smoke-filled building. A lot will go for the exit they know, even if it is not the best choice. OTOH I have had to help someone out of a window because he was convinced that crossing 8 feet of smoke-filled stairwell, which I had just come through, to get to a safe exit was going to kill him. We then had to work out how to get down from a flat roof, instead of simply walking out of a door.

Colin Bignell

[Aidan Karley]

Fire safety is an issue, but round here it's a *really* good idea to keep your door locked at all times you're not actually passing through it - sneak thieves are by no means un-known. And since there isn't a 2-door house for hundreds of metres, that leaves a lot of people caught between the devil and the deep-blue sea.