What do you call someone who cuts and fits glass?

A glazier. Glaziers cut, fit and seal glass in windows, doors, storefronts and mirrors, and many small glass shops also cut to size over the counter. Describe your job when you send a request, and we match you with a local glass professional who does that kind of work, from one shelf to a wall of glass.

Tempered glass that doesn't quite fit: can it be trimmed?

No. Cutting, drilling or grinding tempered glass after it's made shatters it. All the work happens on the plain sheet, which is then tempered. That's why careful measuring matters, and why some people have the pro measure anything tempered. A tempered piece that's wrong has to be remade.

What's the best way to size a round or oval table top?

Make a template. Lay stiff paper over the table, trace the edge, cut it out and check the fit, then mark the top side and any overhang you want. A true circle can be given as a diameter; ovals and odd shapes should go to the pro as a template or be measured on site.

Will a glass shop re-glaze a sash or storm window I drop off?

Often, yes. Many glass shops re-glaze a sash or storm window that's brought in, which can cost less than a home visit. Take it out carefully and keep the broken glass contained. A double-pane sealed unit gets a new unit made to size. If the window can't come out, see broken window glass.

Custom glass · Brampton

Custom glass cut to size, in the right type for the job

A top for a new dining table, shelves for a china cabinet, one pane for a basement sash: small jobs where the type of glass matters as much as the size. We match you with an independent local glass professional who cuts to your measurements, says which glass the use needs, and quotes for pickup or fitting. Mirror has its own page: custom mirrors.

Annealed, tempered or laminated, matched to the use
Tops, shelves, cabinet inserts and single panes
Bring it in, pick it up or have it fitted

Get a free quote 905-216-6105

Custom glass at the larger end: walls and a door for a basement wine room, measured on site.

Glass types

Annealed, tempered or laminated: pick by use

Annealed

Ordinary glass. It can be cut, drilled and edged any time, which suits picture frames, cabinet inserts and many single panes. It breaks into sharp pieces.

Tempered

Heat-treated after cutting to be much stronger, and it crumbles into small pieces if it breaks. Every cut and hole is done first; afterwards it can't be altered.

Laminated

Two layers bonded to a clear interlayer, so a cracked pane stays in place. Used where glass must stay put, and it quiets noise.

Tops

Table tops and desk protectors

A glass top keeps spills off a table that sees homework and every meal, usually with a polished edge and rounded corners. If it only protects the wood, annealed glass is often enough. If it stands alone, takes an umbrella or sits where children play, tempered is safer. Tell the pro how the table is used.

Measuring

Measuring and templating odd shapes

Rectangles are easy to measure yourself. Anything curved deserves a template.

Measure at more than one point
Note the smallest width and height.
Template curves
Trace a round or oval table onto stiff paper, cut it out, check the fit and mark the top side.
Mark holes and notches
Give each one's distance from the edges. For tempered glass they must be right before it's made.
Send a photo
With a tape measure in the shot.

Shelves and cabinets

Shelves, cabinet doors and china-cabinet inserts

Glass shelves

Thickness depends on the span and the load. Say what brackets or clips will hold them.

Cabinet-door inserts

Clear, frosted or reeded glass in a wood or metal door, measured from the rabbet (the recess the glass sits in), not the visible opening.

China cabinets and hutches

A cracked door pane or missing shelf can usually be matched and cut.

Safety glass

Where safety glass isn't optional

Ontario's Building Code calls for safety glass, tempered or laminated, in sliding doors, storm doors, sidelights that could be mistaken for a door, and shower and bathtub enclosures (OBC 9.6.1.4). Glass in guards, the code's word for railings that stop a fall, must be laminated or tempered too (OBC 9.8.8.7).

So plain glass cut to size can't replace a broken patio door or shower panel. For those, see door glass, shower glass doors and glass railings.

What affects the quote

What cut glass costs depends on

Cut glass is priced by the piece and the work done to it:

Size and thickness
Annealed, tempered or laminated
Clear, low-iron, frosted, tinted or patterned
Edge finish and corner shape
Holes, notches and cut-outs
Pickup, delivery or fitting

A written quote should name the glass type and thickness for each piece, the edge, any holes, and whether fitting is included. If tempered glass is cut to your measurements, ask who pays if it doesn't fit.

Get a cut-to-size quote

A quote is free and doesn't commit you.

Pickup or install

Pickup or install? Bring-in or on-site

Loose pieces are simplest at the shop: a top, shelf, cabinet door or window sash can be brought in and picked up. Fitting on site suits large or fixed glass, or tempered glass where you'd rather the pro own the measurement. If the whole window is failing, read repair or replace windows. Other work we match is under all services.

Questions

Cut glass questions

Explore your options

Glass is cut and fitted across the city, including Downtown Brampton, Bramalea, Peel Village and Heart Lake.

Send dimensions, thickness and a sketch

Give the size, the thickness if you know it, what the glass is for and a sketch or photo. We'll pass it to a local glass pro who cuts to size.