Is there any quick fix for us as window cleaners to repair scratches on glass? I’ve come across many panes of glass that had been badly scratched and it really takes away from the overall quality of the cleaning work when it’s done.
I’m going to assume that it’s the laminate on the glass that’s scratched rather than the glass itself but is there anything that can be done to remove either the laminate scratches or the glass scratches.
It would be a handy way to make a few extra quid if I could provide this as an additional service.
Hi llaczko thanks for your response.
I’m actually talking about domestic glass
Not sure how it becomes scratched. Could be when the panes where on the building site as the houses were being developed, could have happened during the installation, also could have happened after the installation I don’t know.
I’ve probably got it wrong but doesn’t laminated glass have a thin sheet of laminate on the exterior part of the pane? I’ve seen some scratches where it seems you can actually see that the film is scratched due to the visible plastic fringing either side of the mark. I know it’s not the protective film that’s placed on glass when they’re shipped as this stuff comes off really easy. Maybe it’s a weather glaze but again I can’t be certain.
So with that said. Is it possible to repair this without either A: Replacing the glass, B: Relaminating/re-filming the pane?
It’s quite possible that these panes may be weather glazed. Glass with this film always dry off some remnants of water by themselves. We always notice a difference in cleaning these types of windows over regular glass as the drying off time / overall cleaning time differs greatly.
Thanks for your responses anyway. I had a feeling there wouldn’t be a quick fix but if you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Laminated glass is used quite a lot around coastal areas in resi/comm buildings due to new codes relating to impact resistant glass. The laminate is between the glass layers to hold the glass together and glazing into the frames, protecting the envelope of the building. When the envelope is broken due to flying debris in a storm (hurricane) the pressure must equalize and in doing so, it typically blows the roof off if envelope is broken.
Laminate-other than sun film, is also installed on the interior of existing glass for blast mitigation and hurricanes as well . so knowledge in this area should be gathered to know what you are dealing with. scratches are not usually removed from the interior of existing glass with plastic coatings. the applied coating is usually replaced.
Hope this helps.
Isn’t it true that in all laminated glass both the exterior and interior layers are annealed glass?! So a Scratch removal system will work to remove any defects on the surface. Glass Renu scratch removal machine
Hi Tony,
Not all lami is annealed. Common lami approx 1/4" overall thickness-(1/8" annealed-.030 lami interlayer-1/8" annealed) is the typical annealled product cut and installed by glass shops and usually in stock.
Depending on usage for customer, (hurricane resistant 7/16" overall thickness and 9/16" overall thickness) is custom made for each application/window opening. it is commonly heat treated or tempered as well. Heat treating is a lesser process of tempering. It has a temper to add strength to the glass, compared to annealed, and will break similar to tempered when you penetrate the exterior of the glass releasing the high stress and then cracking. so be carefull. The lami will stay together and won’t fall on you, but it is broken and expensive to replace. Look at the corners of glass and the “water mark” will typically explain manufacturer and if product has been heat treated or tempered.
