Hello!
We did some removal of a chemical that a previous paint company left on the windows and my guy ended up using a scrubbie instead of bronze wool and left some scratches on the exterior of the windows. Now I need to fix it. But the scratches aren’t that deep, but noticeable when the sun shines through.
Anyone has suggestions on how to help fix this? Hopefully we wont need to replace those panes :(.
Thank you so much!
How many panes of glass got scratched?
I believe just 4.
I know it sucks but if the homeowner or builder is making a issue of it, i would just suck it up and have a glass installer come out and fix it. Your employee caused the scratches so ultimately you are held liable. Thats why i tell people to have painters clean up their own mess before i touch it.
Are glad installers able to repair it usually or do the panes normally need to be replaced?
Unless you buy a scratch removal kit, they would have to be replaced. To be honest i see fine scrathes everywhere even on new homes and it has never been an issue and people have cleaned them before me, but if its being made an issue just have them replaced.
If it was a 3M green pad that was used I have had good success removing that type of scratch with a cerium slurry and felt pad or a diamond compound and felt. Although there are some great commercial systems out there which I might buy into at some point soon. If you spent the money you could make it back if you were to search out the work. I know Alex Lambrinides has done a lot of work with Glass Renu. There is also the SRP machine. And actually many others. Wishing you the best. It is always a bad feeling when we have to deal with this problem. And I think most of us have been there. Myself included.
Henry
I personally haven’t tried it, but will second the cerium oxide suggestion. I have some in the van, fortunately haven’t needed It yet. I may do a test run on my windshield though.
It sounds like you got some good input on options to rectify this mistake. Are you going to or have you already addressed how this was able to happen in the first place? What is your training process like for employees ( was he employed by you or a 1099 ? ) Why was he even in possession of a Scrubbie Pad - where did that come from ? It sounds like you didn’t instruct him what to do in regards to, what you referred to as, a chemical.
Also, make sure before you begin the process of negotiating with the owner on what to do if you can not remove scratches. Your liability Insurance most likely will not cover this unless you have some sort of Care Custody and Control language in your policy.
It just sounds like another case of just because the customer asked I did it. Maybe your employee didn’t even confide in you. It’s crazy, but I’m there to clean your windows …whatever stains , An whatnot that are on there Its not my responsibility. I gave you a price for cleaning , An with a regular cleaning stains don’t come off. I constantly say everyone needs to put this in writing. Some guys will say well your the professional… I say ya the professional at what I’m charging them for.
Now if you went ahead , N told the customer I’ll get these off for ya @ X , fthen it’s a case of ya messed up , An yes a glass guy can change out the IG unit. To the tune of around 300 a sash. Try the cerium oxide or diamond magic. Maybe you’ll get lucky.
How many windows total did you remove the chemical from? If only 4 of those scratched, are you sure the scratches were not pre existing but the chemical helped hide it?
For example if you remove chemical from 20 windows and only 4 of them scratched and your man use the same technique and tools for every window did you the cause or where they already there. It’s quite possible the painters tried removing that chemical on those four windows and were unsuccessful but used a method to scratch those four.
In my area painters scratch windows all the time because they use abrasives to clean off over spray, so what you said would make sense. Ive got a resturant account that ive had since it was first built, the windows were pristine untill they decided to hire some cheap painters to re-paint the outsides. They didnt tape anything off and got overspray everywhere, then they tried getting it of with a scrubbie pad also 
they ruined every window. I pointed it out to owners and they never did anything about it, i use to love that job and how the windows looked when i was done. Same with welders in my area getting weld marks all over the windows and never have to fix their mistakes. But ill be damned if a window cleaner scratches a window hes gonna pay for that sh%!. This is a frustrating topic for me because in my area the painters, welders, window installers, and power washers, F$%k up windows all the time and they are never held liable. One time when i had employees, one of them used a razor to get some tape off a window that had scratches from the previous bucket bob, the brand new manager made a big deal out of it and i paid out of pocket for it, just so i can keep the other 12 accounts that go with it. Long story short, if you did it or not youre still gonna be blamed for it because you are the Window Cleaner.
Welding spray and spray from grinding isn’t “marks”. It actually burns in and pits the glass. Not fixable in most cases, especially when it’s from welding.
Glass melts at a lower temperature than metal.
I have one commercial account that I mop the one window and wipe it with a huck. Not using rubber on it because the weld spatter makes the window surface rough and eats rubber up.
Thats what i mean by weld marks and i mean fixing as in replacing glass for their mistakes. I have an account that i have to do the same with since the pits from welding are so bad.
jhans and Rockwood. I couldn’t agree with you more! This is such a HOT topic. Great call on that jhans. That is precisely the point I would make. Why did the same technique NOT scratch all the other windows? I do know that 3M green pads will scratch glass. But in this case I might take whatever pad was used and test it on a brand new square foot piece of mirror. No scratch and you’re golden, Another interesting thought is that the glass surface of just those four windows might have been different. I can turn any glass surface into one that will scratch. I can also turn any glass surface into one that is highly scratch resistant. Should do a video on this. Bottom line however is you really can’t test a surface covered by paint or some unknown crud for scratch sensitivity.
What was the scope of the job that you offered to do? Some form of glass restoration as opposed to cleaning?
Having to use aggressive “cleaning tactics” has inherent risk of scratching. In the future you should discuss this risk with the property owner before accepting the job.
Chemical cleans can cause some sort of alteration to the appearance of glass if it is not known what reaction may ensue or where to stop with aggressiveness.
Scratched glass is a reality; many, many people do not want even want one little scratch only to be seen in certain light, and others are “eh, it’s glass, it will scratch, just don’t gouge it”. Since it sounds as if you have already totally accepted blame for the damage, explore ways and products to remove the scratches - probably cheaper than replacing the entire glass - plus you can then use the newly acquired equipment to up-sell “Scratch Removal Service”.
Also, throw away ALL green scrub pads and only have fine white pads meant for window cleaning in your arsenal. If you blade, change blades often. If you use 0000 steel wool, change it often, if you use fine bronze wool only use from a window cleaning supply house. (extra fine brass wool at a West Marine store or the like WILL scratch glass).
Test a small out of the way area next time with your chosen method to be reasonably certain that it won’t scratch. Glass scratches even from grit caught in a scrubber mop, so be aware on what contaminants are on the window before you even start; no shame in hosing off especially dirty windows with a garden hose and then go through your normal cleaning process to get the first layer or two of contaminants off before discovering what is waiting for you underneath.
Charge accordingly.
Thank you for the input, and everyone else. I had a guy come out to take a look at removing the scratches but he said it would be cheaper to replace the glass. But speaking with him and doing research, I’m going to buy a buffer and some pads with a product a guy told me about and follow his method for removing scratches. If it works out, hey I can add scratch removal to my resume. Have you worked with buffing pads before? I know what polishing pad to buy, but not sure about which pad(s) to buy to remove the scratches.
Scratch removal has quite a learning curve.
Basically what you are doing is sanding down the surface of the glass so that the rest of the surface is the same level as the scratches.
A few years ago I purchased a small drill based kit (3" discs) to see how it would go removing scratches I had on a kitchen window at the house was lived in at the time, The kit came with 4-5 different abrasive pads which after an hour the glass looked worse than I started with and had used up all the pads in the set( this was a small window and spent over an hour on it).
I deemed it not worth while for that pane of glass which I got a replacement piece for $100 and fitted it myself, the kit cost me $150 so I should have just replaced the glass to begin with, many times you will not have to replace the entire window and frame just get a glazier to just refit new glass into the frames.
https://glassrenu.com/shop/ This works best but there is a learning curve
The black disk takes off scratches very easy. But the next step with the gray pad is the key
and takes the longest to learn. You can buy the kit here at WCR
https://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=glass%20renu
IGP Demo Video - YouTube
If some one in your area has one, try to get them to do the job for you and learn
Check here to get local help.
https://glassrenu.com/find-a-technician/
Thanks! I will look into this.
