Fitting Window Pane

[medsecslave]

A glazier has just replaced a window pane on a red (wooden) front door. It's been held in place (somewhat erratically) by white mastic and stands out like a sore thumb compared to the other pane. Is this how glass is normally fitted? I thought he would have used putty? Also charged me £150 for the gothic glass and £120 for fitting which looks a mess! Any advice? Thanks.

[Togo]

It should have been glazed to match any existing glass so that you could repaint, after whatever was used for reglazing it, had hardened or cured. Can you post a picture medsec?

[medsecslave]

Hope this works! Media URL: https://youtu.be/AHFPLMcri8s
Description:

[Baldric]

https://youtu.be/AHFPLMcri8s

[Baldric]

That is not a good job, I would not have accepted it!

[medsecslave]

I haven't paid him yet. The pane is ok just the fitting. Now it looks like I need to get someone to bead and paint it. I'm not very good with confrontation - any advice on what to say? Also he has the keys to the property so it's a bit awkward.

[alavahalf]

If you paid by cheque, I would stop it now as you will need to pay someone else to do it properly.
It looks as though the glass has been fitted using silicone. You cant rub silicone down to decorate it anf finish off.

If I was getting a piece of etched glass that size .. I would be telling the supplier that £30 was over the top.

If you get someone else in they have an even bigger job to do than the first guy. They will need to put his mess right. This would involve trying to remove the glass without breaking it (very difficult and time consuming)
and making good ! .. Did he arrive in a van or on a horse..?

[medsecslave]

Yes it is silicone. I suppose he won't give me back the key until I pay up now. I did feel the price was extreme but I'm trying to sort it out for a seriously ill relative who isn't in a position to do it himself. Ripped off because I'm a female.

[The Builder]

Well, you don't have to be in the trade to see that it's a terrible job. £150 is ridiculous, and the £120 fitting price says the guy is a chancer.

There are suitable glazing materials available such as teak putty, or paintable glazing compounds.

Confrontation is very unpleasant, but you really can't pay anything for this ......... especially £270.

[Togo]

Well hard to tell medsec from your brief video. If that glass is acid etched it will be pretty expensive or is just a stick on film type pattern. The door looks as if it has been damaged, when the glass was broken, and had quite a few layers of paint on it, which would not have helped with a hack out of the old glass and then a reglaze. Feel that the glazier could have prepped it better before replacing the glass. Or at least pointed out to you the likely short comings in repairing an old timber door. Speak to a competent painter before tackling the glazier ( who no longer come cheap I am afraid due to EU meddling in the handling of glass). I have tried to find the type of glass you showed but cannot. Do you know its real trade name? Ask the glazier what he used to glaze the pane ( he may have used butyl which does not harden and is therefor a *** to paint)If the painter says no problem and that it is pretty much the norm you cannot really tackle the glass man if you did not get a written quote. Why has he still got your keys?

[Togo]

Just pinching your thread for a mo medsec. Hi baldric. I believe you are treating the C.O. to a meal a meal later. Hope you both enjoy. Thanks meds

[mastercraft]

He/she was not a glazier. Take and keep pictures of their work (if you can call it that!) and do not pay a penny.

[medsecslave]

Update: The glazier spent 2.5 hours there as the pane he was replacing had been fitted without clearing out the existing glass. The door was in a poor state with a split in it so he used silicone to keep the new pane dry until he goes back to finish and will use builders cork so it can be painted. They said the silicone will be easy to remove .... keeping my fingers crossed.