Can glass be tempered after it's cut?

Yes, and that's the only order it works in. Glass is cut, edged and drilled first, then tempered. After that it can't be cut or drilled at all; it shatters if anyone tries, and it takes longer than annealed glass cut while you wait. So a tempered piece needs exact measurements before it's ordered.

Is acrylic a good substitute for glass?

Sometimes. It's lighter and much harder to break, which suits a shed window, a picture frame or a child's room. It scratches easily and softens near heat, so glass wears better on a table top. Where code calls for safety glass, ask the pro before substituting plastic.

Can a new pane be cut for an old wooden storm window?

Usually, yes. Old storms hold single panes of ordinary glass in putty or small stops, so a new pane is cut to the opening and set in. If the wood is soft, the pro may suggest repairing the frame too. The storm windows page covers when repair is enough.

Who cuts glass to size, and can they fit it too?

Local glass shops and glaziers cut glass to size, and many fit what they cut, from a sash pane to a cabinet shelf. We match you with an independent pro who handles your kind of piece, which saves phoning around when the job is small or you're new to the area.

Can I bring my own measurements or a template for cut glass?

Yes. Your measurements, sent through the cut-glass request form, are a fine basis for a quote, and a full-size template is the most reliable way to order a round, oval or angled piece. For tempered glass, many pros will check the numbers themselves before ordering, because a tempered piece can't be trimmed if it's off.

Cut glass · Kingston

Glass and acrylic cut to size, from cottage tables to storm sash

Plenty of glass jobs are one piece: a top for a pine table, a shelf, a pane for a hutch door, or new glass for a storm window that took a stray ball. Glass cut to size is ordered to your measurements in the right type for the use. As with every service we cover, we connect you with an independent local glass professional who does this work; they confirm the type and size, and fit it where needed.

Annealed, tempered, laminated or acrylic
Cut from your numbers or a template
Single panes for old storms and sash

Get a free quote 613-480-0991

Two cut-glass jobs in one room: a protective top on the table and flat panes in the hutch doors.

Common pieces

Tops, shelves, cabinet panes, panels and storm glass

Table and desk tops

Usually tempered, with a polished edge and eased corners, to protect a wood table at the cottage or a desk at home.

Shelves and cabinet panes

Niche and display shelves, and flat panes for hutch and bookcase doors. A longer span or a heavier load calls for thicker glass.

Privacy panels

Frosted, reeded or patterned glass for a door insert, a partition or a window facing the neighbours.

Storm and sash panes

Single panes for old wooden storms and sash, covered below.

Four upright glass panels in front of the same potted plant, clear, frosted, reeded and patterned, each blurring the plant by a different amount — From left: clear, frosted, reeded and patterned glass. Each passes light while hiding a different amount of what's behind it.

Glass types

Three glass types, and where each one belongs

The use, not the size, decides the type.

Glass in a door, a shower, a railing or low near the floor usually has to be safety glass, tempered or laminated.

Annealed

Ordinary glass, cut on the spot, for frames, cabinet panes and old sash. It breaks into sharp pieces.

Tempered

Heat-treated to be much stronger and to break into small, blunt pieces.

Laminated

Layers bonded to a plastic interlayer that holds the glass in place if it cracks, and quiets noise.

Measuring

Measuring for cut glass, or making a template

Measure carefully: once glass is tempered, no one can trim it.

Measure the opening, not the broken glass
For a framed pane, measure inside the recess the glass sits in and let the pro allow clearance.
Write width, then height
Same units throughout, plus the old glass thickness if you can read it at a broken edge.
Make a template for curves and angles
Round tops, angled panes and arched sash need a full-size template in stiff cardboard, trimmed to fit and marked with the side that faces up.

Plastic options

When acrylic or polycarbonate makes more sense

Acrylic

Light, clear and far harder to break than glass. Good for a shed window, a picture frame or a child's room, though it scratches more easily.

Polycarbonate

Tougher still; it bends rather than cracks, where a ball or a slammed gate is a real risk. It scratches easily.

Where plastic isn't the answer

It softens near heat and isn't automatically accepted where code calls for safety glass, so check before using it in a door or shower.

Storms and sash

Replacement panes for old storm windows and sash

Kingston's older core still has plenty of single-glazed wood sash with storm windows outside. When one pane cracks, the fix is a new pane cut to size and set in putty or stops, not a new window.

Like-for-like glass replacement is generally treated as maintenance, but on a designated house, or in Barriefield, Market Square or Old Sydenham, a call to the City's heritage planning staff settles any doubt. For a sash that also sticks, see wood window and sash repair.

For a cottage on Wolfe Island, send measurements and photos first so the right glass is on the first ferry; we'll check whether a pro covers your address.

What affects the quote

Thickness, type, edges and holes: what the price follows

Size and thickness
Annealed, tempered, laminated, patterned or acrylic
Edge finish and corner shape
Holes, notches and cut-outs, made before any tempering
Templates for round, oval or angled pieces
Pickup, delivery or fitting, including travel to the islands

List the dimensions, the old thickness if known, and where the glass will go.

Get a cut-glass quote

Quotes come from independent local pros and cost nothing to ask for.

Bigger pieces

Glass fronts, partitions and room dividers

Larger panels, such as a glass wall for a den, an office partition or a wine-room front, are tempered or laminated, held in channels or clamps, and measured on site. The glass pro handles the glass and door; insulation and cooling are separate trades. Mirrors cut to size and tempered shower panels are ordered the same way.

Cutaway illustration of a glass-fronted wine room with the walls, ceiling, glass front and glass door outlined as one sealed boundary, and a cooling unit mounted above — In a wine room, the glass front and door are one side of a sealed, insulated boundary that also takes in the walls, the ceiling and the cooling unit.

Questions

Cut glass questions

Explore your options

Pros cut and fit glass from the older core out to the islands, including Sydenham Ward, Barriefield, Portsmouth Village, Bath and Wolfe Island.

Tell us the size and what it's for

Send the dimensions, the thickness if you know it, and the use. We'll pass it to a local pro who does glass cutting, and they'll reply with a quote and the glass they'd use.