Safety Glass Replacement in Wellington
Window and Glass Repair Wellington supplies and installs toughened safety glass across the city. Toughened glass is heat treated so it is several times stronger than ordinary annealed glass, and when it does break it crumbles into small blunt granules instead of long sharp shards.
- Toughened Grade A safety glass to NZS 4223
- Required in doors, wet areas and low level glazing
- Breaks into blunt granules and not shards
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NZS 4223 sets out where safety glass has to be used in New Zealand buildings: in and beside doors, in bathrooms and other wet areas, in low level glazing where somebody can walk into it, and in large panes. A lot of Wellington homes were built before those rules tightened, so they have plain annealed glass in positions that would not be permitted today. Replacing a broken pane is the cheapest opportunity you will ever get to fix that.
Where safety glass is required
Glazing in a door and in the panels beside it. Glazing in bathrooms, ensuites and other wet areas. Low level glazing where the bottom edge is close to the floor and someone could walk into it. Large panes above a certain area. Balustrades and anything overhead.
If your broken pane sits in one of those positions, it goes back as toughened or laminated glass regardless of what was there before. That is not an upsell, it is the standard.
Toughened or laminated
Toughened glass is stronger and crumbles safely, which suits doors, sliders and shower screens. Laminated glass holds together on its interlayer when broken, which suits security positions, overhead glazing, and anywhere you want the opening to stay closed after an impact.
Both satisfy the standard. Which one is right depends on what you want the glass to do when it fails.
Made to order, so plan for it
Toughened glass cannot be cut after it is treated, so every pane is made to size. That means a few days rather than same day, and it means the measurements have to be right first time.
Where the opening cannot be left, we board or temporarily glaze it with annealed glass and swap once the toughened pane arrives.
Reading the standard on your own house
How to spot existing safety glass
Safety glass carries a small permanent stamp etched in one corner, usually giving the maker and the standard. If a pane in a door or a bathroom has no stamp, it is almost certainly annealed and would not be permitted today.
That is not illegal in an existing house, and nobody is going to make you replace it. It does mean that when it breaks, it goes back to standard.
Why the size matters as well as the position
The standard sets area thresholds as well as positions, so a large pane can require safety glass even in a wall where a small one would not.
That catches people out on picture windows and on the fixed panes beside a slider, which are often the largest pieces of glass in the house.
Safety Glass Replacement at a glance
- Standard
- NZS 4223, Grade A safety glazing materials
- Toughened
- Heat treated, crumbles into blunt granules, cannot be cut after treatment
- Laminated
- Holds together on its interlayer, better for security and overhead
- Required in
- Doors and side panels, wet areas, low level glazing, large panes
- Lead time
- Several days, made to order
- Marking
- Safety glass carries a permanent stamp in the corner
Safety Glass Replacement in Wellington: common questions
Do I have to use safety glass?
In the positions NZS 4223 covers, yes. That includes doors, wet areas and low level glazing. We will tell you if your pane falls into one.
What is the difference between toughened and laminated?
Toughened crumbles into blunt granules. Laminated holds together on a plastic interlayer. Toughened suits doors and showers, laminated suits security and overhead glazing.
Why can toughened glass not be cut to size on site?
Cutting after toughening shatters it. Every pane is made to the finished size, which is why it takes a few days.
Recent Wellington jobs
Got three quotes for retrofitting the front of the house. Only ones who measured every opening and explained why the north facing rooms needed different glass. Eleven windows over two days, and the road noise dropped more than I expected.
Landlord here. Had four properties assessed for the Healthy Homes ventilation rule and two needed openable sashes freed up rather than new joinery, which saved me a fortune. Straight answers, written report, no upselling.
Ranch slider had been jamming for years and we assumed it needed replacing. Turned out to be rollers and a bent track. Two hours, a fraction of the price we were braced for.
Fogged unit in the lounge, measured on the Tuesday and in by the following Monday. Fair price and they cleaned up after themselves.
Get a price for safety glass replacement in Wellington
Free measure, fixed written quote, and a straight answer on whether it needs repairing or replacing.
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Four questions and you are done.