How to fix this glass that is no longer in place?
How to fix this glass that is no longer in place?
Hey, apologies if I'm not using the correct terms, I'm going to do my best to describe the issue.
This is a photo from my shower. There's a glass "wall" and a glass door. The door is connected to the glass wall by a hinge. The glass wall was glued to a metallic frame but it looks like the glue is not holding it in place anymore.
Is it a DIY job for a new homeowner after the millionth thing broke down this month and is ready to step into traffic? Or should I just hire someone? What profession am I even looking for to get it fixed?
If it's an easy enough fix, what keywords do I use to look up a fix and the materials needed?
Any other useful information or advice would be appreciated. Thank you!
Update: thank you all for the comments. I don't think I have the skills to do this project by myself and don't want to risk glass all over the bathroom floor. I've contacted some people who fix windows and stuff, and they've agreed to this work at a reasonable price.
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Take the door off. Use a knife to score the existing silicone and then pull the glass out. Use a razor blade and knife to clean up the existing silicone. Clean the surfaces well.
Get silicone bathroom caulk from home depot. Put some in the channel, put the glass back, put more along the seam. Use a wet finger to smooth it out.
Tape it in place while it cures and you're done.
I'm kinda surprised a piece with an attached door is just siliconed in place. Is there no retention screw or anything?
This is the best way of doing it. I'd recommend some paint thinner and paper towels to help clean up the silicon. Even people that have been doing this work for years can get enthusiastic with caulking stuff in and silicon can get messy fast. Plus make sure to give the whole space enough time to fully cure and be good to go against water exposure. I'm also surprised at the apparent lack of retention screw or something in there, pretty strange
I can only confirm what ballskicker and Shadow said - I'd remove the old caulk both mechanically and with the help of a solvent and then caulk it back in.
However, I'm also pretty sure it will eventually sag again without the help of a retaining mechanism.
Given the pictures you posted (which might not provide the full context), I assume someone really just caulked a glass panel into the profiles and left it at that. I assume you would like to avoid drilling the glass (can be done, but is tricky and has the potential to create a mess pretty quickly), so I'd simply manufacture a retaining cap that closes off the profile and holds the glass panel in place. I'd drill a hole into the ceiling to hold the cap in place, or into the profile, depending on the material and the remaining situation at hand.
I'm talking about mounting that right here, after sliding the glass back in / caulking, of couse:
And as an extra aside be careful not to put pressure on the edge where it’s apt to fracture and break.
OP, do this, but when you use silicone caulk (kitchen and bathroom stuff), you need to use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle to smooth it out or it will stick to your finger and make a mess. Water works great for latex caulk.
i use water with liquid dishwashing soap
Make sure you get the right silicon too. This is in a wet environment so you don’t want stuff that decimates within a few years. If you hire a guy they have commercial grade stuff that can last 20 yrs. If you go to Home Depot I think you can get stuff that might last 10.
Nope, there's no screw or anything mechanical holding it in place.
Thank you for the advice.