Bathroom Door

CheckDigit

Hi,

Our bathroom door needs to be replaced as the glass has smashed (please see the attached image). I measured the existing door and the dimensions are 1890 x 695 x 30.

I have looked for a new door. However, it seems that the measurements are not standard. Could somebody recommend a place that makes made to measure doors?

Thanks

daivid

Find a local glass merchants and get a replacement glass panel. If you don’t feel up to fitting it yourself ask at the merchants if they know someone who would do it, seems like a job for a handy person.

CheckDigit

Unfortunately, we need to avoid using glass as my son is autistic and it would be dangerous for him. Is there a safe  alternative to a glass panel?

Gavin83

How thick is the glass? You could replace it with a sheet of plywood and just paint it the same colour as the door. Would give you more privacy then too.

FreeBear

CheckDigit said:

Unfortunately, we need to avoid using glass as my son is autistic and it would be dangerous for him. Is there a safe  alternative to a glass panel?

A glass panel that size should be toughened glass. In the event that it gets broken, you would get loads of small, relatively safe bits rather than large sharp shards. A plastic film applied to either side would stop the glass from exploding everywhere should it get broken.

But with a child running around, I'd either replace with a plywood panel, or possibly an acrylic sheet.

daivid

Plywood is a safe and cheap option. I wonder if the glazed door was a wise choice to provide natural light to the hallway? As mentioned there are options for safer glazing and glass like you have would not be allowed theses days. You could opt for laminated glass which would retain the pieces should it break (and be much tougher than the glass you had).

CheckDigit

Thanks all.

I think the plywood option probably suits us best as we were never a huge fan of having glass in the bathroom door. Could somebody direct me to the best way to remove the glass? I have looked for some videos and the best I could find was this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flrcl1Xd_e0. However, the example door it talks about has screws and my one does not. 

Also, I was thinking of getting plywood from Wickes. e.g. https://www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Building-Materials/Sheet-Materials/Plywood/c/1000191?q=:relevance:Depth:5.5+mm&text=&5.5+mm=5.5+mm# 

Is this reasonable?

FreeBear

The glass will (probably) be held in by just the moldings around the edge. Just get a sharp chisel under the molding, and lever it up. You may well find years of paint also keeps much of the glass in place. gently tap it with a soft hammer, and it should just fall out.

Carefully remove the nails from the molding, drop the plywood panel in the hole, and reattach the moldings (using lost head panel pins). A small nail punch and light hammer will drive the heads below the surface of the wood. A thin smear of filler, and once it is painted, you'll never know how it is all held together.

ThisIsWeird

Good choice to go for a ply panel - by far the easiest option. And I presume there is still a glass panel above the door that'll allow light through? If it's clear, you can always 'frost' it.

Anyhoo, look at the timber moulding that runs all around the glass panel. Check it closely on both sides of the door. You should find that on one side it is part of the door frame, but on the other it's a separate timber strip - that's the one to prise off carefully. Use something like a chisel, or even a wallpaper scraper and gently tap it between the moulding and the timber door frame - NOT between it and the glass! Work your way along, prising it away in stages. When you find pins, prise it on either side, and then try a trick - tap the timber moulding back into place and see if the pin head appears. If it does, grab it with pliers and lever it out.

Put a sheet down first to catch all the glass - it'll be stuck around the edge with paint, so ease it away carefully, wearing goggles and gloves.

ThisIsWeird

This shows the principle better, I think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6FHjnmDjKQ

And the ply you linked to should be fine. You may want it thicker, but check it out and see what you think.

Will you be able to cut it to size yourself?

35har1old

ThisIsWeird said:

Good choice to go for a ply panel - by far the easiest option. And I presume there is still a glass panel above the door that'll allow light through? If it's clear, you can always 'frost' it.

Anyhoo, look at the timber moulding that runs all around the glass panel. Check it closely on both sides of the door. You should find that on one side it is part of the door frame, but on the other it's a separate timber strip - that's the one to prise off carefully. Use something like a chisel, or even a wallpaper scraper and gently tap it between the moulding and the timber door frame - NOT between it and the glass! Work your way along, prising it away in stages. When you find pins, prise it on either side, and then try a trick - tap the timber moulding back into place and see if the pin head appears. If it does, grab it with pliers and lever it out.

Put a sheet down first to catch all the glass - it'll be stuck around the edge with paint, so ease it away carefully, wearing goggles and gloves.

The best solution would be to tape up the glass panel then remove door to a area where you could remove the glass without it falling out with less risk to you or any household members or take it to a waste disposal site.
You then could purchase a solid door which could be reduced  io fit by a carpenter which would be a  much superior finish I no this would not be cheapest solution