http://www.allaboutdoors.com Published 2/9/2012
Replacing Glass Surrounds in Sidelites, Transoms and Active Door Panels
Jessica Kinkade
For Questions or Concerns, please refer to All About Doors & Windows
http://www.allaboutdoors.com
This article will guide you in replacing surrounds in entry door sidelites, transoms or active door
panels. This guide applies to universal standard surrounds manufactured by many companies, including
Therma-Tru, ODL, Masonite and Stanley.
Entry doors may be comprised of a
combination of the parts shown at
right:
"Surround" refers to the glass unit
consisting of the pane of glass,
exterior moulding and interior
moulding.
All About Doors & Windows is
proud to carry surrounds;
surrounds are typically only sold
locally due to high cost of
shipping.
**NOTE: Use caution when drilling near and handling glass. Wear protective eyegear and gloves.
If glass is broken, remove all loose shards of with gloves or pliers before removing surround from
door.
NOTE 2: For the purposes of this article, we removed a surround from a sidelite. The process is
the same for removing surrounds in transoms and active door panels.
To Remove Surrounds:
1. Remove plugs from all screwholes on interior side of sidelite by drilling a threaded screw into
each plug; screw will go through plug and pull out easily.
All About Doors & Windows | 1901 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO 64108-1714
http://www.allaboutdoors.com Published 2/9/2012
2. Remove plug from screw; use pliers to grip plug while unscrewing screw with drill.
3. On exterior side of sidelite apply duct tape along edge where panel meets sidelite. Sidelites
install through exterior; not applying tape could cause the surround to fall out of the panel and
break.
All About Doors & Windows | 1901 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO 64108-1714
http://www.allaboutdoors.com Published 2/9/2012
4. Loosen all screws on interior side of sidelite and remove moulding.
5. From outside, remove tape and remove surround. If not immediately reinstalling surround or in
case of transporting surround, reattach interior moulding to protect glass. *Note: Surround
should easily pop out, although may need some pushing from interior side.
All About Doors & Windows | 1901 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO 64108-1714
http://www.allaboutdoors.com Published 2/9/2012
To install or reinstall surrounds, reverse the removal process, taking care to gently
insert surround and secure it in place with tape or by having someone else hold it
while interior moulding is screwed in place.
*NOTE: Plugs removed in step 1 are not reusable.
The staff at All About Doors & Windows spends a considerable amount of time
creating articles and providing quality parts and hardware. We know you can find
many of these products elsewhere and we appreciate your business. We thank you for
your time and hope you will continue being a satisfied customer.
All About Doors & Windows | 1901 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO 64108-1714