Cut to size
Custom-cut glass for projects around the house
A cracked pane in a china cabinet door. Glass for a picture frame, a railing panel, a top for a shop's display case. These odd jobs are worth doing properly: the right type of glass, cut to size, with the edges finished. We connect you with a local glass professional who cuts glass to order and tells you which type your project needs. One piece is a fine place to start. Mirrors and shower panels have their own pages, custom mirrors and shower doors, among our glass services.
- The right glass type for where it goes
- Edges, holes and notches done before tempering
- Single pieces and small jobs welcome
Common requests
Cabinet inserts, frames, panels and railings: the usual list
Cabinet and furniture glass
Inserts for kitchen cabinets, china cabinets and bookcases, in clear, frosted, reeded or textured glass.
Picture and art frames
Thin glass cut to the frame, or non-glare glass for prints.
Replacement panels
Dividers, partitions and storm door inserts. Window panes are covered on broken window glass.
Railings and guards
Deck, balcony and stair railing panels, with their own rules below.
Shop counters and displays
Display case tops and counter protectors. A broken shop window is a storefront glass job.
Types of glass
Annealed, tempered, laminated: how each one breaks, and why that matters
The type is about what happens if it breaks, so choose it for where the piece will live.
Annealed
Standard glass. Cheapest, and workable at any stage, but it breaks into sharp shards, so it belongs in frames and cabinet inserts.
Tempered
Heated and quenched after cutting. Far tougher, and it shatters into small, blunt bits. No cutting, drilling or notching afterwards, so sizes and holes are fixed first.
Laminated
A plastic layer sandwiched between two sheets. It cracks but stays put, so it's chosen where glass mustn't fall out.
Measuring up
Measuring, templates, and why the pro checks your numbers
Most cut-glass mistakes are measuring mistakes.
Measure more than once
Measure each way a few times and use the smallest figure. Note the old glass's thickness.
Template anything that isn't a rectangle
Tape paper to the opening, trace it, mark which side faces out, and photograph it with a tape measure across it.
Let the pro double-check
A careful pro re-checks before cutting, especially tempered glass. If something doesn't add up, they'll ask, and that can save you paying twice.
Edge work
Finishing the edges, drilling holes, cutting notches
A fresh cut edge is sharp. Glass hidden in a frame can be seamed, its sharp arris ground off; anything you'll touch gets a flat or pencil polish. Holes for hinges or knobs and notches for brackets are cut before tempering, so bring the hardware or its spec sheet.
Railings and guards
Railing glass has to be safety glass
Glass in a guard, the code's term for a railing that protects a drop, has to be one of the safety types, tempered or laminated, under Ontario’s Building Code. How the glass is held is part of the design too. For a new deck or balcony, ask the City whether it needs a permit before you build, and let the railing supplier and the pro specify the glass. On a condo or apartment balcony, talk to management first. Renovators can see working with contractors.
What affects the quote
Where the cost of a cut piece comes from
- Glass type: annealed, tempered or laminated
- Thickness and size
- Edge finish: seamed, polished or bevelled
- Holes, notches and shaped corners
- Decorative glass: frosted, reeded, textured or low-iron
- Pickup or installation
Send measurements or a template photo, and the current glass thickness.
Fireplace doors
Fireplace and stove glass is a different material
Fireplace insert and wood stove doors use heat-resistant ceramic glass, not ordinary tempered glass. Some glass pros carry it; others point you to a fireplace specialist. The FAQ below covers what to send.
Cut glass questions
Cut glass questions
Explore your options
Related glass work
Pros cut glass for jobs across Oshawa and nearby towns, including Downtown Oshawa, Whitby, Courtice, Bowmanville and Port Perry.
Send your measurements and the glass thickness
Send the size or a template photo, the glass thickness, and what it's for. We pass it to a local glass pro who cuts glass to order, and they get back to you with a quote and the right glass for the job.