What board-up is
Board-up is a temporary cover fixed over a broken window, door or shopfront. It closes the opening so that the building is secure and the weather stays out, and it stops anyone reaching through or cutting themselves on broken glass. It is not the repair itself. It holds the opening safely until new glass or a new frame is made and fitted.
When you need it
- After a break-in, when a window or door has been smashed to get in.
- After storm damage, when wind, hail or a falling branch has broken a pane.
- After an impact, when a ball, a vehicle or a thrown object has gone through the glass.
- Whenever a broken opening cannot be left open, such as a shopfront that has to close for the night or a bedroom window in winter.
What to do while you wait
- Keep people and pets away. Close off the room, or the pavement in front of a shopfront.
- Do not handle loose glass. Cracked panes can drop out of a frame without warning. Leave glass that is still in the frame where it is.
- Sweep up only what has fallen, wearing closed shoes and heavy gloves, and put the pieces in a sturdy box rather than a bin bag.
- Photograph the damage from inside and outside, including any damage to the frame or lock, before anything is moved.
- Tell us what you can see: roughly how big the opening is, what the frame is made of and whether the frame itself is bent.
After the board-up
Once the opening is safe, we measure it and quote for the glass or the frame. If only the pane is broken, the quote covers new glass. If the frame is bent or the lock has been forced, we explain what needs replacing and what can be repaired. Our window glass replacement page explains how a broken pane is replaced, and shopfronts and commercial glazing covers commercial frontages.
Homes as well as businesses
Board-up is not only for shops. A smashed sliding door or bedroom window at home can be just as urgent at night, especially when it leaves the house open. Whether it is a home, an office or a shopfront, the order is the same: make the opening safe first, then measure and quote for the permanent fix. Tell us which it is when you get in touch, so we know what to bring.
Board-up or replacement
Board-up makes the opening safe for now; the glass is replaced afterwards. If you are reading up on getting a pane replaced without a board-up first, there is a guide to same-day glass replacement across Gauteng. For board-up and a written quote on the permanent repair from us, call or WhatsApp the numbers above, or request a quote here.
Repairs and maintenance are available for all of these products. See window glass replacement.