Board-up is its own job, on its own clock
Securing the opening happens tonight. Permanent glass follows in days or weeks depending on the product, and treating them as one job is why units sit open longer than they need to.
Retail
Storefront glass for Miami retail
An open shopfront overnight is an insurance problem before it is a repair, so board-up and glazing run on two different clocks.
Street-level retail takes more glass damage than any property type we cover. The frontage is exposed, the entrance is used hundreds of times a day, and the glass is the first thing a customer forms an opinion from.
The thing to understand before it happens is that replacement glass cannot be cut on site. Tempered has to be manufactured to final size with every hole already in place, laminated is cut then processed, and insulated units are assembled to order. So securing the opening and glazing it properly are separate jobs on separate timelines.
What we get called for
- Broken storefront glass and emergency board-up, dispatched around the clock
- Permanent re-glazing in the existing frame once the unit is measured
- Tempered and laminated replacement matched to the opening
- Failed insulated units showing fogging between the panes
- Glass entrance door repair, including closers, pivots and patch fittings
- Chipped and cracked panes before they become breakages
- Photographic record for the insurance claim
Performed in-house
Who carries out this work.
Performed by TrionX employees. No Florida contractor licence is required for this trade, and TrionX carries general liability and workers compensation covering the work.
Why TrionX
How we approach it.
Laminated is usually worth the difference
A tempered pane that fails leaves the opening completely clear. Laminated holds together in the frame after impact, so a smashed frontage is still an obstacle rather than an entrance.
Repair keeps you out of permitted work
Re-glazing an existing opening is maintenance and needs no permit or contractor licence. Replacing the system, meaning new frames or new anchors, is permitted construction and goes to a licensed contractor. We say which at survey.
Common questions
Questions we get asked
How quickly can a broken shopfront be secured?
Board-up runs 24 hours a day, because an unsecured retail unit overnight is a security and insurance exposure rather than a repair that waits for morning. We photograph before and after for the claim file, then measure so the permanent glass can be ordered.
Why does replacement glass take weeks?
None of it can be cut on site. Tempered must be manufactured to final size with every hole and cutout in place, laminated is cut then processed, and insulated units are assembled to order. That lead time is exactly why board-up exists as a separate job.
Should our frontage be tempered or laminated?
Laminated is usually worth the extra at street level. A tempered pane fragments and clears the opening completely when it fails, whereas laminated stays in the frame after impact, which is the difference between a break-in and an attempted one.
Does glass replacement need a permit?
Replacing a pane like for like in an existing frame does not, and needs no contractor licence either. Replacing the system, meaning new frames, changed opening sizes or new anchors into the structure, is permitted construction and is coordinated through a licensed contractor.
Further reading
Field notes on this.
Written for the people who have to make the call. More in our insights, and the vocabulary in the glossary.
Related
The rest of the picture.
Secure tonight, glaze properly after
Board-up is dispatched around the clock and photographed for your claim. Permanent glass follows once the opening is measured. Both are performed by our own employees, with no contractor licence required for either.