When a storefront window or door is broken, every minute matters. Glassma’s emergency board‑up team secures Seattle businesses quickly—typically the same day—and coordinates permanent glass replacement with minimal disruption to your operations.
A proper emergency board-up is more than “covering the hole.” It should be strong enough to deter entry, installed with the right fasteners so it stays put in wind and rain, and done in a way that reduces additional damage to frames and surrounding finishes. It also creates a safer environment for staff and customers by removing sharp hazards and clearly controlling the opening until a permanent fix is installed.
What’s included
- Professional board‑up with structural fasteners
- Temporary securing of doors and hardware
- Safety and liability mitigation
- Photo documentation for insurance
If you’re dealing with an emergency right now, the most helpful thing you can do is treat the scene like both a safety issue and a documentation issue. Once everyone is safe and the area is contained, photos taken early—before cleanup—can save time later. Insurers and property managers typically want clear images showing the full storefront, the damaged opening, and close-ups of the break and any affected hardware. Good documentation reduces back-and-forth and helps the permanent replacement move faster.
The other overlooked part is access. Many break-ins damage locks, closers, panic devices, or door alignment. Securing isn’t only about the glass; it’s also about making sure doors close and latch reliably so the site isn’t vulnerable again the same night.
Permanent fix planning
We measure, specify, and fabricate your new glass (tempered, laminated, or IGU) to restore visibility, energy performance, and security—on your schedule.
This is where your board-up post can stand apart from the others: the permanent replacement is a chance to improve the storefront, not just restore it. Depending on what happened, you may want to upgrade to laminated security glass in high-risk areas, switch to a better-performing IGU to reduce drafts/condensation, or match tint and reflectivity so the repair doesn’t look like a patch. Planning it correctly also helps minimize downtime—many businesses prefer scheduling installation during off-hours or slower periods.
A good permanent fix also includes thinking about why it broke in the first place. If the incident involved impact, repeated door slamming, or frame movement, it may be worth checking door hardware and alignment at the same time as the glass replacement to avoid a repeat issue.
If your storefront has been damaged, don’t wait for the opening to “become a problem.” The first step is securing the property; the second is getting accurate measurements and choosing the right glass so the final repair is clean, code-compliant, and durable.
If you contact us, share:
- a few photos of the damaged area,
- your business address/city,
- whether the opening is a door, sidelite, or fixed panel, and we’ll help you move from emergency securing to a permanent storefront repair with as little disruption as possible
Need Emergency Board-Up Today?
We secure broken storefront glass and doors quickly—then measure and coordinate a durable, code-compliant replacement to get you back to normal fast.