If your glass is broken right now, the page built for that moment is storefront glass repair, and the phone is faster still. This post is the longer view, written for the owner who wants to understand the process before deciding anything: where the wait comes from, how the shop stays open through it, and what moves the estimate.
Why the new pane takes days instead of hours
Replacement starts with exact measurements of the opening, the thickness of the existing glass, and any tint or coating on it, because the new pane has to arrive finished. The fabricator cuts it, tempers it, and delivers it, and nothing gets trimmed on site. Matching matters here too: a storefront pane that's noticeably greener or more reflective than its neighbors will bother you every morning, so the original gets identified before anything is ordered.
Clear tempered glass moves through that pipeline fastest. Laminated units, coated glass, and unusually large panes take longer. The supplier's schedule sets the date, and you'll have that date in writing before the order is placed, so the wait is a known quantity rather than an open question. Installation itself is the short part: the new pane goes into your existing aluminum frame, gets set and sealed, and the sealant cures on its own while you trade.
Staying open behind the plywood
A boarded storefront is an ordinary sight in this trade, and shops keep regular hours behind one all the time. The plywood gets cut to the opening and fastened so the building stays weathertight and secure, the door and everything behind it keep working, and a hand-lettered open-as-usual sign taped to the board does honest work for the days it's up.
If the glass breaks outside business hours, the board-up is the emergency half of the job and the replacement is the scheduled half. The commercial glass repair page covers how that split works for shops, restaurants, and offices across the metro.
Tempered, laminated, and what the code expects
Storefront glass sits where people walk, push, and occasionally collide, so building codes call for safety glazing in nearly every position a storefront pane occupies: in doors, beside doors, and in large panes that run close to the floor. Tempered glass is the standard answer. It's several times stronger than ordinary window glass, and when it does break it crumbles into small pebbles rather than long shards.
Laminated glass is the step up for an opening that's been broken more than once. Two sheets bonded to a clear interlayer mean a blow leaves the pane cracked but still filling the frame, so the building stays closed even after a hit. It costs more to fabricate and takes longer to arrive, and on certain doors and ground-level panes the trade is worth discussing when the estimate gets written.
What moves the estimate
Size does the most work. A bigger pane means more glass, more hands to set it, and in some cases equipment to lift it safely into the frame. The glass type comes next, since laminated and coated units cost more to produce than clear tempered. Then there's the condition of the aluminum frame: if it's straight and sound, the new glass goes into it as it stands, and if it's bent or racked it has to be squared up first, which adds work the glass alone wouldn't need.
Insurance often has a seat at this table for businesses, and what a claim wants from the glass side is simple: a written estimate with a clear scope of work. None of this requires guessing from the sidewalk. Measuring is free, and the number arrives in writing.
Where to start when it's your front window
For a break that needs attention today, start at the storefront glass repair page or go straight to the phone. For the wider picture of glass in commercial buildings, entries, interior glass, office fronts, the commercial glass repair page covers it. Either way the first step is the same: call (503) 887-8329, describe the opening, and the measuring visit gets worked around your store hours. Clear Works Glass, SE Portland. Free estimates. Oregon CCB #261682, bonded and insured.