Emergency Boarding Up in London: Broken Openings Made Safe

Boarding up is the first of two visits, and its only job is to close the hole tonight. We attend across London at any hour, take out the loose and hanging glass, sweep and bag the debris, measure the opening, cut plywood on site to fit it properly and fix it so it cannot be pulled away, then make any damaged frame, hinge or lock secure. Photographs are taken before and after for your insurer, and we book the reglazing visit before we leave, once the correct glass has been ordered.

• Day-or-night response across Central London and out to the M25
• Broken glass cleared and disposed of safely
• Clean, cut-to-size plywood boards — not tarpaulin or hardboard
• Damaged frames and locks made secure the same visit
• Photos and invoicing suitable for insurance claims
• Return visit booked to reglaze once the pane is on order

Break-ins, football through the window, storm damage or a shattered shopfront — the priority overnight is that your property is closed up and secure. We'll come out fast, tidy up the mess and fit a proper board that will hold until we can put the new glass in.

Boarding up is a two-visit job by design: make-safe tonight, reglaze once the correct glass has been ordered and cut. We keep both visits with the same glazier so nothing gets lost between the crews.

Before we arrive, the useful things are simple. Keep children and pets in another room, leave the glass where it is rather than trying to lift the large pieces, and photograph the damage from a safe distance for your insurer. If the break is in a door, do not force the handle or the key, because a bent mechanism is easier to rescue before it has been worked. If a shop alarm is sounding into a residential street, tell us on the phone so we can prioritise the run.

What we can board varies with the opening, and we will say honestly on the phone what yours will look like afterwards. A domestic casement or a door panel takes a neat ply board screwed to the frame. A large shopfront pane often needs the opening battened first so the ply has something solid to bear on, and a stallriser or a hinged shutter can sometimes be reused instead. Where a fanlight or a communal stair window is broken, we secure it in a way that still lets people leave the building freely, which matters as much as keeping intruders out.

Boards are a short term measure, not a repair. Ply keeps weather and opportunists out for a few days comfortably, but it blocks daylight, sweats in cold weather and will start to soften if it is rained on for weeks. That is why the reglazing date is agreed at the make-safe visit rather than left open, and why we take the board away with us when the glass goes in.

How the repair works

1. 1. Call — we're on our way Phone Mark on 07535 916982 and we'll give you an honest ETA.
2. 2. Clear and board Glass cleared, opening measured, plywood cut on-site and fixed neatly.
3. 3. Return to reglaze Correct glass ordered (often toughened or laminated) and fitted within days.

Useful guides

• Emergency Board Up Service: What to Expect
• Calling an Emergency Glazier

Call Mark on 07535 916982 or request a callback.