Storefront Board-Up Service in Centennial, CO
A storefront board-up is a temporary closure over a broken glass opening. It secures the building, keeps weather out and holds the opening until replacement glass is made and installed. Call a commercial glazier rather than a general board-up crew when you can, because the same trade can cover the opening, measure it and start the replacement order. Take photos of the damage before anything gets covered.
What is a storefront board-up service?
A storefront board-up service closes a failed glass opening in an aluminum storefront, entrance or window wall so the space can be secured. The work usually includes making the area safe, removing loose or hanging glass, cleaning up fragments and installing a temporary panel. The panel is typically plywood or polycarbonate.
It is a stopgap. The permanent fix is new glass, and sometimes frame or hardware repair. A board-up that is built well protects the framing, so the replacement goes in without extra frame work. That is why the trade matters. Glaziers know how storefront glass sits in its framing, so they know where temporary fastening is safe and where it is not.
Board-up is one piece of the larger glass repair service work Element13 Facades handles for commercial properties in the Denver metro area.
When does a commercial property need a board-up?
The call usually comes after an event, and the opening cannot wait until the next business day. Common triggers:
- Vandalism or attempted break-ins that shatter glass at street level
- A vehicle strike on an entrance or storefront wall
- Hail or wind-borne debris that breaks lites
- Thermal stress cracks that have run across a pane
- A tempered lite that has fully shattered with no obvious impact
- A door lite broken during a delivery or by a tenant
- Glass that has shifted because the framing was damaged
The common factor is an open or unstable building envelope. Loose glass is a falling hazard. An open opening is a security gap and lets rain, snow and wind into the space. For a property manager, it is also a liability question until the opening is covered.
How fast can a glazier board up a broken storefront?
Response time depends on when the call comes in, how big the opening is and whether glass is still hanging. A single broken lite can be covered quickly once a crew is on site. A multi-lite opening, a damaged entrance or a second-story lite that needs a lift takes longer.
These factors move the timeline most:
- Time of day and day of week
- Number and size of broken lites
- Whether the glass is tempered and has fallen out, or laminated and still hanging in place
- Access: sidewalk, parking, lifts or scaffolding
- Whether the framing is bent and needs a different fastening approach
Ask for an arrival window when you call, and give the dispatcher the address, the number of broken openings and any hanging glass. Photos sent ahead help the crew bring the right sheet material and tools.
What does the board-up process involve?
The stages below describe how an emergency board-up commonly runs. Exact steps depend on the opening and the site.
Make safe
The first job is to protect people. That can mean cordoning off the sidewalk, removing glass that is cracked and loose, and clearing fragments from the opening and the floor inside. Tempered glass tends to dump in small pieces. Laminated glass often stays in the frame but is still compromised.
Document before covering
Photos of the opening, the broken glass, the frame and any surrounding damage support an insurance claim. They also give the glazier a record for ordering. A written note of the date, time and cause helps, especially for vandalism.
Measure for the replacement
A glazier can take measurements while the opening is exposed. Glass size, glazing pocket depth, the glass type already in place and the frame finish all affect the replacement order. Taking these at the same visit can save a second trip.
Secure the opening
Panels are cut to fit and fastened. Where the aluminum framing is bent or the glazing pocket is damaged, drilling into the frame can make the repair harder. Depending on the condition, panels may be held with furring strips or with methods that avoid screwing directly into the frame. Required exits and door operation also matter. A board-up should not leave an exit blocked.
Plywood or polycarbonate: which board-up material fits?
Both work. The choice depends on how long the opening stays covered, whether the tenant needs visibility and how the property wants to look.
For a long lead time on replacement glass, polycarbonate is worth asking about. A retail tenant that has to stay visible to customers usually gets more from it than from a sheet of plywood. For a short gap, plywood is the common choice.
How much does emergency commercial board-up cost?
Emergency board-up pricing depends on the job, so a number without the site details would be a guess. The main cost drivers are:
- Size of the opening and number of lites
- Material chosen: plywood or polycarbonate
- After-hours or weekend response
- Lift or scaffolding needs for elevated glass
- Framing damage that calls for furring or extra securing
- Cleanup volume
- Whether the board-up leads straight into permanent replacement
After-hours calls usually carry an emergency premium. Ask for the premium and the material cost to be itemized so your insurance carrier can see what was spent on mitigation.
Does commercial property insurance cover board-up?
Many commercial property policies treat board-up as a mitigation expense, meaning a cost to protect the building from further loss after a covered event. Coverage depends on the policy, the cause of loss and the deductible, so confirm with your carrier or broker.
Things that help the claim:
- Photos and a written description of the loss before the opening is covered
- An itemized invoice that separates board-up, glass removal and cleanup
- Notice to the carrier as soon as the opening is secure
- A check on whether a separate wind and hail deductible applies
- Police report numbers for vandalism or break-ins
Element13 is not an insurance adjuster and cannot say what your policy will pay. We can provide documentation that the carrier asks for.
Can I stay open during board-up and glass repair?
Often yes, if the work is phased and the broken opening is not the main entrance. A board-up on a side window may not interrupt trading at all. An entrance door is different because access, egress and accessibility requirements apply.
Options for occupied buildings include:
- Securing the affected opening and keeping other entrances open
- Scheduling permanent glass installation for early mornings or after hours
- Setting safety barriers around the work area
- Giving tenants notice of the work window
- Using polycarbonate where visibility or daylight matters
- Planning more carefully for healthcare tenants, where privacy and infection control can shape how the opening is enclosed
Tell the glazier what the tenant needs when you call. Decisions on phasing are easier to make before the crew starts.
How long until permanent storefront glass goes in?
The board-up buys time, but the replacement timeline depends on the glass. Stock sizes in common glass types can move faster than custom orders. Lead time drivers include:
- Stock size or custom size
- Tempered, laminated or insulated glass
- Low-E coatings and tints that must match adjacent lites
- Custom frame finishes such as anodized or painted aluminum
- Fabrication and heat-soaking steps for tempered glass
- Frame or hardware repair that must come first
Insulated glass units, which carry a spacer, desiccant and sealed airspace, take more lead time than single-pane glass. If the failed lite is an insulated unit, see our IGU replacement service for what that involves. Once the glass is ready, storefront glass repair covers the permanent installation, along with door closers, hinges, locks and weatherstripping if they were damaged.
Why did my storefront glass crack with nothing hitting it?
Spontaneous cracking usually traces to stress in the glass, not to an impact you missed. Common causes are thermal stress, edge damage from installation or handling, building movement and, in tempered glass, nickel sulfide inclusions. Thermal stress happens when part of a lite is hot or cold while the rest is not, for example from a shaded area next to a sun-heated one.
The pattern of the break helps point to the cause. Cracks that start at the edge often indicate edge damage or thermal stress. A tempered lite that fails all at once with no obvious impact can indicate an inclusion, although that needs a closer look. Knowing the cause matters for the replacement spec and for any warranty or insurance question. Our broken commercial glass repair page goes through breakage modes and what replacement involves.
Why Element13 Facades for storefront board-up
Element13 is a commercial glazier. We do not split attention with residential work, so the people answering a board-up call are working on commercial storefronts, entrances and curtain walls.
What backs that up:
- NACC Master-Certified glaziers on the team
- Union-trained craftsmanship, and we are a signatory to Glaziers Union Denver
- In-house fabrication and assembly, which can reduce handoffs between the temporary closure and the permanent unit
- In-house air and water testing and diagnostic testing for cases where the cause of failure is unclear
- Warranty-phase rescue experience for recently built projects where glass or framing has failed
- A leadership team with more than 40 years of combined experience
- Zero major safety incidents
- DBE, EBE and WMBE certifications, with EBE certified by the City and County of Denver, which matters for projects with supplier diversity requirements
Our communication style is proactive. If the measurements show frame damage that will change the replacement scope, we tell the property manager or general contractor early so the schedule can be adjusted.
We work from Centennial and serve Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Thornton, Parker, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Greeley.
Related services
Board-up is one stage in an emergency glass response. The next stage depends on what failed:
- Storefront glass repair for permanent replacement and frame work
- Broken commercial glass repair for lites that failed from impact, thermal stress or other causes
- IGU replacement for insulated units with broken glass or failed seals
- Emergency glass repair for urgent calls beyond the opening itself
The full set of services sits under our glass repair service hub.
A storefront board-up is a temporary closure over a broken glass opening. It secures the building, keeps weather out and holds the opening until replacement glass is made and installed. Call a commercial glazier rather than a general board-up crew when you can, because the same trade can cover the opening, measure it and start the replacement order. Take photos of the damage before anything gets covered.
What is a storefront board-up service?
A storefront board-up service closes a failed glass opening in an aluminum storefront, entrance or window wall so the space can be secured. The work usually includes making the area safe, removing loose or hanging glass, cleaning up fragments and installing a temporary panel. The panel is typically plywood or polycarbonate.
It is a stopgap. The permanent fix is new glass, and sometimes frame or hardware repair. A board-up that is built well protects the framing, so the replacement goes in without extra frame work. That is why the trade matters. Glaziers know how storefront glass sits in its framing, so they know where temporary fastening is safe and where it is not.
Board-up is one piece of the larger glass repair service work Element13 Facades handles for commercial properties in the Denver metro area.
When does a commercial property need a board-up?
The call usually comes after an event, and the opening cannot wait until the next business day. Common triggers:
- Vandalism or attempted break-ins that shatter glass at street level
- A vehicle strike on an entrance or storefront wall
- Hail or wind-borne debris that breaks lites
- Thermal stress cracks that have run across a pane
- A tempered lite that has fully shattered with no obvious impact
- A door lite broken during a delivery or by a tenant
- Glass that has shifted because the framing was damaged
The common factor is an open or unstable building envelope. Loose glass is a falling hazard. An open opening is a security gap and lets rain, snow and wind into the space. For a property manager, it is also a liability question until the opening is covered.
How fast can a glazier board up a broken storefront?
Response time depends on when the call comes in, how big the opening is and whether glass is still hanging. A single broken lite can be covered quickly once a crew is on site. A multi-lite opening, a damaged entrance or a second-story lite that needs a lift takes longer.
These factors move the timeline most:
- Time of day and day of week
- Number and size of broken lites
- Whether the glass is tempered and has fallen out, or laminated and still hanging in place
- Access: sidewalk, parking, lifts or scaffolding
- Whether the framing is bent and needs a different fastening approach
Ask for an arrival window when you call, and give the dispatcher the address, the number of broken openings and any hanging glass. Photos sent ahead help the crew bring the right sheet material and tools.
What does the board-up process involve?
The stages below describe how an emergency board-up commonly runs. Exact steps depend on the opening and the site.
Make safe
The first job is to protect people. That can mean cordoning off the sidewalk, removing glass that is cracked and loose, and clearing fragments from the opening and the floor inside. Tempered glass tends to dump in small pieces. Laminated glass often stays in the frame but is still compromised.
Document before covering
Photos of the opening, the broken glass, the frame and any surrounding damage support an insurance claim. They also give the glazier a record for ordering. A written note of the date, time and cause helps, especially for vandalism.
Measure for the replacement
A glazier can take measurements while the opening is exposed. Glass size, glazing pocket depth, the glass type already in place and the frame finish all affect the replacement order. Taking these at the same visit can save a second trip.
Secure the opening
Panels are cut to fit and fastened. Where the aluminum framing is bent or the glazing pocket is damaged, drilling into the frame can make the repair harder. Depending on the condition, panels may be held with furring strips or with methods that avoid screwing directly into the frame. Required exits and door operation also matter. A board-up should not leave an exit blocked.
Plywood or polycarbonate: which board-up material fits?
Both work. The choice depends on how long the opening stays covered, whether the tenant needs visibility and how the property wants to look.
For a long lead time on replacement glass, polycarbonate is worth asking about. A retail tenant that has to stay visible to customers usually gets more from it than from a sheet of plywood. For a short gap, plywood is the common choice.
How much does emergency commercial board-up cost?
Emergency board-up pricing depends on the job, so a number without the site details would be a guess. The main cost drivers are:
- Size of the opening and number of lites
- Material chosen: plywood or polycarbonate
- After-hours or weekend response
- Lift or scaffolding needs for elevated glass
- Framing damage that calls for furring or extra securing
- Cleanup volume
- Whether the board-up leads straight into permanent replacement
After-hours calls usually carry an emergency premium. Ask for the premium and the material cost to be itemized so your insurance carrier can see what was spent on mitigation.
Does commercial property insurance cover board-up?
Many commercial property policies treat board-up as a mitigation expense, meaning a cost to protect the building from further loss after a covered event. Coverage depends on the policy, the cause of loss and the deductible, so confirm with your carrier or broker.
Things that help the claim:
- Photos and a written description of the loss before the opening is covered
- An itemized invoice that separates board-up, glass removal and cleanup
- Notice to the carrier as soon as the opening is secure
- A check on whether a separate wind and hail deductible applies
- Police report numbers for vandalism or break-ins
Element13 is not an insurance adjuster and cannot say what your policy will pay. We can provide documentation that the carrier asks for.
Can I stay open during board-up and glass repair?
Often yes, if the work is phased and the broken opening is not the main entrance. A board-up on a side window may not interrupt trading at all. An entrance door is different because access, egress and accessibility requirements apply.
Options for occupied buildings include:
- Securing the affected opening and keeping other entrances open
- Scheduling permanent glass installation for early mornings or after hours
- Setting safety barriers around the work area
- Giving tenants notice of the work window
- Using polycarbonate where visibility or daylight matters
- Planning more carefully for healthcare tenants, where privacy and infection control can shape how the opening is enclosed
Tell the glazier what the tenant needs when you call. Decisions on phasing are easier to make before the crew starts.
How long until permanent storefront glass goes in?
The board-up buys time, but the replacement timeline depends on the glass. Stock sizes in common glass types can move faster than custom orders. Lead time drivers include:
- Stock size or custom size
- Tempered, laminated or insulated glass
- Low-E coatings and tints that must match adjacent lites
- Custom frame finishes such as anodized or painted aluminum
- Fabrication and heat-soaking steps for tempered glass
- Frame or hardware repair that must come first
Insulated glass units, which carry a spacer, desiccant and sealed airspace, take more lead time than single-pane glass. If the failed lite is an insulated unit, see our IGU replacement service for what that involves. Once the glass is ready, storefront glass repair covers the permanent installation, along with door closers, hinges, locks and weatherstripping if they were damaged.
Why did my storefront glass crack with nothing hitting it?
Spontaneous cracking usually traces to stress in the glass, not to an impact you missed. Common causes are thermal stress, edge damage from installation or handling, building movement and, in tempered glass, nickel sulfide inclusions. Thermal stress happens when part of a lite is hot or cold while the rest is not, for example from a shaded area next to a sun-heated one.
The pattern of the break helps point to the cause. Cracks that start at the edge often indicate edge damage or thermal stress. A tempered lite that fails all at once with no obvious impact can indicate an inclusion, although that needs a closer look. Knowing the cause matters for the replacement spec and for any warranty or insurance question. Our broken commercial glass repair page goes through breakage modes and what replacement involves.
Why Element13 Facades for storefront board-up
Element13 is a commercial glazier. We do not split attention with residential work, so the people answering a board-up call are working on commercial storefronts, entrances and curtain walls.
What backs that up:
- NACC Master-Certified glaziers on the team
- Union-trained craftsmanship, and we are a signatory to Glaziers Union Denver
- In-house fabrication and assembly, which can reduce handoffs between the temporary closure and the permanent unit
- In-house air and water testing and diagnostic testing for cases where the cause of failure is unclear
- Warranty-phase rescue experience for recently built projects where glass or framing has failed
- A leadership team with more than 40 years of combined experience
- Zero major safety incidents
- DBE, EBE and WMBE certifications, with EBE certified by the City and County of Denver, which matters for projects with supplier diversity requirements
Our communication style is proactive. If the measurements show frame damage that will change the replacement scope, we tell the property manager or general contractor early so the schedule can be adjusted.
We work from Centennial and serve Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Thornton, Parker, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Greeley.
Related services
Board-up is one stage in an emergency glass response. The next stage depends on what failed:
- Storefront glass repair for permanent replacement and frame work
- Broken commercial glass repair for lites that failed from impact, thermal stress or other causes
- IGU replacement for insulated units with broken glass or failed seals
- Emergency glass repair for urgent calls beyond the opening itself
The full set of services sits under our glass repair service hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
It should not. Where framing is intact, panels can be secured in ways that limit damage. Where the aluminum is bent or the glazing pocket is damaged, furring or no-screw-to-frame methods may be used so the frame is not drilled and weakened.
A glazier can board the opening and also measure and order the replacement glass. That can shorten the gap between the emergency and the permanent repair. If the damage includes structural or interior issues beyond the glass opening, other trades may be needed too.
That depends on the material, the weather and how long replacement glass takes. Plywood suits short gaps. Polycarbonate can suit longer waits. Ask the glazier for the expected lead time on the permanent glass so you can choose accordingly.
It can, but egress and access matter more. A door lite may be covered while the door stays operable, or the door may need to be secured and another entrance used. The right choice depends on the door type and the building's exit requirements.
Keep people away from the opening and the sidewalk beneath it. Photograph the damage from several angles. Note the time and what you know about the cause. If it was a break-in or vandalism, file the police report and keep the number.
Yes. Laminated security glass, security film and impact-resistant glazing are options. Which fits depends on the framing, the glass currently installed and what the building is trying to protect against.
When Glass Door Problems Can't Wait Contact Element13
Your building's glass front entrance doors handle hundreds of entries daily. When they fail, have cracked glass, broken closers, or hardware that won't engage, it's not just inconvenient, it's a security risk. Property managers and general contractors know that entrance problems reflect poorly on the entire building and create liability concerns.
