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Shopfront boarding for smashed shop windows
A broken shop window puts stock, staff and passers-by at risk. We clear the glass, brace the opening with timber and board it so you can lock up.
- Open 24 hours, every day
- Homes and businesses
- Fully insured
- Photos for your insurer
What shopfront boarding is and when it is needed
Shopfront boarding closes a shop window or glazed entrance after the glass has been smashed. Because the panes are large, the opening is braced with timber battens and covered with several boards.
It is used after break-ins, vandalism, vehicle impacts and storm damage. Shops, cafes, salons, offices and showrooms all face the same problem when the front glass goes, which is that the premises cannot be left. Boarding lets you lock the door and go home.
Boards are only there until the glass is replaced. Our shopfront glass replacement service measures the opening on the boarding visit, so the new pane can be ordered without a second survey. If thieves got in, burglary repairs cover the doors, frames and locks they damaged.
Smaller openings at the same premises, such as a back door or a rear window, are handled on the same visit through door boarding and window boarding.
What happens at the shopfront
- The pavement is cleared of broken glass
- Remaining glass is taken out of the frame
- Timber battens brace the opening
- Boards are fixed across the full width
Ask for a shopfront boarding quote
Send a picture of the whole shopfront and tell us roughly how wide it is. We price it before work begins.
Prefer to talk? Call 0808 135 0137.
What shopfront boarding includes
Bracing the opening
- Hanging glass taken down safely
- Timber battens fixed across the opening
- Uprights added where the span is wide
- Boards cut on site to the shopfront
- Full height and full width panes
- Corner and return windows
- Glazed shop doors and side panels
- Top lights above the door and window
Clearing up and handing over
- Pavement and doorway swept of glass
- Glass cleared from the window display
- All broken glass taken away
- Fixings placed where they are hard to reach
- Shop door left working where undamaged
- Opening measured for replacement glass
- Photos of the damage and the boarding
- An itemised invoice for your insurer
What shopfront boarding costs
Shopfronts vary too much for a fixed price list. Four things shape the quote we send you.
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Width and height
A wide frontage needs more sheets, more battens and more time than a single display window. -
Doors and side panels
A smashed entrance door or side panel is boarded as well as the main pane. -
Glass above head height
Tall shopfronts and high top lights need extra access equipment. -
Timing
Tell us if the shop must be secured tonight or before opening tomorrow.
Send a photo of the shopfront for a boarding quote
How shopfront boarding works
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Send a photo of the frontage
Stand back, get the whole shopfront in the picture and send it with the postcode. -
Approve the quote
We give a price and a time. The owner or keyholder confirms before we travel. -
The shopfront is boarded
Glass is cleared, battens go in and boards are fixed across the opening. -
Glass is measured up
Sizes for the new pane are taken before we leave, so it can be ordered if you ask us to.
Why use us for shopfront boarding
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Calls taken through the night
Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, every day, bank holidays included. -
Built for big openings
Battens and sheet timber are cut at your premises to suit the frontage. -
New glass from us too
Once the pane is made, the team that boarded the shop returns to fit it. -
Insured for commercial work
We are fully insured and work on business premises as well as homes.
Before and after: what our shopfront boarding looks like
Trading while the shopfront is boarded
Many shops want to open the next day with the boards still up. If the entrance door is undamaged, we aim to leave it clear so staff and customers can come and go. Tell us on the phone that you plan to keep trading.
If the door itself was smashed, the answer depends on the door and the frame. Send us a photo and we will tell you whether it can be boarded in a way that still lets it open.
Tell your insurer about the damage early and ask what your policy covers. The photos and itemised invoice we provide are there to support the claim.
Related boarding and glazing services
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Emergency boarding up
Broken windows and doors made secure, day or night. -
Shopfront glass replacement
New shopfront glass made to size and fitted. -
Window boarding
Timber boards fixed over any size of window. -
Door boarding
Damaged doors and frames boarded and locked up. -
Burglary repairs
Forced doors, frames and windows put right. -
Vacant property boarding
Empty buildings boarded against break-ins.
We also work for landlords and letting agents, facilities managers, schools and pubs and restaurants. Useful guides: what boarding up involves and how long it can stay and does insurance cover a broken window, or see all guides.
Shopfront boarding questions
Can you board a whole shopfront in one visit?
That is how the job is planned. The opening is braced with battens and then covered with boards cut on site, so a wide frontage is closed before we leave.
Can my shop stay open with boards up?
Usually, if the entrance door still works. We keep the door clear where we can. If the door is damaged too, send a photo and we will explain the options.
Who clears the glass from the pavement?
We do. Broken glass is swept from the pavement, the doorway and the window display, then taken away with us.
Can a keyholder meet you instead of the owner?
Yes. Someone needs to let us in and agree the price, and that can be a manager, a keyholder or a managing agent.
How long do the boards stay up?
Until the new glass is fitted. Shopfront glass is made to size, so the boards stay in place while it is being produced.
How much does shopfront boarding cost?
The price depends on the width and height of the frontage, whether doors are involved and when you need it done. We quote from a photo and a postcode before starting.
Need a shopfront boarded now
Send a photo of the frontage and the postcode. We will quote and tell you when we can get there.