How to Replace Sidelights on a Front Door | Ask This Old House

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva replaces a pair of sidelights on a front door with new, insulated ones. (See below for shopping list, tools, and steps.)

Shopping List for How to Replace Sidelights on a Front Door:
- Insulated-glass sidelights
- Acrylic-latex caulk, for weatherproofing the sidelights
- Exterior-grade primer and paint

Tools List for How to Replace Sidelights on a Front Door:
- Utility knife, for slicing through dried coats of paint
- Stiff-blade putty knife and flat bar, used to pry off stop beads
- Circular saw, for cutting new sidelights to length
- Hand plane, used to trim new sidelights to width
- Air compressor and pin nailer with 1-inch pins, for installing stop beads
- Caulk gun
- Paintbrush
 
Steps for How to Replace Sidelights on a Front Door:
1. From inside, use a utility knife to slice through the old paint along the outer edge of the stop beads, and in between the stop beads and sidelight sash.
2. Then, use a stiff-blade putty knife and flat bar to carefully pry the stop beads from around the sidelight sash.
3. Move outside and use the utility knife to cut through the paint bead around the exterior of the sidelight.
4. Use your fist to gently tap the wood frame of the sidelight to free it from the opening.
5. If your front door has two sidelights, repeat Steps 1 through 4 to remove the second sidelight.
6. Trim the new sidelights to fit the existing openings. Cut them to length with a circular saw, and trim them to width with a hand plane.
7. Brush a coat of exterior-grade primer onto all four edges of the sidelights.
8. Apply a continuous bead of acrylic-latex caulk around all four sides of one opening and press the sidelight into place.
9. Reinstall the original stop beads around the inside of the sidelight. Secure the stops with a pin nailer and 1-inch pins.
10. Repeat the previous two steps to install the second sidelight.
11. Prime and paint the inside and outside surfaces of both sidelights.

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Replace Sidelights on a Front Door | Ask This Old House

[douglaslippertindy]

Tommy has always seemed like a friend who has my best interests in mind. I've learned so much just by watching him over the years.

[SpookyMietz]

Hi there, you're really doing great jobs with these houses! I'm a Joiner/Carpenter from Germany and a lot of germans think that americans only do poor craftsmanship and have bad quality everywhere but you proof them wrong! Keep up with that great work and these nice videos. Cheers!

[sarojinidevithambapillai]

I love this old house hosts so knowledgeable every body can learn something thanks guys

[VideosbySteve]

Legend has it the sidelights are still unpainted to this day.

[dalesworld]

To be fair, there was so much paint buildup on those windows originally that there was zero air leaking in.

[MRrwmac]

Another question please? Could Tommy possibly do a video on re-squaring a front (or back) door that will not equally space in the frame and against weatherstripping due to many years of new house settling?

[siroccowind]

What if the frame around the perimeter of the side light is rotted out? Mine are that way at the bottoms on the insides near where it joins the door. You just replaced the pre-made sidelight into the existing frame. But usually that's rotted out also. I went to the local home improvement stores and they wanted huge amounts of money for sidelights. It's tempting to just make the frame around my existing sidelight glass which is fine.

[robertoler]

Tom is a master...but the strange thing is if you follow what he says to do...the projects always work out well.

[srcatlanta]

Nice job. Pretty simple but I would paint them completely first.

[Burps___]

Tommy, wouldn't it have been more efficient and a cleaner job to paint the entire sidelight before completely installing it? Thx

[sansar]

"Fits like a glove" as he says to the great Tommy Silva

[janetgray]

he said the job was a real pane! he cracks me up! bet he was framed!

[Neetabeeta]

What if you have individual windows in your side lights? My home was built in 1913. I want to replace the door and both side light panels…5 sides lights on each side. I’m looking at a single unit with door and side lights.

[asegarra]

Great work. Where can I buy a stock sidelight with half glass opening? I’m in need of replacing the sidelight because it’s rotting in the middle below the half window but I can’t find where to buy one so I can reuse the glass on ours.

[andrewep]

Can anyone assist where you can purchase these wooden sidelights? Having a very difficult time locating-

[hectorflt]

that type of sidelite is nowhere to be found. if anyone can point where to get it will appreciate it . seeking to do same replacement.

[monicamart]

Any recommendations on where to purchase a replacement side lite like this? I can’t find anywhere

[jimneustadt]

Why would you not prime and paint it BEFORE reinstalling?

[kenchall]

Tommy uses that nail gun like a wild west outlaw.

[ellyndeng]

Could you please let me know where can I purchase the sidelite