Fastening Glass into Cabinet Doors

Cabinetmakers share tips and tricks. July 9, 2005

Question
I am wondering what some people’s preferred method of attaching wood stops are for retaining glass in door frames? I usually prefer the plastic retaining strips, but I outsourced some doors and they came with wood stops. Shooting nails close to the glass scares me. Is there a better way?

Also, the doors are arched top, but the back pocket for the glass was cut out square at the top. This would normally be good, but I'm using beveled glass, so the glass needs to have the same shape as the opening. Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with the top retainer? Right now I have six doors like this for a project, and I just want to figure out the best way to use them.

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor R:
What are the dimensions of the stop? I routinely nail stops 5/16" high with headless micro pins.

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From contributor J:
I use 1/4" quarter round, and if I don't nail, I will glue the stops in with clear silicone.

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From contributor D:
I went to my tool shop to buy a Senco micro pinner, but I ended up going with a Grex pinner instead, and it’s worked great.

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From contributor H:
Why use any stops at all? GE II Silicone is the way to go. If you are decent with a caulking gun, you can lay down a 3/16 bead that looks pretty good. The glass will not rattle as with wood stops, and it also adds the feature of keeping the glass in place if it accidentally breaks.