How To Take Apart Old Double Hung Windows

Single-pane double-hung windows from the 19th century don't accept the best of reputations. They tin be notoriously drafty, full of rattles, loose in the joints, or can just decline to budge. But as a number of studies take shown, when these windows are properly weatherstripped and paired with practiced storm windows, they can match the performance of new double-pane units for much less than the new ones cost.

Painting contractor John Dee, whose refinishing skills are regularly seen in the pages of This Sometime House, recently turned the windows in an 1882 house back into shine operators—and increased their energy efficiency, to boot. Equally he shows on the following pages, it was simply a matter of methodically removing each sash from its opening, stripping off the one-time pigment and putty, and regluing the joints with epoxy. With new putty, paint, and weatherstripping, the sash are set to face the cold and last through the 21st century every bit expert as new.

Painting contractor John Dee reattaches the stops, the last footstep in his window restoration. "Before this, opening a window was a wrestling match," he says. "Now, they just glide up and down."

Pace 1

Get the Sash Out

Pry off or unscrew the stops (the moldings in front of the lower sash).

Pull out the lower sash, and have off the cords or chains on both sides.

Knot the cords to keep them from existence pulled into the weight pockets.

Remove the parting chaplet (the vertical strips holding the upper sash).

Pull out the upper sash, and take off its cords or bondage.

Remove the sash hardware and store in a labeled bag.

Step ii

Gratuitous the Glass

Soften one-time, hardened putty (glazing compound) with a heat gun fix to medium and fitted with a nozzle shield. Scrape the putty away with a putty knife. This exposes the metal glazier'southward points; pry them out of the woods. Remove the glass, and label information technology so you know which opening to put it back into.

Step three

Clean Out the Joints

Using a rotary tool such as a Dremel, grind away any soft or rotten woods wherever sash joints are loose or open.

Step iv

Apply the Epoxy

To rebuild the cleaned-out joints, kickoff castor on the epoxy primer and let it fix for about 20 minutes. Then, using a plastic scraper, mix the two parts of the epoxy filler into a goop the consistency of Vaseline. Forcefulness it into the joint, and spread the mix over the sides to restore the joint's original shape. Wait overnight, then trim the backlog with a utility knife.

Tip: Clamp pieces of Plexiglas over the wet epoxy. When information technology hardens, take the plastic off. You'll take a smooth surface that doesn't need much sanding.

Pace 5

Prime the Sash

Expect another day, until the epoxy is fully cured, then paw-sand the sash with 100-grit paper, and wipe up all the grit with a tack cloth. Seal the woods with a glaze of oil-based primer.

Tip: "Without a glaze of primer, the wood will suck the oils out of the putty and turn information technology brittle prematurely." —John Dee, painting contractor

Footstep 6

Bed the Glass

Lay the sash outside side up. Roll glazing compound into a long rope, betwixt your hands and press it into the groove, or rabbet, around the pane opening. Gently press the pane evenly into the compound until it's bedded about 1/16 inch from the bottom of the rabbet.

Stride vii

Insert the Points

Using a putty knife, slide each new glazier'due south signal on the glass and push it point first into the wood sash. Plant at least two points, evenly spaced, on each side of the pane. For big panes, the spacing between the points should non exceed 12 inches.

Tip: "On warm days, lubricate the tip of the putty knife with linseed oil so that it doesn't pull out the glazing compound." —John Dee

Step 8

Tool the Putty

Printing another rope of compound around the edge of the pane. Make a shine bevel between the glass and sash by pulling a putty pocketknife over the chemical compound. Repeat on the other panes. Wait at least a week, and so coat the putty with oil-based primer. Employ a elevation coat of acrylic latex paint to the putty and sash.

Footstep 9

Rehang the Sash

If the windows have erstwhile weatherstripping, replace it; if there isn't any, add together it. (See instructions for weatherstripping a window.) Clean and reattach the hardware; lubricate the pulley axles with a silicone or Teflon spray. Reattach the cords or chains to the upper sash, and reinstall the parting beads or replace them with new ones. Claw the cords or bondage to the lower sash, then put both stops back on the jamb to hold the restored sash in place.

Tip: Strip pigment-encrusted hardware past giving it an overnight dip in a warm Crock-Pot filled with sudsy water.

Source: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/windows/21016697/how-to-repair-sash-windows

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