Caring for Historic Wood Windows

​

Common conditions needing remedies:

​

• Pulleys are painted and/or rusted

• Rotted wood sills or rails

• Loose window putty/broken glass

• Missing hardware

 

Solutions:

​

• Use putty knives, pizza cutters and prybars along stops and rails to free up windows
• Use LiquidWood to fill in holes and rotted sills
• Remove old window glazing putty with a heat gun, or if dried out, carefully chip out, then replace with DAP® ‘33’® Glazing
• Missing hardware can often be found online and at resale and antique shops
• For air infiltration, be sure your windows are adjusted properly in their frame, weather strip, and use sash locks
• Clean your painted hardware easily by putting it in a crock pot!

 

Tools needed for reglazing:

​

• 1" to 1 1/2” putty knife (for tooling putty)

• 5-in-1 painter’s tool (to scrape out old putty)

• Heat gun (for softening old putty)

• 1” paintbrush (for priming sash)

• DAP® ‘33’® Glazing

• Glazier’s points

• Exterior primer

 

Steps for reglazing:

​

1. Soften glazing and remove

2. Examine wood for damage

3. Make any necessary repairs with wood epoxy

4. If replacing glass, measure wood-to-wood opening and subtract 1/8”

5. Lay down a thin layer of glazing compound, insert glass, and push points in

6. Roll putty in hands and make a breadstick or snake

7. Press putty into the glass

8. Run the knife at an angle to smooth it off

9. Wait a week for curing process

10. Use a high-quality oil-based primer

11. Lap primer over the putty and onto the glass at least 1/16”to create a seal

 

Exterior painting of windows:

​

• This should be done every 5-8 years
• Exterior painting prevents moisture penetration
• Paint on a dry, cloudy day with mild temperatures

 

To remove old paint:

​

• Scrape surface

• Lightly sand

• Clean with mineral spirits

• Treat raw wood with 2 parts boiled linseed oil and 1 part turpentine

• Prime with alkyd primer

• Use an oil-based, or alkyd finish paint

 

Don’t paint your limestone!

 

Window Campaign

​

Recognizing that many original bungalow windows are near a century old and often in need of repairs, CBA started the Window Campaign to help simplify the identification of typical window issues, offer resources and tools for their repair, and provide direct access to qualified window specialists.