How to Straighten a Window | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shims a window that has fallen out of parallel due to improper installation.
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Time: 3-4 hours
Cost: $20
Skill Level: Moderate
Tools List for Straightening a Window:
Utility knife
Pry bar
Nail gun
Shopping List:
Shims
Nails
Window and Door Expanding Foam insulation
Wood glue
Steps:
• Use a utility knife to score the window casing from the wall and from the jamb.
• Carefully pry the casing away from the wall.
• Cut a small amount of the wallboard with the utility knife to see the rough opening.
• Place shims in the gap between the window and the rough opening. Repeat this process on their other side of the window until the window becomes parallel again.
• Check the window for parallel by measuring the width of the window at the top, middle, and bottom. If the measurements aren’t equal, adjust the shims accordingly.
• Nail the window and the shims to the rough opening using a nail gun.
• Cut the excess from the shims off with a utility knife.
• Fill the gap between the window and the rough opening with spray foam insulation designed for windows and doors.
• Reattach the casing with wood glue and the nail gun.
Resources:
The materials Tom used to fix the window gap, including shims, the hammer, and the utility knife, can be found at home centers.
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 Straighten a Window | Ask This Old House
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[@fakeascanbe423]

Classic ending. Tommy thanks the guy for his nonexistent help and just walks away. Nice power move Tommy!

[@kingmusic8133]

Yea that was kind of disrespectful lol

[@luckyvet]

He passed him a shim. If he's a millennial, he'll probably call it a day.

[@Nathaniel_Peterson]

What are you talking about? He removed the curtains. I bet he's exhausted.

[@NobleNobbler]

@@kingmusic8133 It was awesomes

[@whyisblue923taken]

It's his house.

[@thirdeye7611]

Tom is such an unassuming, master craftsman. Thank you Tom. You make any job seem easy. After years of paying people that don't know what they're doing, I now follow them around on the job and teach them or just watch Tom and do it myself. The "dumb blond" that woke up, here.

[@AStanton1966]

I hired a contractor to replace a window that had rotted away because the original window had no aluminum drip cap above it. Do you know that when the contractor was about to put the replacement window in, he also had no drip cap and told me that it wasn't important. I said, Wait a minute." I drove to the local lumber yard and returned with one. I think the drip cap cost about a whopping $1.65.

[@verdatum]

Gaaaah, I had this problem in a previous house and it drove me nuts. Good stuff.

[@mammothfilms]

Great video. I wish we got to see a window that wasn’t quite level or plum on the first try and the steps needed to rectify it.

[@jamesklein7997]

Useless TV. My window is level, plumb, but not square... Diagonals are at .5" difference. What now?! These are NOT DIY shows. They are "Look at me! I'm a carpenter"

[@pawelgatorade]

I really like his hammer skills

[@WoodStoveEnthusiast]

I do like the Lego space shirt! SACCCEEEEEEE!

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

I have this problem with more than a few of my Pella vinyl windows but it only seems to affect the top sashes, not the bottom. You can see where there is air leakage as the "felt" weather stripping is not white anymore but is dark in the same spots where you can feel a draft. Windows are about 8 years old and I would say that I first "noticed" this issue about two years ago. Is this due to the contractor installing the windows incorrectly or other causes that developed throughout the past 8 years?

[@8BitNaptime]

Same boat as you, different brand. I feel this type of double hung guillotine windows are the lowest quality junk that are used for contractors to save money. And poor installation doesn't help.

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

@@8BitNaptime I should have updated. I contacted Pella before the 10 year warranty expired in June of 2019. They sent someone from Pella to verify the issue and he verified that installation was true and square. So they mailed me 15 "enhanced weather-stripping" kits that I installed in September of 2020 over the course of a few days which consisted of a variety of stick on felt and foam gaskets to add in certain places. This seems to have cured the issue, no more air leakage. Anyway, rubber window seals and gaskets are far superior to these felt gaskets as far as I can tell. Installation took about 20-30 minutes per window for a total of probably about 7 hours to install on all 15 windows. I did this myself as Pella said only parts were warrantied but not labor. I'm gracious that I contacted Pella before the 10 year warranty expired and also for Pella sending me the kits. PS - the glass warranty is for 15 or 20 years I believe, hardware is 10 years.

[@timtrainage]

Who could have possibly 'disliked' this video?

[@saulgoodman2018]

Contractors who don't want you to know their trade secrets.

[@MarioCasco0]

Can this be done with a Double Hung window where respective sashes aren't "meeting" the top jamb nor the sill properly when closed? Side jambs are parallel, window runs well, but top jamb and bottom sill aren't level; so, when closed a gap is left on one side (i.e. where the sash meets the sill). Can an installed window be shimmed on the horizontal plane as opposed to the vertical as Tommy did? Thanks for replying, I've been trying to solve this problems for a while now.

[@RufflesMcGee]

Did you ever find the solution to your problem? I have the same problem I just don't know how to fix it.

[@mrswolls]

I always wonder where tommy goes after. Does he just keep walking to the next house?

[@whyisblue923taken]

lol They probably have ads to fix a small problem in a house as a demonstration for the show and hit up two or three houses for the day.

[@aliinarousu]

😂😂😂

[@YellowDogWelding]

Waiting for the real experts to show up in the comment section!!

[@electricianron_New_Jersey]

LOL

[@Engineer9736]

You’re a comment section expert i see.

[@YellowDogWelding]

Et tu Richard.

[@cup_and_cone]

Expert reporting in. They forgot the other window that probably has an identical problem.

[@Tablesaw818]

diver dave Couldn’t agree more. Nothing is more accurate than a plumb bob.

[@damianogaeta3750]

Well done !

[@jerrywooton2043]

Most windows have a set screw in the track that have small flat screwdriver slot u can use them to keep the window from bowing

[@Tiswas2010]

Are the majority of houses in the US wooden framed?

[@GK5_]

What year was this filmed? The guy in blue dressed like someone from early 2000's but the video quality is top notch

[@joerivera9106]

Brad Howard i thought the person in blue was a kid

[@joerivera9106]

@Tom G lol. No doubt

[@FriggOff361]

@Tom T i thaught the same thing

[@mrswolls]

Lol he's in his 2001 summer gear

[@sbiggs10]

what about checking the diagonals being level alone the top and sides should be as well

[@AStanton1966]

Good luck changing that after a window is in.

[@jeremyprovonsil7886]

@@AStanton1966 Exactly. To go as far as checking diagonals for square you’re basically at the point of full removal and re-install with a lot of paint and patchwork afterwards. I agree that’s the right way to call it good, but sometimes you have to weigh out time & money vs diminishing returns. Tommy parallelized the sashes and equalized the reveals making this as about as good as it gets being 95% installed already.

[@muskaos]

Old school Lego Space Tee shirt! :D

[@greenbuoy40]

Is there a way to straighten the inside glass muntins? New house and they have some that are crooked

[@TheAnetmusik]

Thank you! Thank you!!!!😀

[@rickyrick9328]

How to straighten a window - Hire Tom.

[@florascent9ts]

i've always loved the acting in these it can be so awks especially with tommy

[@umpokitomaurice6780]

Mr. Silva, you should make a video on how to choose a level at the store, because half of the levels in sale are off!

[@iLikeC00kieDough]

Umpokito Maurice what do you mean “off”? Like the level isn’t flat? Because a level is a level; the bubble won’t lie.

[@2aminitials]

Put the level on the shelf and see what the vial reads. Turn the level end for end and see if the same vial you just read reads like your first reading. If so the level is accurate. Plumb can be checked about the same way except you flip the level edge to edge.

[@akashdeepsingh-qc9sh]

Happy new year ur always doing it the right way keep it up

[@azizbah555]

Very good job

[@BlackSwan912]

Isn’t gluing those miters going to bring grief to the next person who has to disassemble this? Like in 15 years when the window needs to be replaced? Any vinyl window has a lifespan of 15-20 years tops.

[@mikejustice1196]

FYI Roofing nails are worthless for brick ties. When you bend them over the heads break off

[@MOONRAK3R23]

Haha Classic Space LEGO shirt, sweeet

[@mrkattm]

You might as well used framing nails when you put that window trim back on, were they big enough.

[@fettyguapo]

Michael Katt framing nails on trim? Lol relax bud

[@conqwiztadore2213]

This guy is a carpentry God...

[@AdamAarts]

Wondering how to do this if you don't have window trim like that. My window is just drywall.

[@blairybums]

If your window is drywall, then you have a wall not a window. The good news is it shouldn’t be draughty

[@wabashstudio]

Whats "draughty"?

[@gieslebt]

Add trim! ;)

[@cochbob]

wabash Daughtry is a singer

[@gieslebt]

wabash probably an autocorrect from drafty?

[@yongminhuh146]

Sometimes needs to use nails, sometimes needs to use screws. Can you tell me when to use them?

[@LateBoomer1964]

Nails for cosmetic and screws for strength. Trim gets nailed studs get screwed. Hope this clears it up for you.

[@veronicabe1961]

Do you know how to get into a locked window with this type of lock same as the one in the video, and and side slide lock. and the burglars get in with no problem. do you know they can rock it out of frame or the clips on the screen have big holes in it, without hiding anything from me. help? does anybody knows? he ought to be a lock smith instead of hitting someone like me for a living. thanks so much for your help!!

[@gangisspawn1]

How do you have a house? You sound insane.

[@chrstphrdyer]

Nice LEGO shirt

[@jonathanguadarrama3886]

This old House can you help me put some wall plugs or wall socket

[@mr.average2115]

Any idea how this would be done with a recessed window? My window has a gap that needs shimmed but the window is recessed into the wall 5”. Can I still remove the trim and do it like this or is this an outside the house job?

[@1806StoneHouse]

Great video.. we’re renovating an old stone house and the windows are a little out of square.. not bad for a 211 year old house. Haha

[@oldhandyluke]

What ever you do don't replace the original windows

[@1806StoneHouse]

I can fix that lol, we feel the same way.. the stained glass windows are beautiful! Thanks

[@phyllisargennia899]

1806StoneHouse 0

[@donready5259]

Did he say “thanks for your help” or “thanks for no help”?

[@gangisspawn1]

Thanks for no help

[@japan-e9j]

Beautiful

[@eliseoaguilar6337]

Chingon tom silva

[@hyperuben]

Si awebo!

[@vinylsoup]

it's important to make sure the two sashes meet up horizontally where the latch is . Windows are not always built square and door units rarely built square. You have to compensate for the sloppy workmanship....

[@killerdonkey5750]

I would end up sticking the hammer through the window by mistake.

[@alarikaguilar7543]

Goodbyes at the end seemed a touch awkward. Both seemed like they hesitated for a handshake.

[@RoxStar1968]

Are we really going to pretend to not notice that the homeowner’s shirt is eerily similar to Chuckie’s from the Rugrats?

[@donc-m4900]

I'm going to be seen by hundreds of thousand people, what should I wear? Something that makes me look like a minor.

[@maxpower2511]

I do not think the homeowner even knows what a screw driver is

[@diamondback2085]

Aaaaaaaaaand im in the position of fixing a bad install for a client. This vid got closest but holy crap dont leave thos to later.

[@mr.wizeguy8995]

We have similar windows in kids playground houses.

[@cillyede]

German windows - nothing else!

[@jeandollar3595]

Homeowner looks like the biggest tool around

[@samsngdevice5103]

All that hammering next to glass has me worried

[@Marc-iw4gw]

Nails...😱 Why not using screws!?

[@LateBoomer1964]

Trim is highly visible, and screws would just shred the shims. Nails are thinner so they provide the hold needed without damaging the shims.

[@stephenirwin2761]

Nice! First show us how to install a new window properly and then how to fix one that wasn’t.

[@askurmom1]

I love 2 things... 1) he is more red than any drunk I have ever been on a site with. I know the signs. 2) these guys know almost everything, rarely do they "call in a expert," and when they do they showboat like they didn't need them. Otherwise, I love the show.

[@ozziesheppard17]

I was just waiting for him to miss the nail and hit the glass with the hammer.

[@user-bw5xf3yr3m]

You will be waiting a long time cause this man is a master with tools

[@thomasfrye313]

This home owner lives at his mom's house....

[@boxsterman77]

Clearly this is a McMansion--demonstrated both by the absurd dimensions and the poor craftsmanship. Tom appreciates old style craftsmanship and usually never fails to mention these characteristics when visiting other homes. In this case he said "Wow, that's quite an opening (perhaps a bit ostentatious?)" and "Wow. Big room." It's very telling what he omitted.

[@Engineer9736]

Why hang up the curtains when you still have to fix all the nail holes and paint it all again.

[@augustreil]

A couple holes. Just fill with Spackle and you're good to go !

[@Engineer9736]

august Of course.. But you don’t want spackle in your curtains. Nor paint.

[@ProfEngywook]

They do these very quickly, obviously. Probably without much notice on materials.

[@gfriedman99]

So your neighbors cant watch you frolicking with panties on

[@iPickBadUsrnames]

You don’t have to fix the holes if the curtains cover them. Come on Richard! You know that!

[@sdolman79]

Hope Tommy left him a big bill, home owner doesn't look short of a few bucks

[@mikejustice1196]

👍

[@1971mav]

Do you really need hearing protection to fire a few nails?

[@skiprope536]

Six months and crappy furnishings. House is to big for you pocket!

[@johnhelton457]

Woodglut comes with very useful plans with all the details you need.

[@briancampbell1101]

You don't know anything about old vertical crank windows with window frame sanding bend uper hinge babe someone tried to break in how to fix

[@jonathanguadarrama3886]

Please

[@montanaspring7176]

psh

[@patricklong2008]

Ohhb my fuckin God is the sunlight gonna come in crooked?

[@newsunalliance]

Lol this old timer is using nails and a hammer. An impact drill and screws would be a lot better.

[@shandy3025]

I was first 0 0 0

[@saulgoodman2018]

Really? Less then a dollar fix. And contractors will charge hundreds of dollars.

[@saulgoodman2018]

It was sarcasm.

[@gieslebt]

Time isn't free! But this is a great DIY to save yourself a lot of money.

[@saulgoodman2018]

People still don't understand sarcasm.

[@Jojobizzare80]

j people are retards

[@hyperuben]

@@saulgoodman2018 Bullshit, admit you overlooked all the things explained to you by brianohbrian burns, you're not fooling anyone!

[@s1dest3p]

man these videos are weird and the Northern accent is so annoying!