Sash Windows Restoration Part 1 "Don't Trash the Sash"

Trades - Restorative Carpentry
Restoring Sash Windows with Jim Sear
Part 1, What's Gone Wrong?
↓↓↓ Scroll down for more info ↓↓↓ Links ↓↓↓ Etc. ↓↓↓
I join professional carpenter, Jim Sear, to take a look at the restoration of a bay of five Victorian sash windows.
In part one, Jim explains what's gone wrong, and why.
Jim's website: www.rwjsear.com/
Social media, Etsy, Instructables, and Patreon Links further down
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Cheers, Mitch

[@marksinden4156]

This series promises to be informative and useful - thanks for posting it.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Mark, I certainly learnt quite a lot!

[@saintjackula9615]

Excellent video series. This inspired my boss and I to begin to specialize in restorations of these wonderful antique windows, of which there are plenty here in San Francisco.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Fantastic. Hope that's working out for you

[@gunterschone8402]

Beautiful video, Mitch. It was interesting to hear what mistakes one can make in wood Windows.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Günter. Hope you enjoy the rest of them

[@gunterschone8402]

Thanks Mitch, I'm going to enjoy

can't see enough from real natural renovation from people who know what they are talking about :)

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers!

[@jaymefunny7424]

So glad I found this video! This is the most detailed video ive found for wood windows!

[@ttfweb1]

Really good interview - informative. I have a house on the sea, so I'm rethinking my painting plan. Thanks very much. Troy

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks. Yes, it would seem that some of today's paints just aren't up to the job, and we've forgotten about regular paint maintenance to prevent the rot setting in. Jim starts the work in the next installment, which I hope will be just as informative.

[@ttfweb1]

I'll be front and center

[@joegardiner4220]

Interesting, i do a lot of lime work and i have been using linseed oil paint on windows for the first time of recent. I couldn’t believe how long it takes to dry, never knew it took up to three weeks !

[@mitchwoodwork]

And the smell is a bit Marmite I think

[@joegardiner4220]

Aah Woodwork with Mitch Peacock haha quite, i didnt mind the smell at first. But my jumper has suffered too many splats and hand wipes. Even after three washese you cant still smell it. Urgh

[@stephenwhite5444]

What do you do if it rains during that long drying time? Does it damage the paint or cause it to wash away some? Since you've been using linseed paint for at least a couple years, do you like how it holds up? I'm thinking of painting part of my house with linseed oil paint. What brand do you like?

[@willemkossen]

This is very interesting stuff!

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers Willem, I had a great time filming it, and learnt quite a lot myself.

[@geoffjohnston1531]

Hi Mitch. looking forward to seeing the finished job. I always wondered what the correct approach to repairing these Windows was. What product dose he use to fill the fischers (cracks) on the outside. I thought he sounded like a dentist when he started talking about fischers. Great to see the old windows being made good.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers Geoff. The home owner will be doing the painting preparation and painting in due course, and I hope to have a chance to go back and see that completed. This series tackles all the wood repair/replacement in the next few episodes. I'll ask Jim to comment on products, but I know that the filler is an epoxy - more details in the video.

[@thomo74]

Very helpful. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[@tombaker3794]

Great video, very interesting & educational. Lots of good information.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Tom. Jim gets down to work in the next part, due out next weekend.

[@MartyBacke]

Love these type of videos

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Marty!

[@TheHeavyend81]

Hi , Just found this, love the presentation, my sash windows (140 years old) are in about the same condition and I am keen to renovate as Jim is explaining. Where can I find the rest of the videos please.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers Dave. There should be links in the video description, but if not just Google trash the sash and you should find them

[@SharpEdgeWoodworking-UK]

always interesting to see stuff of this nature Mitch. Thanks.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers Chris! I had a good time filming this. Few more episodes to edit.

[@sd0427]

Thanks guys, very informative great topic

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Stephen. Watch out for the next part next weekend.

[@BDM_PT]

Hi there from Portugal, Nice :D Obrigado(Thanks)

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers :D

[@BDM_PT]

:D

[@bernadettepesce773]

Very helpful.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Glad you think so!

[@radlyspain]

Wonderful videos thanks so much very helpful.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers, my pleasure

[@danilorainone406]

hundred year old wood sashes often are weathered but intact,requiring scraping,or sanding all surfaces with a belt sander, then apply preservative or sealer/primer ,new glass cut,or old glass if intact,can be reversed upside changed to down,this will flatten wavy glass over time,a rubber boot at the bottom betw the sill plate frames, and stone bricks,,Clean old and new glass w warm water and pumice or cerium oxide,New glass is coated with stuff that looks like dust film actually the coating is tiny plastic beads that stick even when cleaned off with the usual window factory mix of blue type windex liquid,,and results in putty failing to adhere to the glass pumice removes the plastic stuff completely many areas of the US have mandatory minimum wages and unemployment comp that pays better than what trades guys can afford to pay help,that cost drives rehabbers to go with the vinyl aluminum glass windows where they can be done gone,until the company folds and the homeowner has to replace 4 or 5 sashes that fail after a couple years

[@mitchwoodwork]

Great points

[@STEVEBLACKA]

Very interesting .

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers Steve!

[@matttutty9856]

I live in Eastbourne and some of our windows are nailed shut, was good to watch this and know as I carpenter that I can proberbly fix them and save some pennies, or lots of pounds 😂😂

[@apophysis2]

Hi Mitch, interesting video. I this your house where the restoration takes place?

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks J, No, sadly my house has uPVC windows, which are looking tired at about 20 years old, and can only be replaced :( £££

[@bri1779]

Dear Mitch, I have my double hung windows up, restored wood and pretty again (170 years old!) but the meeting rails don't align so very perfectly, as in, there is a small gap between them. I'd taken out some very very old rotted/rusted zinc weatherstripping between the two meeting rails that seems to be an antiquated style (a small hook and a big hook? if that makes sense?) that I can't find. So I think I am going to put some bronze between them... but it looks like there was a very thin piece of wood there on either of them, as well, that the WS held onto. I'm very close now! No more light in between the casing and windows! No more rattling! But now I'm just trying to get them back in but this meeting rail piece is stumping me. Any advice? Take care, Bri

[@mitchwoodwork]

My guess is that the extra wood is creating mating rebates between the meeting rails. This would be a security feature to prevent accessing the latch from the outside with a thin blade. If you have locking latches, you can revert to the traditional beveled joint by gluing feathered battens to the two rails, such that they tighten up when the rails meet. Try searching for Vertical section of a cased window frame.

[@robertblahnik7685]

A retired lady was being scammed by a guy trying to push her into new windows. He wanted more than double the cost of where he was buying them. Now he wasn't even going to prep the outside and paint it. He was just going to remove the old sash windows and pop in the new ones which takes roughly 20 minutes if you are practiced. She had exactly a dozen sash windows and as luck would have it they were all the same size. So I told her to let me set up shop in the back unused bedroom, which she planned on renting it as an office with a huge, covered deck and 2 parking spaces. So after I emptied the room onto the covered deck and tarped it all professionally, I prepped the room to rebuild the sash windows one by one. I would remove the window and cover the opening with a sheet of 1/2 plywood. Then I would set each window up on the table and with disposable plastic beneath me, I would break down the old window, get rid of the old 8 glass panel grid pattern. There was a company that sold custom sized double pain glass panels and used Argon gas as the buffer. I would get 25 panels for a fantastic price. Many of the old windows were etched by weather. Never condensate and better than standard air for sound abatement. So I set up a fan in the window to force out any dust or fumes in the air. Most all of the windows mortices were loose and fairly easy to remove. So I would sand both sides of the mortise joints and glued them back under pressure. Then I would slop on the angriest most toxic paint remove that made short work of the 8-10 coats of paint. I would have to do this with the sides of the sash runners as well. Once I was done removing the paint on the windows, stucco molding, and windowsill I was finding half the sills to have rot because someone replaced them with wood that was not heart of redwood or oak. It might have been spruce or something. So I replaced them all with a quality redwood that was rough cut. Then On a table saw I made them into sills and would even have the shims to put it under the sill. After soaking the sills in sealant, I would finish them up with Marine varnish before securing it down on top of a layer of copper dust and plumbers putty, which termite proofed it. The varnish would be easy to maintain over the years. Just a light scuff and single coat every 5 years for oxidation purposes. Now with the window surface finished, the glazing arrived, and I would put it in with plumber's putty on what will be the inside and then you set the panel on the putty, which pushes out but that's to be expected. Then with these special stainless deep brown color clips you use these special screws to anchor them. They come with instructions and a jig to drill a pilot hole for the clip. It worked great. I was really impressed. Once the clips were in I was to get an accurate digital home scale and weigh myself with and without holding the window. And record the weight of the window. Then call the company and tell them the weight of the window and they sent me out two counterweights, which again didn't cost hardly anything, they even tossed in the window cord, which was not the same as stock chord you get at hardware stores. This stuff would barely stretch and it will last forever because it's synthetic. They also sold a nifty insulation kit to block a gaps on the side and top of the sliding windows. Sash windows are known for their poor thermal properties. Then also had this nice custom latch that was only a few dollars more than Home Depot latches. They also had the proper wax to put on the side of the door and on the running track. Now I was only to look after my time there. So I put a sign in and out sheet taped to the back of the door. This was the best job I've ever had. Each window and window opening had its own issues to address, which made it so interesting. So I took a picture of the first window with discolored chalky chipped paint. Before I started, had brought in the lady to have her open and close the old window but she couldn't. It was painted shut. In fact, both windows in that room had been painted shut year after year. When I was done she came over and with a simply movement with her hand, she unlatched the wind and it effortlessly slid up and back down. And I told her now that I'm set up and my contacts are in order, I will be able to get a lot more done. With each window off, I was able to paint the outside stucco molding sill. The lady had changed her mind and wanted the sills white. So I would use Sherwin Williams best oil base paint and do 3 coats.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Nice story. Those jobs don't come along so often.

[@jessestrum]

hi jim what would you advise paint wise, know a lot of joiners using teknos water base ,don,t know what to do for the best

[@mitchwoodwork]

You might like to contact Jim through his website: www.rwjsear.com/

[@Nickpaintbrush]

Hmm.. Sadolin Superdec,acrylic, quality waterbased paint..tell me whats wrong with that please!

[@mitchwoodwork]

I'm the wrong person to ask, but maybe Jim will chip in. Speaking with him during the filming, I think he only rated a couple of acrylic paints, both of which came with guarantees of several years.

[@tonyp9601]

Lets see him put the new piece in. (meeting bar)

[@B0M0A0K]

Excellent video and advice, as a traditional sash window owner I am always looking for preservation advice. Question: What is your view on the best approach to sealing glass. Do you still prefer putty over the new silicon sealers?

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers! Answer: Putty is still preferred - I've yet to edit that far, but I seem to remember we covered that topic - hopefully on camera!

[@danilorainone406]

silicone will do the job , it is long lasting ,provided that the glass is clean, The wooden rabbets ought ti be smooth and oiled with brush daubs of linseed oil ,,or primer oil based putty is oreferred by many because it allows time to smooth and cut nice neat corners with grooves so water runs off,silicone is fast setting when exposed to air,somewhat harder to get flat and clean beads,

[@omnpresentevidence]

Modern water based paints are very good if the surface is prepared properly . He is not preparing properly. All defective paint should be stripped off the best way to renovate sash windows is to talker them out and strip them then having prepared the sash and painted them put them back in and replace all the parting and staff beads with ones fitted with druaghtproofimg. Water based exterior paint such as permaglaze or Dulux weather shield is ideal because you can do three coats in a day in the right weather conditions .

[@mitchwoodwork]

Not my expertise, but Jim has been doing this for years with countless happy customers. Maybe it's just a case of different ways to skin a cat.

[@omnpresentevidence]

@@mitchwoodwork I may have been a bit reactive .I am a time served city and guilds qualified painter and decorator.Scraping paint of dry is never going to strip all the defective paint from the surface. Stripping old paint needs to be done with protective equipment as it can contain lead. The reason that they used lead based oil paint was because it was superb, as it gave a flexible coating. Since it was banned oil paint is not that great. I have returned to houses I painted six years before with Permaglaze MVP system and had hardly any flaking paint as this paint de laminates rather than cracking and flaking as modern oil paints do when the weather dries out the oils.

[@AlfFisher]

Nothing is eternal %)))

[@mitchwoodwork]

True! Thanks Mark

[@pterafirma]

Where somebody replaced a segment of casing, they missed the entire point of the scarf cut. Yes, I'm with you on partial replacement being false economy, but _IF_ for some reason they had to do a Dutchman, they should've angled the cut in the other plane. It should've been more like a bevel cut, appearing straight when viewed from the front, but sloping down toward the board face. This would both increase the glue surface _and_ make water more likely to run out of the joint rather than into it.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Agreed

[@meanders9221]

Thanks Mitch, very timely content. I live in a part pre-war part post-war wood-frame house with redwood siding and fir windows. They all need restoration at this point but I've been procrastinating because I don't know exactly how to go about it and what products to use. Hope to learn as much from this series as you did filming it :)Is there any reason other than cost that window sash pieces can't be resin stabilized in a vacuum chamber? Seems like doing it on an industrial scale could bring the cost within reach...

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Michael. I don't know enough about resin stabilization to comment on that. There is no doubt that windows are a tough environment with wide ranges and gradients of temperature and humidity. One system that Jim praised was Dulux Weathershield, which offers an 8 year guarantee. You have to use the primer, undercoat, and topcoat, to get that sort of performance. If you reply to Jim's comment, I expect he'll pick it up and provide more info - he knows a lot more than I do on the subject.

[@poolheat]

The best repair method I have seen, but I can't find the seals you used in Australia. Help!

[@mitchwoodwork]

You can contact Jim by searching for "Restorative Carpentry" in Eastbourne UK

[@michaelhalliday2708]

Brilliant video resource for anyone wanting to maintain their own windows...and wonderful to see a master at work! Thanks so much for taking the trouble to make it!

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Michael

[@cobberpete1]

Good Info and enjoyable video.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks Peter, watch out for the work to begin next weekend

[@ziopoe]

Restoration project are my favourites, nice idea Mitch!

[@mitchwoodwork]

Thanks. I hope you enjoy the series.

[@tuppercareyd]

Thanks for posting

[@mitchwoodwork]

No problem!

[@stevecollins9450]

Informative and easy to follow. The problem with oil based paints when used on the exterior here in the southern US is mildew.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers Steve. Is it the humidity? We have uPVC in the house, and the bathrooms need plenty of ventilation to keep the mildew at bay - it seems to love the silicone and painters chaulk.

[@stevecollins9450]

That's what I understand, Mitch. I'm not sure what the mildew likes in the oil paint, but I have yet to talk with a professional painter in this area that uses it anymore on the exterior of homes.

[@simongreen5698]

Informative but your knowledge of water based paints needs reviewing just because it peals off easily doesn't mean it's water based paint it can easily be oil based... its more likely very poor decorators who haven't done the proper preparation with the product over diluted giving very poor protection hence the reason why the jobs don't last very long!

[@mitchwoodwork]

I'm sure Jim does know his paint, but perhaps a lengthier discussion on it would have been better. As someone with far less paint experience, I tend to think of both peeling due to poor prep, but acrylic being far more flexible. Probably lucky I'm not decorating windows 😂

[@paulrobinson8762]

Hi, what if the sash window sill has totally rotted, can it be removed and replaced or is it fixed in inside the frame? Thanks

[@mitchwoodwork]

Both windows in the sash can be removed/repaired. Effectively you could replace the entire window, in separate steps, during its lifetime

[@brianbacich9999]

Thanks for the content. Question: I’m a homeowner in the northern United States. My home has wood windows that need restoration (loose putty and paint). Knowing that I don’t want the look of a dedicated storm window but need efficient thermal value in the winter, which product would you use? Thanks

[@mitchwoodwork]

Interesting question. Three suggestions you may want to consider, either on their own or combined. First, biggest losses are often from draughts, so replace all old seals with modern ones and ensure they operate efficiently. Gaps need to be reasonable consistent for the seals to operate well. Secondly, glaze with glass that reflects infra red, or apply after market ir filter film to glass. Thirdly, if glazing bars allow, fit double glazed panes (these may need low profile edge seams to avoid being visible). That said, for your own health it is important to have air changes and keep humidity from dropping too low. Draughty windows do a great job for this, but usually too good, and a ventilation system with heat recovery is a better option.

[@brianbacich9999]

@@mitchwoodwork thanks for the advice. I never knew doubling up the glass might be an option.

[@darrinblitch4912]

Great video, I loved it when he got tangled up on top and bottom.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Cheers😂

[@vinnyvasquez]

Can just imagine this guy turning up at your house and start to pick away with his stanley life saying this needs to go, this needs to go.... ££££s. No thanks mate.