[Jenisoisy]

Asher knows 'bout Windows *hides*

[RogerButton33]

Not sure what type of windows you have. We refinished 11 double hung windows in the original portion of the house. It was a lot of work, we did 5 the first round, and 6 a few months later. I think the house was built in the 50's. Most of the windows were in pretty good shape, but stuck a lot due to multiple paintings and worn springs.

Taking the windows out isn't too hard. Just pull off some moldings, unhook the springs (careful not to let them spin out of control when they come loose), and make sure not to drop the windows since the springs are the only thing holding them up. (Except someone had nailed the top window into the house to keep them from coming down instead of rewinding the springs. ) Took a couple hours to take them out, and nail up some plywood over the openings. We had plywood up for a couple months since we were working several other projects at the same time. (Network/cable wiring, siding, some electrical wiring) If it was just the windows, could probably have them back up in a week or two.

All the fixtures had to be replaced because they were rusting through. The springs were mostly good, just had to be refinished, grease/dirt buildup cleaned off then oiled up, and rewound tighter. (I took a couple days and sanded them down real nice because we were thinking of perhaps keeping a metallic look. Then we eneded up just painting them white. ) We covered up a 12th window with the addition, so we used it for spare parts when the others were lacking. Was good because a couple of the springs were broken, and one frame needed to be replaced. (Maybe you can use the upstairs windows you replace similarly.)

We replaced all the glass too because it was so brittle it was breaking when we stripped the putty off. Had to do it because the putty was in terrible shape, just wherever it was still hard it would crack the glass when we took it off. We tried to save some of the glass, but after a while it became clear it wasn't worth the time to try to do it carefully, since it was cracking anyways. (Sometimes just because of the heat gun even.) The rest of the glass we just broke out with a hammer (sheet of plastic underneath, towel over it), boxed up all the glass and took it to the recyclers. Breaking glass is nowhere near as fun as it sounds. Neither is cleaning up broken glass.

Then we used a heat gun and putty knives to remove most of the paint from the frames and casings. Easily the most time consuming part of the process. Hot, smelly (make sure to have some sort of gas mask with a good filter), messy, and took about a week of 3-4 hours days for 2 of us. Might be easier or harder depending on how much paint buildup you have, and the style of the windows.

Ended up taking the frames apart and using a router to get some of the harder putty out and square things up. Replaced a couple of worn/broken frame pieces. Then reassembled the frames and painted them. That was like a vacation after the paint stripping.

Put the new window panes in, tacked them in, and used some linseed oil putty to seal it up. That was pretty interesting, tough to get it right, and it takes a long time to cure so you have to be careful not to touch the putty for the next few months. First few windows took about an hour each to get the putty right, last few it was getting easy and maybe 10 minutes each.

Re-hanging the windows was easy once that was all done. We used new wood on track moldings, already had them painted, and had to wind the springs quite a bit (and go back and rewind some later), but that was a couple days work.

Mostly it was a lot of fun except the paint stripping and the poor state the glass was in.

[emily]

Here's the leftover frame. It was replaced by the frame of the window that was covered over by the addition. This one had some termite damage. Could have filled it in and it'd be ok, but since it was in the poorest shape we just left it alone.



Thought we still had some of the leftover springs, but I couldn't find them. Here's a picture of the spring installed on the bottom window frame, and the runner which creates the window track. (Still needs to have the nail holes filled and painted.)



The fixtures we put in. Same basic design as the ones we replaced. You can also see how the putty isn't quite right. This was the first window we did, and it's pretty tough to get the putty the perfect width, straight, and keep it smooth all at the same time. In this case we were just a bit too wide, so you can see it from the inside. As opposed to if it's too narrow, you can see the frame from the other side, but that's easy to catch since that's the side you see while doing the putty work. Most of the jagged stuff is just loose putty/dirt, and the opaque is just oil from the putty that we've been waiting to clean off until the putty had cured properly.



And one of the "finished" windows in full. We still have to paint the siding and trim boards. (I want a soft orange siding, with white trim... but my Aunt doesn't seem to like the creamsicle look. She's going to go for some earthy-tone... I've proposed a watermelon/raspberry/peach (greens, blues, yellows, and mochas are out because that's the color of the houses that surround us) as alternatives, but still no... world needs more color!

[CDCL7WKJ]

Yeah, they are white on the outside, but stained on the inside, so it really depends on where the fill is used. The main problem is looseness between frame pieces, I can feel it to differing extents when I lift them (no stuck ones, thankfully); the worst ones visibly wiggle.

The top windows do have six panes, one of the reasons I really like them.

I'm fairly certain the second floor windows were put in during the 1950's; they have the same width but the styling is different.

Thanks.

[MidwestMadman]

Originally posted by Aeson
We refinished 11 double hung windows in the original portion of the house. ..............
Mostly it was a lot of fun except the paint stripping and the poor state the glass was in. I bow before your man skills.

[gkruCRi1]

If you want to replace the windows just remove the interior trim very carefully then measure the RO or rough opening. In old houses each RO may be different so measure them all. Bring these measurements to your local home center and order vinyl clad windows. They should automaticly take off 1/4 inch all around and you can buy shims to use in these spaces. When they come in take out the old windows and put in the new making sure not to squeeze them too much away from the corners as this will bind up the windows and make them hard to operate. So use the shims close to the corners and in between be careful not to push them together too much before nailing. Use finish nails through the wood and into the frames. Make sure all functions before replacing with the original trim. You might have to alter the trim a bit too.

[affewheillMapew]

Originally posted by SpencerH
I bow before your man skills. I find work can be fun as long as it's kept to 1 part manual labor, 2 parts playing at the beach.

[duceswild]

Lancer, how long should it take to replace one window that way?

[arcaniagainee]

Search this and there might be some stuff that will help you.

vinyl window installation instructions

[Averti$ingGuru]

Try one and see how it goes.

[Sopzoozyren]

It depends really on whether MM lives in a cold or warm place. Also there's a fair amount of maintenance of wooden windows. Replacing grout, trying to keep paint on them. These things might not be too bad in areas where freezing is not a problem. However the expansion and contraction that comes with real seasons can make having wooden windows a real pain in the posterior. I agree on how the fake panes look crappy. I'd just go with the clear windows.

[OnlineViagraCheapestFREE]

The wooden window DO have storm windows protecting them. Several screens are missing and a rose bush tore two others to shreds before I even bought the place, but the storm windows are all intact.

[inmeirulez]

Will do, it'll be a couple days.

[moopierof]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
Why are you bowing face up? I'm a foreigner.

[Wgnhqhlg]

Originally posted by SpencerH


I'm a foreigner. I see. I thought maybe you got confused and were limboing before his man skills instead.