This page updated/revised October 27, 2009
(click this link to go to this update location)

 

 

Background...
The original first floor windows are, 6-over-6 pane 36x72 inch double-hung windows, originally from a dismantled Pennsylvania schoolhouse in 1925 and installed in our house, built in 1927. According to National Historic Trust restoration people, located at Oatlands Plantation, Leesburg, this window design was not manufactured after 1910, as the design changed. The Oatlands Plantation Carriage House (1904) and Chauffers House (1903) use the exact same windows. These are constructed from old growth southern yellow pine, using mortise and tenon construction and wooden dowel pins. Raw Aluminum triple-track storm windows were installed on our house sometime in the early to mid 1960's. They were never painted to minimize their appearance and they were not custom made, to match the top and bottom window center mating locations, but had different center mating rail locations. Also, the original wooden window shutters were removed, because the storm windows interfered with the shutter hinges and also prevented shutter closing. The shutters were thrown away! 

I chose to rebuild my old windows because of their superior construction materials and the cost to rebuild them myself (many manhours, but less than $100 for materials), and also add new technology interior thermal windows, versus buying replacement window products. You may want to read my report on this project (updated 6/4/09), before looking at the rest of this webpage.

Also, here is a list of links (updated 7/24/09) that talk about the various aspects of home window replacement and restoration, for your info.

And lastly, I would also suggest you read this Energy Analysis, dealing with old wooden window versus modern replacement window performance and costs. It's important information, that few actually consider when looking at window replacement.

 

Close-up of inside muntin (above left) and outside window rail (above right), showing years of paint build-up and complete loss of trim detail. This is typical of all 19 windows in the house, including the 8 smaller windows in the four shed dormers. The glass window panes have already been removed in these pictures, as explained below.

 

With the window sash partially stripped, removal of the glass is now necessary to continue the rebuilding process. You can see the failed condition of the glass glazing, with much of it coming off simply by carefully and lightly picking at it with the sharp edge of a putty knife. Unfortunately, it isn't really that simple for the whole window or the other windows.

While we all appreciate the glazing coming off easily, remember that those pieces and sections that do, were no longer water tight, nor air tight, which contributes greatly to air infiltration and poor sealing, as well as water damage to the wood.

 

The trick, of course, is to take your time removing the glass panes, working carefully to insure you don't crack or break the glass as you work to remove it. As you can see above, one pane has been removed, its frame has been cleaned and gently sanded, while the lower pane is now in the process of being removed.

I've found that the best way to remove the old window glazing, is to use a single-edge razor blade (a bunch of them) and carefully cut the glazing until you've reached the edges of the muntins. You have to be very careful and work slowly, as the glazing may be extremely hard and applying too much pressure will crack or break the glass. Believe me, I know. If you're good with a large high wattage (150 watts) soldering iron, you can use it to heat the old glazing to help soften it for removal, unless somebody has used plaster/joint compound to make a patch or two to replace failed/missing glazing, as they did on several of my windows. This stuff could only be removed by grinding it out with a Dremel tool and a cutting disk!

 

Watch out for very small window glass retainer points, which were used in old windows (shown circled above). Prying on them with the razor blade, slowly and gently, will allow you to bend them up, so you can get at them with needle nose plyers and remove them. Watch out for them when your cutting the old glazing and make a note as to where they are (a magic marker helps) so you can back-off your cutting pressure when you draw the razor blade over them. Otherwise, you risk cracking or breaking the glass.

With the window glass removed, strip the window completely of all its old paint. Then make all necessary repairs, including filling holes, rotted areas and prying damage, reglue joints, etc. Set it aside to dry/cure until ready for sanding and primer.

You can see epoxy repairs to the window frame surfaces, they are the light colored areas, curing in the sunshine. The clamps hold reglued parts.

In 2001, I used Benjamin Moore oil based premium primer, shown above with its first coat application. Two primer coats are recommended, which was the Benjamin Moore recomendation to me (I spoke to an "Applications Specialist" at the factory by phone), for the hard southern yellow pine windows, 5-7 days for curing of each of the primer applications. Then, paint them with two coats of premium Benjamin Moore acrylic paint, giving them a day between coats. I did exactly as Benjamin Moore advised, consuming about three weeks per window restoration, allowing for proper drying/curing times and they still failed on the south exposure, by peeling of the primer, in less than three years! They also failed on the east side, with cracking, after the same amount of time!

This year (2009), I am using a 100% Acrylic primer, two coats after removing all existing primer and paint and following up with two coats of premium acrylic paint. Same process as last time, but not using the oil based primer. Discussions with area painters, disclosed that oil based primer (the current products) do not last long on this very hard yellow pine, especially in the direct summer sun, as is the case on the south facing material. They also suspect the ongoing removal of various chemicals as dictated by the EPA has reduced the life span of the applied products... a very common observation made by many other old house owners who have experienced poor paint performance, compared to prior years experience, with the same products.

 

I would also add that during our old house tours and inspections in March 2009, in Savannah, we talked with a number of house painters, who also had the same opinion about the greatly reduced longevity of current paint products, which they felt were due to major product reformulations. Not a very good situation for some one with a very large Savannah home, spending well over $20,000 to have it properly preped and repainted every 3 to 4 years, which the painters said was the typical length of the paint's life, given proper prep and not simply power washing and repainting!

UPDATE Jan. 9, 2009
(added pictures of primer and paint failure)
Here is the lower sash (below) of the south facing window, showing the primer and paint failure on the bottom rail and spots on the bottom side of the bottom rail. The Sun's radiant heat is very strong in the summer and is the principal reason we want to have new window shutters built to replace those that were removed and discarded, when the aluminum triple-track storm windows were installed. The new shutters will be dark green, or black on their open side, but will be white on the closed side, to better reflect the sun and limit heat damage to themselves. They will provide greatly increased protection for the refinished (again) windows, of course.

In the above extreme close-up, you can see that the paint cracked/checked and that both the gray primer and the paint came off together, leaving little evidence that the surface actually had primer on it. Tiny specs of the primer can be seen, however, with a magnifying glass. You can also see that the exterior wood filler used to fill the small weather cracks in the surface has also come off and out of the cracks. It was applied to the first primer coat and protected by the second primer coat. So much for that process!

It will be interesting to see how well the use of premium acrylic primer and paint will stand-up on these windows, when finished and installed. I am using an epoxy based filler to fill the surface cracks. Unfortunately, the south facing bedroom windows were so badly cooked by the sun, that they had to be replaced. I used premium Anderson 400 series double-glazed tilt-in windows, as the original wooden window sashes and trim were literally crumbling from 80+ years of baking in the sun.

 

While the window sashes were drying/curing, I started on the window frames, which have a lot of problems as can be seen in the pictures. In addition to the many layers of old paint, most of the damage was created by the installation of the aluminum triple-track windows and later attempts to make them air or water tight. This only managed to trap the water and prevent proper drainage, contributing to associated wood damage.

The exterior window trim was stripped and sanded and made ready for priming. All the house window trim is old growth yellow pine and the window sills are old growth oak. None of this lumber is readily available today, unless you go to somebody who does old growth lumber recovery and you take lots of money with you!

Note the window shutter hinge recess in the right side of the window trim piece, above. All of them were crudely filled with what appears to be plaster or joint compound, which will have to be removed before new window shutters and hinges can be mounted.

 

Work in progress in 2001 on the window frames and face trim, when the gray oil based primer was used. The 2008 work used 100% Acrylic primer, which is white. The lighter areas are expoxy type wood filler, used to repair damaged areas. Other type paste wood fillers had previously failed, after 1-3 years, depending on the brand. These were products specifically labeled for "Exterior" use!

4x8 foot sheets of 2-inch thick rigid double foil faced foam panels were cut to fit the window frames, to keep the weather out while I was rebuilding the window sashes. The panels were used elsewhere to insulate various areas, such as in the basement, after the windows were completed.

 

I've added the pictures below, per your Email requests, which are much larger (when you click on them they'll expand) so that you can see more detail in the completed windows. If you need still larger pictures, send me an Email and I'll send full camera resoloution size pictures.

 

Finally done, with the exception of some razor blade clean-up of the glass. A major improvement in looks, operation and weather proofing. With the internal thermal windows installed the combination of my rebuilt prime windows with their 3M V-Seal installation and the internal thermal windows provide a more efficient system (thermal and acoustic) then replacement double glazed windows! Check the facts for yourself.

When walking or driving past the house and looking at the windows, their wavy old glass sparkles and winks at you. New, replacement windows with their single big piece of glass just stare, like dead eyes!

 

 

Looking at the lower left inside corner of the interior insulating/thermal window, in our house... I fabricated new interior window stops made from poplar and sized to position the face of the Climate SEAL window flush with the face of the original window inside edge trim pieces. The stop pieces are faced with an adhisive backed steel strip on the thermal window side and are finished on the other side with a clear urethane, which has been waxed to promote very smooth and easy operation of the double-hung window sashes. A different compression sealing material configuration seals the mating of the interior window to the window sill.

 

In the picture above, looking in from outside the window at the upper right corner of the window. See the rope and pulley? These large heavy windows now open with a single finger's worth of effort. Really! This is primarily due to the very slippery surface that the urethane side of the window stop provides, which has been waxed and is pressed against the exterior window, which has the slippery 3M V-seal on the outside of the window. The problem today, is that the 3M Company has stopped making V-seal, except for markets in Canada. This requires that you find a dealer/distributor that still has the product. NO! The current look-alike products on the market do not last, period!

Application of the 3M V-seal is shown below in the following pictures, taken of an upstairs bedroom window that still has an exterior aluminum triple-track storm window...

The 3M V-Seal product is the best that I've found over many years, (since early 1984) that improves the weather proofing and greatly reduces air infiltration of old wooden double-hung windows, but also promotes ease of window operation. It is also a necessity when involving internal thermal window systems, if you expect the internal windows to function as specified. They can't do their job if your primary external window is allowing excessive air into the building.

 

However, you should know that the 3M product, as well as several other brands I have tried, will fail quite rapidly when exposed to strong sun light (UV), such as experienced on windows/doors with a south exposure. The material becomes brittle at its outer edges where sun light is reaching it and the material starts to fray. The frayed edge is easily damaged when you raise/lower the window sashes and its condition becomes worse, until it catches and is partially ripped off the window. I have 3M V-Seal on north exposure windows which have been in place since 1984 (25 years!) with no sign of failure! I would also note that this 1984 vintage 3M V-Seal is thicker and more robust, then the product I purchased 5 years ago from a source in Canada.

 

Unfortunately, 3M discontinued this product and the last of the product that I was able to find (pictured above) was from the source in Canada about five years ago and I bought about a dozen packages, but now their supply is also gone. If you find, or know of a good replacement product for the 3M V-Seal product, please let me know. The current v-seal type products still available are inferior to the 3M product, based on my own experience with them. There are a number of people who have contacted me and want such a product, so that they can improve the efficiency of their wooden windows.

 

UPDATE June 4, 2009 -

I've obtained another V-Type sealing product, suggested by a person also involved in old window restoration, called "Ice-O-Tac" V-seal, made by Niagara, to see how it compares to the 3M V-Seal product. I'll post my comments on the product here, after I've gained a bit of experience with it.

The aluminum triple-track storm windows were removed and repairs were made to the window sills where water had accumulated behind and under the storm window frames. Thankfully, the old growth wood didn't allow excessive damage over the years. The glass was removed from the triple-track frames, cut to new dimensions and placed in new wooden storm window frames made from Poplar. The inside edges of the wooden storm windows are faced with EPDM rubber gasket material, which effectivly seals the window to the window stops.

If you look carefully, you can see the small hook and eye fasteners in the side rails of the storm window. I had thought about using a sliding latch arrangement, but the simple hook and eye fastener allows for quick and easy adjustment of the closing pressure between the window seal and the stop that it comes up against. A small handle is attached to the window bottom rail to assist in holding on to the window during moving it. I also have fabricated several screens the same size as the storm windows, for use during the cooler months.

 

Lastly, don't paint the surface that the face of the weatherstrip comes in contact with, to seal the joint. While 3M V-Seal won't stick to a painted surface that it seals against, most foam and rubber based products will, especially the foam products which may not release at all and will tear apart! Instead, apply two coats of primer to seal and protect the wood, as the weatherstrip won't stick to primer when it comes in contact with it. It's okay to paint the surface that the weatherstrip is attached to, of course, since is improves the weatherstrips ability to stay in the position you want it to stay. And always put the weatherstrip on the removable surface, when ever possible in terms of making a good seal, such as the storm window or window stop in the case of a double hung window, since they can be removed to allow easier replacement of wornout weatherstrip and adhesive residue.

 

Interior 6-pane window in place, held in its closed position by the small bolt latch located at the top of the window. Depending on the type and thickness of the weatherstrip used to seal the window, you can use small washers underneath the bolt latch body, to adjust how much pressure the window applies to the weatherstrip, if you're dealing with pre-existing holes for the latch bolt in the window frame, such as I was.

 

Fortunately, all our old growth wooden sashes have remained stable and perfectly flat over the years, allowing us to easily seal the perimeter of their surface face without having to resort to trimming or other adjustments to obtain quality sealing when closed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a confirmed fit, the hinge pin socket plates were removed from the shutters and primed with metal primer and the hinge plate recess in the shutters are primed with acrylic primer and everything put back together on the shutters after drying. This step will help prevent potential water damage and hinge loosening, over the shutter service life.

 

 

 

The pictures, above, are of the south side of the house early in the morning. The south facing shutters are painted white on the closed side, so that radiant heat is reflected and isn't cooking the shutters, as it would, if it was painted dark green. Of course, the shutters will be open all winter to help warm the house, so we're hoping this reduction in the amount of time the shutters dark green sides are exposed to direct sun light, will help extend their paint life. They will certainly reduce heat gain and UV damage to the windows sashes, during the summer, to say nothing about the effect of the "shuttered" light in the livingroom, which is very nice. I'll post a picture soon... it looks like a Savannah home inside.

 

Finally, a clear day and strong sun and my attempt to replicate what I see in terms of the filtered sun light coming through the shutters, as shown below. The picture on the left (below) shows the strong afternoon sun on the closed shutters. The picture on the right (below) shows the inside view of the shuttered windows. The strong light from the left in this picture is the porch window facing east, which is in the shade. Very difficult to show the actual resultant shuttered light effect, (lots of tinkering with exposure settings) but my resultant photo accurately shows the true lighting.

 

The lamps (using painted 4 and 5 watt CFLs, which I talk about and show here) are on to serve as an illumination reference, to help show how much the shutters have reduced the sun light. The total effect is quite pleasing and the reduction in heat gain is considerable. Anyone who has been to Europe knows that exterior window shutters are in wide spread use. Too bad we're not as comitted to conserve energy to do the same, in the U.S.!

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