How to Repair Sash Windows

By: Thomas Baker, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Flexible Epoxy Wood Repair System

2. Plexiglas

3. Glazing Compound

4. Glazier's Points

5. Oil-based Primer

6. Acrylic Latex Paint

7. Weatherstripping, if needed

8. Silicon Spray

9. Sash Cord or Chains

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Pry Bar
- Flat-Head Screwdriver
- Heat Gun (with nozzle shield)
- Utility Knife
- Putty Knife
- Dremel (with carving bit)
- Natural Bristle Brush (for oil-based primer)
- Synthetic Filament Brush (for top coat)
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Photo: David Carmack

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
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2 days
$70 per window

Difficulty: Easy to moderate Requires patience and a steady hand to remove and replace the glass.

Single-pane double-hung windows from the 19th century don't have the best of reputations. They can be notoriously drafty, full of rattles, loose in the joints, or can simply refuse to budge. But as a number of studies have shown, when these windows are properly weatherstripped and paired with good storm windows, they can match the performance of new double-pane units for much less than the new ones cost.

Painting contractor John Dee, whose refinishing skills are regularly seen in the pages of This Old House, recently turned the windows in an 1882 house back into smooth operators—and increased their energy efficiency, to boot. As he shows on the following pages, it was simply a matter of methodically removing each sash from its opening, stripping off the old paint and putty, and regluing the joints with epoxy. With new putty, paint, and weatherstripping, the sash are ready to face the cold and last through the 21st century as good as new.

Painting contractor John Dee reattaches the stops, the last step in his window restoration. "Before this, opening a window was a wrestling match," he says. "Now, they just glide up and down."