Its window restoration time!




A few years ago, we remodeled our house and I saved all of our old windows (circa 1940). They are mostly double-hung, all-wood, single-paned windows. All of the windows have exterior white paint on them. Many have interior white paint, and some are simply stained a dark brown on the interior.

Most of the windows are in excellent shape, while some have some rot to deal with.

Unfortunately, I know nothing about restoring windows, dealing with paint removal, glazing, etc. I am officially way over my head.

However, I did pick up a copy of Working Windows by Terry Meany to keep me company during this process.





Below is my sacrificial "test" sash. I tested various methods for scraping paint, removing caulk, putty, and nails. In the process I broke a pane, scratched another one, wreaked havoc on the wood frame, and generally created a big mess.

In addition, the windows almost certainly have a layer or two of lead paint/primer to deal with.



Ideally, I would remove every last paint molecule, refinish the interior and exterior wood surfaces, and treat the frame, probably with some kind of exterior polyurethane. The underlying wood is largely in great shape...it would be nice to show that off.

However, after spending an hour poking at these windows and considering my options, I think I am stuck with paint, at least on the exterior.