Old House Journal – September 2019

MORE RESOURCES ON PAGE 103. 47

STORY CONSULTANTSWINDOW WOMAN OF NEW ENGLANDwindow-woman.com • WINDOW PRESERVATION ALLIANCE

windowpreservationalliance.orgConnects historic-home owners with window restoration professionals

pegs were beyond saving. For these, I cut

new pegs from old stock, slightly taper-

ing them with a hand plane, and inserted

them into the window sash for a tight fi t.

Filling in the Gaps The next step was

to fi ll all gaps, cracks, missing sections,

or crevices with two-part wood epoxy

(I used my old favorite, WoodEpox from

Abatron). Easily moldable and with a gen-

erous working time, the fi ller allowed me

to rebuild any structure that had been lost

over the years, and also fi ll in anywhere

my new fi ller strips weren’t perfect, or

where my pegs didn’t end up a perfect

fi t at the top. After a 24-hour cure time,

I sanded the lumpy, overfi lled epoxy into

smooth and nicely proportioned sections

of window sash. As a fi nal step, I used

fi ne steel wool and some elbow grease to

really get into the detail areas of the sash,

completely sanding everything smooth.

When to Prime I like to prime the sash

before placing the glass, for several

reasons. Obviously, it’s far easier to prime

without concern of getting paint on the

glass. Priming fi rst also creates a protec-

tive barrier that will let the putty set up as

it should. Finally, primer covers all of the

wood, including areas that will ultimately

be covered by weatherstripping and sash

lifts. That said, some pros prefer to leave

the protected sides of the sash exposed to

air, in order to let the wood breathe. Oth-

ers say to prime the sides but leave them

unpainted to allow for smoother sash

operation. The choice is up to you.

Working with old, wavy glass requires delicacy.

Be sure to wear cut-resistant gloves when working with any glass.

They help protect the glass from accidental shattering, and also

protect you from painful glass cuts that take a long time to heal.

RIGHT The restored

window sash is shown

back in place in the

author’s home, a work-

ing-class Victorian row

house built ca. 1886 in

the Old Town Historic

district of Alexandria,

Virginia. The window is

still missing its parting

bead, the surrounding

trim, and a fresh coat

of paint.

3

4

5

step by step
<

3.^ A special glazing
hammer is used to gently tap
in a tiny glazing point to secure
the pane of glass in the sash.

< 4. New putty must
seal the glass to the wood,
allowing the window to shed
water and prevent leakage.

< 5. The last step before^
painting is to create a clean, fluid
line with the putty knife, tidying
the putty into mitered corners.
The putty is allowed to cure for
a few days before the window is
sent to the painting room.