As I’ve posted before we have had lots of projects going on. We sped many up as the weather started to change. One in particular as we wrapped up the painting was the windows. All the windows in this house are made up of multiple panes of glass. The panes are glazed in with window glazing, putty if you will. As old as the house is, you can image what the condition of some of these individual window panes. Of course the southern facing windows are the worst. Many had been replaced over the years, regardless the weather had it’s effect.
This is the back side of the house. There are two bay windows and some french doors. I had to start by cleaning them. There was a lot of mineral deposits (probably from the well water), that neither windex nor vinegar mix would clean off. I then tried a solution of CLR (yes calcium, lime and rust remover) and water and used a Mr. Clean eraser sponge. It worked wonders, and did a fantastic job. With them clean, we cleaned up the loose paint and putty with a wire brush. Each of the panes is placed in the wood frame with little push triangles to hold the window in place. There’s a small amt of glazing putty under the edge of the wood to create a seal, then you finish with a nice angled seal around the outside with glazing putty.
I had to do just about every pane, yes it was a pain!
And I know they aren’t perfect. It’s a short term fix til I can replace the windows with the right window solution that preserves the look of the home, but improves it’s overall weatherization and energy efficiency. In the meantime, we have lined all the drapes with an energy efficient liner, we have seen a great improvement in drafts and those chilly breezes. We’ll look for improvements in the heating bil in the coming months as the true testl. I’m pretty proud of the work I did and glad it’s done. Now onto one of many inside projects.
