Sash & Casement Window Repair & Conservation
Wooden sliding sash & casement windows are a long-lasting & essential part of your historic home or building, adding charm & character. Over time, they will undoubtedly deteriorate at varying rates depending on the direction they face and how much, if any, conservation & decoration work has been carried out during their lifetime.
We are extremely passionate with regard to our conservation work which we carry out by hand, thereby retaining the original character of your windows.
Our mobile workshop is set-up on our clients’ premises where possible; this has the added benefit of allowing our clients to see the correct procedures & materials used in order to achieve sustainability & longevity of their historic windows & doors; these being such important elements of the property.
The highest standards are applied with our skilled & experienced craftsmanship, ensuring original windows [and doors] continue to be a beautiful, not just essential, part of their home for many years to come.
Quality Timber
Wood is a hard, durable, strong & fibrous tissue that has been used for centuries as a construction material.
We use hardwood, such as Sapele, for all timber window conservation work due to its close grain & ability to retain our 4-coat paint system for far longer than flexible softwood.
Original windows were made from older, slow grown timber which made it much longer lasting and more resistant to rot, even after the ingress of water. Your historic sash & casement windows can, therefore, be repaired & conserved indefinitely.
Quality Primer & Paint
Having carried out the required preparation, including extensive sanding & cleaning, our high quality 4-coat primer & paint system simply glides on to the prepared putty, wood & original ‘sound’ paint providing excellent & long-lasting protection. We highly recommend Zinsser, Dulux & Johnstone’s products.
Replacing Sash Cords
If the sash cords are either broken or missing, these can be replaced.
Draught Proofing
R. Barrett Decorating Services provide a full draught proofing system which is essential if:
1. You require more warmth & comfort.
2. Are looking to reduce your heating costs.
3. Would like your sash windows to run smoothly.
4. Want to remove annoying rattling.
5. Keep dust & dirt out.
Hardwood v Softwood
Today softwood windows are generally constructed of timber that has been sourced from plantations which is fast grown and felled at a young age. These can deteriorate extremely quickly if water is allowed to penetrate. There is often a lot of expansion & contraction with softwood due to weather conditions & location which, together with a higher content of sapwood, leads to early failure of its paint covering. This, in turn, leads to the penetration of water into the wood and the early onset of rot.
Historic Putty
High quality Historic putty is used for all our conservation & decorating work and is fully compatible with today’s quality interior & exterior primers & paints.
Lime
Lime is a long established, high quality product we use when ‘making good’ on older properties which, most importantly, allows the walls to breath.
Balancing the Weights
In order for your sash windows to run smoothly it’s imperative the weights are correctly balanced. In order to do this Richard carries out the following procedure by:
1. Carefully removing the staff & parting beading from around the interior of the box.
2. Both upper & lower sash windows are then removed completely.
3. The lower box hatches are also removed revealing the current weights.
4. Each sash is then weighed separately.
5. The weights are then changed or added to, as required, and returned into the hatches.
6. The sashes are then replaced using new sash cords.
7. The beading is replaced followed by ‘making good’.
Sash & Casement Window Conservation
Our Process
The mobile workshop is set up in order for Richard to carry out the restorative joinery
Sashes that are stuck or painted shut are released
Sash or casement windows are removed, if necessary
Failed paint, putty, cracked glass & rotten wood is removed – this can include side & lower rails, glazing bars, sills, bases of boxes & the complete rebuilding of a sash
Wooden dowels are used, wherever possible, for longevity
After cleaning 2 coats of primer are applied to bare wood
Any glass replacement, due to cracking, is now bedded-in
Specialist Historic putty is then applied, followed by a bead of putty around each pane of glass
Once dry, primer is applied to new & original ‘sound’ putty
Sashes are refitted
If unbalanced & to ensure smooth operation the sashes are weighed to allow for weights to be added or removed
New sash cords and/or pulleys are fitted, if required
Hinges on casement windows are adjusted accordingly, or replaced if rusted badly
Draught-proofing is added / replaced
Original or new staff/parting bead is now fitted
Sashes, frames & boxes are primed [twice on bare wood], undercoated & top coated [or stained]
Furniture is fitted or replaced, if required
‘Making good’ the walls around each window is carried out using lime plaster on older properties
Are your windows beyond repair?
The majority of the original windows we see are in a bad state of repair, having been neglected with little or no maintenance carried out for many years. The weather plays a large part in the life of sash & casement windows, due to the expansion & contraction of the timber. So if puttying, priming & painting has been woefully lacking, inevitably rainwater has penetrated the timber slowly but surely possibly rotting the window sills, lower boxes, side & lower rails, glazing bars etc. and possibly damaging the walls beneath, both inside & out.
In most cases we are able to restore rotten windows back to their original glory, at a fraction of the cost of replacement without the need for building regulations approval.
During our conservation work we leave as much of the original putty & timber in place as possible. Only the failed putty & rotten timber is removed – the latter being replaced with hardwood; then our 4-coat primer & paint system is applied lasting longer than when applied to softwood due to its close grain, thereby reducing expansion & contraction and, in turn, reducing the amount of paint cracking & failing.
Once complete, not only is the sash or casement window or door as new but its original character is retained due to our artisan craftsmanship rather than being factory machined.
So if your windows appear to be beyond repair – before paying for new & possibly much more expensive windows to be installed [requiring Building/Listed Regulations approval] please ask R. Barrett Decorating Services to take a look. In most cases we are able to restore & paint original windows ensuring a long-lasting, beautiful & traditional finish [having removed all failed putty & rotten timber] at a fraction of the cost.
If left to rot the walls beneath each window become vulnerable as rainwater gradually penetrates beneath the rotten window sills, down into the walls internally & externally.