Invaluable write-up by Jon Gorey that’s full of knowledge pertaining to windows. Useful tips regarding homeowners trying to be a little more energy-efficient.<\/p>\n
When Alison Hardy started her window-restoration business back in 2003, it was a one-woman show based out of her garage. Kevin O\u2019Connor was one of her first clients.<\/p>\n
Hardy\u2019s task: to rehab dozens of ornate yet inoperable windows, including 20-over-2 double-hungs and some arched sashes, from the 1893 Queen Anne that Kevin\u2014who had not yet been tapped to host This Old House\u2014was renovating with his wife. \u201cAlison really is an artisan,\u201d he says today of the masterful work she did. \u201cThose intricate windows added so much charm to the house. Seeing them go back in completely restored and functional\u2014it was a spectacular moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hardy found her calling in restoration after she and her husband bought a 1782 farmhouse in the late 1990s. After two centuries of wear, the windows were drafty and rotting in spots; many had broken sash cords or were painted shut.<\/p>\n
Her modest goal at first: \u201cI just wanted to get the windows to open.\u201d She borrowed woodworking tools from her husband, picked up detailed reference books such as Working Windows by Terence Meany and Repairing Old and Historic Windows by the New York Landmarks Conservancy\u2014this was many years before YouTube\u2014and slowly, over several months, taught herself to fix them.<\/p>\n
Today, she operates out of a 5,000-square-foot \tworkshop in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where she works on more than 1,500 windows each year. She has trained a dozen-strong team to help, their backgrounds as varied as the windows they coax back to life. There\u2019s a former recording engineer, a home health aide, even a private investigator, all drawn to work \u201cwhere they see the results of their labor at the end of the day,\u201d Hardy says.<\/p>\n
Many of Hardy\u2019s employees have developed into specialists over the years: Mary Salach is an expert glazier, Dylan Runnion is Hardy\u2019s go-to woodworker, and Elaine \u201cLainey\u201d Kenney is known for her precision with a paintbrush. They rely mostly on hand tools for their careful work; sometimes that involves repairing a damaged sash, but a lot of it boils down to less-elevated tasks. \u201cReally, truly, 90 percent of what we do is paint scraping,\u201d Hardy says. Right now, the team is busy restoring some 50 original windows removed from the Dracut Centre School, an 1898 schoolhouse that\u2019s being converted into affordable housing for veterans (see sidebar, right).<\/p>\n
High-profile jobs like this one help Hardy convince more people that old windows are worth saving. When homeowners open a window to find the bottom rail rotting from decades of pooled rainwater, they tend to see a lost cause. But because antique windows are typically made from dense, old-growth wood, they\u2019re built to last and designed to be disassembled and repaired over and over again. And when paired with weatherstripping and a storm window, a restored single-pane window can be nearly as energy efficient as a new double-pane window, making repair a more cost-effective choice.<\/p>\n
Of course, the original windows are likely the perfect fit for any historical structure, both physically and architecturally\u2014modern windows can never totally replicate their elegant proportions and refined muntin patterns. \u201cOld windows are just so beautiful,\u201d says Hardy, who still marvels at the craftsmanship they display. Once restored, windows that have been around for a century can last another 100 years, she adds. \u201cYou can\u2019t find a new window with that kind of warranty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Gagne<\/p>\n
A steam treatment softens putty and loosens the bond of the paint to the wood. Here, Hardy puts a window into an insulated stainless steel cabinet that holds up to two sashes at a time as it fills with hot steam; the window will stay in the steam box for up to an hour. Its mechanics have already been assessed: Damaged sash cords were removed, and hardware was set aside to be cleaned and repaired. They\u2019ll be replaced on-site when the window is reinstalled, ensuring it opens and closes smoothly. <\/p>\n
Hardy\u2019s team uses a variety of tools to remove layers of old paint from windows, including scrapers, random-orbit sanders, and handheld vacuums with HEPA filters. But she never uses chemical paint strippers: \u201cThey make a mess and can damage the wood,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Alex Gagne<\/p>\n
Since old windows are likely to have traces of lead paint, Hardy dons a custom-fitted respirator; the shop\u2019s workbenches are topped with fiberglass grates and equipped with downdraft fans to suck dust and debris through a prefilter and a HEPA filter. To remove stubborn paint, she pairs a scraper with an infrared heat gun designed to operate at a low enough temperature that it won\u2019t vaporize lead paint.<\/p>\n
Alex Gagne<\/p>\n
Once a window is down to the bare wood, any necessary repairs can be made. Here, woodworker Dylan Runnion makes a dutchman repair by cutting and chiseling out a rotted portion of the sash.<\/p>\n
Runnion sizes the patch to be secured with epoxy. Hardy says she was lucky to recruit him. \u201cFinding someone who likes repairing woodwork is rare,\u201d she says. \u201cMostly they want to build new instead of fussing with the old stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Gagne<\/p>\n
The window is ready for glazing. With the exterior facing up, Mary Salach pushes a bed of putty into the rabbet, which keeps the glass from rattling. <\/p>\n
If the original glass can\u2019t be reused, a replacement piece\u2014sometimes pulled from Hardy\u2019s extensive collection of salvaged panes\u2014is cut to fit. Salach then beds the glass snugly in the putty. She secures it by setting tiny metal glazing points around the pane. <\/p>\n
Alex Gagne<\/p>\n
Salach pushes more putty into place against the rabbet. She runs a putty knife at an angle along the rabbet to shape a clean, beveled edge, which helps ensure that water sheds away from the wood. The putty knife has a rounded edge that won\u2019t scratch the glass. <\/p>\n
The putty typically takes 2 to 3 days to dry; then the window is primed and painted by Lainey Kenney. She doesn\u2019t use spray paint or masking tape\u2014 just brushes and precision. Kenney paints over the putty to seal it, and all but the outside edges of the sash that slide against the window jambs get paint. \u201cThis allows moisture to escape,\u201d Hardy explains. Weatherstripping is applied when the window is on-site and ready to be reinstalled. <\/p>\n
Grid View<\/p>\n