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| Can they be restored?
I have lots of them, the original to the house. They do not have a mechanism, just open and secure with a hook. They are in desperate need for repair. Gaps, too tight or too loose to the frame etc. Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Could be. It depends on your skills. If they're single glazed, I wouldn't bother. But a hook is not adequate for air sealing. Any pics? |
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I am talking hiring someone with experience and the windows are really old, single pane. I am looking around and I see a lot of info about restoring old double hang windows but nothing about casement. Those are the original 1903 windows and it might be worth saving some for the character of the home.  |
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| The steps for stripping, sanding, priming, reglazing and painting will all be the same as double hung windows. Feel free to use any of those publications as a guide. Casement windows are actually simpler since they are basically just panels on a hinge. The real art is going to be aligning the windows to the openings. The side away from the hinge has a tendency to sag over the years and the panel gets pulled out of square. If it is too bad, then that would probably take it out of the DIY range. Other than that, you hang them the same way you do a door. Once restored, you are going to need some weather stripping - just like a door. Also, they will need some sort of lock that holds the door snuggly in place. You could always keep the hooks for decoration and add a non-obtrusive latch. |
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| "The real art is going to be aligning the windows to the openings" Yup, that's what I am talking about. Reglazing and stripping is not my worry. I am going to call a couple window restoration guys and see what they say. |
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| These are great looking windows. I had similar ones in my last home but they were made out of brass or bronze so my only restoration involved glazing. If you don't find a guy who is willing to repair them, they are available new. Most suppliers in NYC area if I remember right. Good luck. |
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- Posted by artmoderne (My Page) on Sat, Feb 6, 10 at 23:41
| Your windows are beautiful! We are planning to restore our original steel casement windows this spring. We are mostly concerned with getting them as air tight as possible. If there are any we can't seal, we will buy interior storms for the drafts. |
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| Update: I did consult a couple of professionals and they think it can be done. Some play with the hinges and weatherstripping will make them pretty good. Happily nothing is rotten. I am thinking to buy the inside storm windows too. I will let you know after we fix the first one. |
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- Posted by sacto_diane (My Page) on Sun, Feb 7, 10 at 23:35
| First, Kudos for wanting to restore instead of replace. You don't mention where you live but you can check the NEWRA website for some references if you are in the North East. http://www.windowrestorationne.org/ Also John Leeke's website has a lot of DIY info plus some references to folks who do window repair/restoration http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/index.htm Terry Meany's book "Working Windows" is also a good reference on restoring windows http://www.amazon.com/Working-Windows-3rd-Repair-Restoration/dp/159921 3117 Also the folks on Old House Web can give you an earful on restoring your windows. http://www.oldhouseweb.com/forums/ Diane |
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| yes, I already checked those sites and I did find some excellent professionals to consult. Although we did restore the double hung windows in our previous home ourselves we do not feel comfortable working with the casements and I hate hinges of any kind. I think right now I ll start with hiring help see how it is properly done and then later if I feel more comfortable I ll attack some of the windows myself. I have tons of them :) |
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