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greer206

Window reglazing question

greer206
11 years ago

Hello,

I'm a new homeowner with 60 year old aluminum frame (about 20 or so) single pane windows. The frames and glass are in ok shape but the putty/glazing has deteriorated badly. It is hard, brittle, and flaking... and moderately difficult to remove using a decent quality hand scraper.

My question is this: Can I take most of it off and reglaze over with some quality putty (looking at sarco dual glaze)? or will it fail if I don't remove all the old stuff first?

Thanks for any help!

Eric

Comments (7)

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    All the old putty needs to be removed and the frames cleaned in order for the new putty to stick. Otherwise your wasting your time.

  • Clarion
    11 years ago

    A heat gun will greatly aide in removal. Be sure to use an oil based glazing compound. Or, nowadays, caulk is a very viable alternative.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    "caulk is a very viable alternative."

    Only if you want horrible looking job.

    Even the 'glazing putty' in a caulk tube is not all that successful.

    The inability to manipulate the putty and warm it up by rolling in your hands makes it very hard to work and strike off cleanly.

  • dilettante_gw
    11 years ago

    I have a few related questions about glass putty --

    How long do you have to wait before painting oil-based putty? I've heard that it's a matter of days, but how many? Is there any way to speed up the curing of the putty, or a brand of putty that cures faster? How can you tell when it's cured enough to paint?

    Also, how thick should the putty be applied? I had a pane of glass replaced recently by a local glass company, and the putty looks like it was applied more thinly than it was on the other panes in the window. I'm concerned about durability and longevity, not appearance (it's a basement window that's hidden by shrubbery).

    Thanks!

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    "the putty looks like it was applied more thinly than it was on the other panes in the window."

    Unless the other pans are done VERY badly they should have matched them.

  • dilettante_gw
    11 years ago

    Brickeye, the other panes are what I always thought was standard -- the putty slopes at a 45-degree angle between the muntins and the glass.

    I agree that they should have matched the new putty to the old, but I'd rather not ask them to re-do the glazing unless the putty's likely to fail.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    I would not have paid until the work was done correctly.

    The longer you wait the harder it becomes to remove the shoddy job and do it correctly.

    The putty is still curing.

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