With the recent drop in temperatures [at least here in the Philadelphia region] our phones have been ringing quite a bit.  After four years we realize that we have entered "window season..."  For the next 10 weeks we will be working with people that are either existing clients that want more windows and doors upgraded or with folks we have spoken with throughout the past few years who have not opted to do anything with the windows.

During this period we have less time to spend with people interested in learning about "upgrading" their current windows.  So the next few blogs are going to be about the most common questions homeowners have about their windows.

The answer to the first question is "paint!"  - The question is why don't my windows seal well, or something to that effect.  There used to be a time when a homeowner or hired painter would remove your sashes from the frames, and unhook the chain, ropes or straps to paint them.  This is still the best way to paint your windows, but not everyone knows how to do this - and even if they did, many folks would elect to simply paint the windows in the frame anyway...

Implicit with the idea of removing your sashes, was also taking the time to prepare the windows for painting.  At the very least this means a thorough sanding, and probably means stripping off several layers of old paint - much of which contains lead - and other [worse] heavy metals.  If you take this step, you might feel guilty that your old glazing [which may have some asbestos in it] also need attention.  You wanted to knock out ten windows on a Saturday morning - doing it the old fashion way will probably limit you to two. 

Like most things your mother [or in this case grandmother] told you were good for your; properly prepping and painting windows is a lot of work.  This can be compounded by years of previous homeowners not taking care of their windows either. 

However, as the paint builds up on your windows they get thicker, most sashes at 1 3/4" thick.  So having an extra 1/8" to 1/4" of paint on both sides of your sash cane make them up to 25% of even 1/3 thicker than they should be.  If the parting bead [see glossary] is also slathered with old paint - there is basically no way you are going to get those windows to seal properly. 

So if your windows are drafty, the answer could be to cover them with plastic and complain about how ugly that looks all winter; or you could begin a process of stripping and repainting/glazing your windows.  Don't forget the primer... and remember latex primers cannot penetrate old wood well.  We use an alcohol based primer; it dries faster than latex so you will get part of your weekend back.