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What should I do with my windows?
Below are two of my worst windows, but all of them are basically dried out wood and I would like to revive them. Fortunately, no one has painted our woodwork inside so it's just bare wood, but with some water damage. What is the best way to clean them to prevent rot? Then do I use boiled linseed oil, boiled linseed oil + turpentine, or something else to revive the wood? Then can I simply varnish them?
Thanks!
-Carrie
Views: 98
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Phil on -
I don't know your best move, but those are the very same sash locks as our house has. They were made by the Reading Hardware Co., and the pattern is the Windsor Pattern. Yours are cast iron.
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Permalink Reply by BenningtonColonial on -
I'm certainly no expert, but giving them a good sanding and soaking with linseed oil followed by shellac will go a long way to revitalizing the wood. As for keeping them from rotting, my first thought would be to stop whatever is causing the damage in the first place. If you live in a cold climate and the window has no storm, start by adding one; usually, that is all you need to stop any damage caused by condensation. The first image would indicate that you have wooden screens. That being the case, if the glazing/putty around the glass is bad, rain could be making its way inside or into the wood around the glass causing the damage that you are seeing. Reglazing and a good paint job would solve that problem.
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Permalink Reply by Red Queen on -
Thanks! We rescued the glass storm windows from the basement this spring and they will be ready to put up this fall once the weather gets cold - so that should protect them in the winter. We started on a downstairs window in the kitchen (b/c the sash cords were broken) and it looks so much better that I'm afraid that I'll feel compelled to work on the remaining 16 windows...and these weren't even on my list of projects!! :P
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Vito on -
Those are bad at all!! You should see mine... ha.
I agree a nice sanding would probably go a long way. Get a nice smooth attractive surface to work with first. If when you are sanding long strips of wood start falling off... then you need to go the more extreme route of epoxy consolidation... but those pictures don't look that bad.
Please don't get fooled into thinking the "Linseed Oil" sold at big box stores is environmentally friendly or safe or non-toxic in some way. It's sold in the same metallic cans as paint stripper because it's just as horrible. It already has turpentine in it, and about 20 other horrible chemicals to force it to dry. If you want to go the linseed oil route find some organic, filtered, actually boiled, linseed oil. You'll be must happier with the results. I like organic linseed oil on things like windows because in the future you can just put more on. Easy maintenance. No need to take off the old stuff. perhaps a light sanding, but that's it.
Other options would be a de-waxed shellac as a sanding sealer, then a top coat like polyurethane. That gives a much more "finished" look then just linseed oil. smooth and a bit shiny ( depending on the glass of the coat. ) Linseed oil gives a very "raw" look to the wood. It's up to your personal preference really.
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Permalink Reply by Martin on -
Where do you find organic boiled linseed oil?? I didn't know it existed. I do plan on redoing all the woodwork in shellac and doing the floors with satin poly (since it is more durable). But I agree, your windows aren't that bad at all. Hopefully you won't need wood epoxy, but it does work pretty well. It is just kind of expensive.
What is considered de waxed shellac?? I was thinking maybe I could use this on my floor... then put some poly over it. But I do want my floor a darker color first.
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Vito on
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There are a few brands I have seen recently pop up on Amazon that claim to be cold filtered with no solvents. I use the stuff from a company called Allback. Oddly enough it's made in Sweden, but the only American importer is a 10 minute drive from my house, in Victor NY, so I don't even have to pay shipping! http://www.solventfreepaint.com/cleaned_linseed_oil.htm
De-waxed Shellac. Typical old school shellac has wax in it, which limits its usefulness. A while ago, someone figured out how to get the wax out of shellac. It makes an amazing sanding sealer and any top coat sticks to it. You can find it in flakes you mix up yourself in alcohol. Or you can get the Zinsser product called "SealCoat" http://www.amazon.com/Seal-Coat-Universal-Sanding-Sealer/dp/B000C02BXW
I used sealcoat as the sanding sealer for my floors. To restore them I used a hand belt sander to remove the older finish without gouging up the wood. A light touch with a 32 grit belt will get an old wax finish off without clogging. Then move up in grits to smooth out the wood. I then put two coats of sealcoat down, scoffed it up with some 120 grit paper, and then put down 3 coats of satin water based poly. The floors look great, and are really tough. I didn't color the shellac, or stain the floor. The old wood kept a lot of dark detail and the shellac gave it a nice golden hue. If you want to get some color I would suggest tinting the shellac with alcohol compatible stains. Putting the color in the shellac would give you total control over the shade, and allow for a quick shot with sand paper to even out an area that got too much color.
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Permalink Reply by Martin on
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thanks for the info! I will have to try that out since I will be to the wood working stage here soon. I do have some shellac dye and I did some experiments. I really wanted to stain the shellac, rather than stain the wood. Just about all of my floors were this dark walnut color (I have yellow pine floors) except for the master bedroom, which must have been carpeted since new. I figured it would be a lot easier to remove the shellac rather than sand off stain.
But that clears some stuff up for me. I appreciate the information!
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Permalink Reply by John Leeke on -
That looks like a very nice exterior glazing and painting job on that upper sash.
Be careful with deciding to use linseed oil. It can act like frosting on the cake for the organisms that eat wood.
Here's more on selecting materials and finishing wooden sash:
http://historichomeworks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=955
including a finish schedule for sash with a clear interior finish and a painted exterior finish.
John
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