Hello there. Welcome to my channel. My name is Ed and I love to restore things. On this channel you will find a number of projects that I want to share with you. Ranging from a vintage drum kit restoration to double glazing old window frames to restoring old clock cases. There are many more themes on their way. I hope you enjoy what I share and that you and learn something new. Maybe it gives you ideas for your own projects. I am not endorsed by any one neither do I endorse any products. Feel free to ask me questions and I will give you an honest answer. Thank you for your time. Ed
@@Jonnysonone Hello. Thanks for getting in touch. It’s actually a 3 part system made by Dulux. The first part is the etcher followed by an undercoat then the top coat. Not easy to find in stores but if you look in their Dulux Trade section for Weathershield 1 preservative primer (square tin) , 2 undercoat and 3 topcoat (usual round tin), you will find them.
Hello Richard. Thanks for getting in touch. The units I use to double glaze the frames are all one piece. Unise multiple untis in one frame will not work. Hope this helps.
Nice work. One things needs correction: (in the table at 5:12) It's a common misconception that double glazed units have a vacuum (ie no air) inbetween the glass panes. This is not the case! It's usually dried air, sometimes inert gas. The atmospheric pressure at sea level resting on the glass is approx 1kg per cm2. If it contained a vacuum, a double-glazed pane of 1x1 metre would have to bear the mass of 10000kg (10 tons) resting on each sheet. Clearly that's not possible given the thickness of the glass.
Hi, these windows look really good. Well done. I would like to use 14mm double glazing on my Victorian 4 pane sash windows, is there any reason I can't replace each pane separately, as the way you have done it looks too advanced for me? Thank you
Thanks for the email Andy. Greatly appreciated. To add 4 separate panes to one frame would be 4 times more difficult due to alignment. Managing one large pane is easier than 4 separate ones. Also, the width of the metal edge separator bars found in the double glazed unit are around a minimum of 12mm deep. That means a total of 26mm min (including 2mm air gap) that the wooden Muntins will need to cover. On all the windows I have seen there is not 26mm available so you will see the metal separator bars in tine double glazed unit peeking out behind the wood. Hope this helps.
Hello. Thanks for the comments. Yes, no pins were used in this video. The same goes for all the glass in my wooden green house - all the glass is retained with silicon.
Fantastic video. Could you revisit the house now the frames and exterior have been completed and painted, and add a part two to show the finished article?
What a great video, so informative. I am quite an experienced woodworker used to making cabinets etc. I'm usually pretty confident at making and modifying in wood, however I have one question. If you deepen the rebate to take the much thicker glass unit isn't there a risk that the strength of the sash (frame) will be weakened? Does the stiffness and strength of the new glass unit compensate for the weakening of the sash? I guess as its one large sheet rather than 2 or 3 sheets of single glass, it contributes to the strength? Thank you
Hi, A couple of questions if I may: At 4.16, you show spacers, the vertical one is 15mm and the horizontal one is 12mm. Why is there a 3mm difference? The double-glazed unit has internal bars/spacers that line up with the internal timber dividers - what is the purpose of these internal bars/spacers in the double-glazed unit? Could you use a 'regular' double-glazed unit without these inner bars/spacers?
Hello Mike. Thanks for getting in touch. The spacers you mention are there to segregate the sections of the window and the separation distance is dictated by the thickness of the wood they hide behind. In this particular frame there were 3 panes of glass, one lower and two upper. Without the spacers there to segregate the single double glazed unit the view you see at 13:49 in the video would be of the inside of the wooden spacers. IMHO not a good look. With the spacers the window looks like 3 double glazed units. I hope this helps.
Hi, I found your video very interesting and informative. In the new year I will be doing the same thing with 7 windows. I had already given quite a bit of thought to how I would do it but your video have given me ideas to improve on what I had intended to do. Have subscribed :)
@@warwickshireworkshop9186 Highly recommend that you look into microporous paints like Bedec MSP. Dulux is just too inflexible for exterior wood, it can last a few years but it will crack, develop blistering and peeling. And can trap moisture in the wood. Becomes a pain when you have to refresh it because you have to strip it completely.
@@ComeWhatThey Thank you for the information. It's always good to get feedback and advice. I will have a look the next time I repair an external window.
Thank you for the video! It’s really helpful. I’m just wondering how I might measure for the double glazed unit without removing the glass first? We don’t want to leave the house without windows for any length of time. Thanks
Hello Alex ‘Sensational’ Harvie. Thanks for getting in touch and I’m glad you found the video helpful. Did you know there is a band with the same name as you? Back on track - You will need to board up the window once the sash is removed as it will take a few days to strip the frame, repair it, router it out, repaint it and put it all together. This will take over a week minimum allowing 24 hours for each coat of paint to dry (if the room is warm that is). If you take it out measure it and on the same day, send the details to your glazing company, the glass should be back with you before you have finished painting the frame. You could also take the whole unit to the glazier on the day you remove it, explain what you want and they will measure it for you. If it shows up wrong (it has happened to me) they will have to get another one made, costing you nothing. Again, the DGU should be with you before the frame is dry. Your house is more secure boarded up than it is with single pane glazing. I sometimes paint a window onto the board to make it look a little more pleasant esp. if it faces the road. The other way is to measure the width and length from the inside edge of the frame then ask the glazier to add on the dimension of the separator bars so the full width and length of the DGU is the dimension you measured plus the separator. This will then place the inside of the separator bar level with the wooden frame. Remember to router the frame out 2mm all round for expansion and 4mm at the bottom. Hope this helps. Any more questions feel free to email me. Thanks. Ed
This is great. I want to do this to some old single pane French doors. The panes are all puttied in at the moment. If I was to replace with this method would I need nails or would silicone and beads be strong enough? Joe
Hello Joe. Thanks for the message. Silicon is extremely strong so nails will not be needed. I would think you might have to deconstruct the mullions and by using a router table, reduce the depth of each one then stick them onto the DGU. If not make a jig to support them while you use the router. It will be painstaking work but with patience it should work. I have not used this method on French doors even though I have a set in the house. Let us all know how you get on.
Hello Fox Woodworking. Thanks for getting in touch. I am very happy with the unit. Its basically an electric motor and a fan and the whole unit is working well. It allows me to extract large amounts of dust from various machines and keeps the air clean.
Hello Daniel. Thanks for getting in touch and for the positive comments. Appreciated. I cut a sheet of 11mm OSB down to size, paint it white and screw it into place. If the window faces the predominant direction of wind and rain I add a bit of clear silicon for draught and water protection. I paint the OSB white as it looks better than plain OSB. If I had any artist skills I'd draw a sash window and a pot plant on it but thats beyond me. Hope this helps.
And that’s why I use them, all I get is “sorry to hear that sir would you like to try this one or would you like a refund” no disagreements, no messing about, none of this “are you using it correctly sir” I can’t fault them.
Sorry for being pedantic, but I wish you had added another glazing bar on the lower pane to complete a Victorian sash. Window looks Unfinished and dreadful. Great job otherwise.
Hello Richard. Thanks for the email. The original windows in this house had only one pane of glass in the lower section of the frame so this was a pure restoration project and the brief was to double glaze the original units which I did. You can see the original sash windows in the last few pictures of the video.
I'd Love to Jonathan, Unfortunately I am all maxed out currently. If you have a house that needs double glazing, can I suggest you try Mike Honour Windows.
I was thinking isn't it a good idea to drill a couple of holes from the bottom of the glass either directly down or at a gradient to the side of the frame for any moisture to drain ?
Hello Zirman. The original steel weights are normally cylinders of cast iron with domed ends. Adding anything to these is difficult as the space in the sash frame is limited. Lead is the only way to go if you are converting to Double glazed units.
Great tutorial, but I would like to see one where they replace the glass while the window is in situ. I have an Edwardian home and some of the windows are slave/fixed, they do not open. But the single glazing need replacing and I am absolutely dreading tackling them.
Hello Lilla. Thanks for getting in touch. Can you share a picture? Without seeing the windows, I would think that the biggest issue would be rebating the frame to allow the DGU to be installed. If you cannot get a router deep enough into the wood, then whoever does this will have to use a chisel to rebate the frame. If the window does not have any Muntins, i.e. only made up of one single pane it would be possible to do in situ. Otherwise - if it went in - it can come out, it should be removed on that basis. Sorry I have no magic wand to help.
@@warwickshireworkshop9186 Thank you very much for your quick response, you are a true gentleman! My biggest fear is that the muntins are too slim and they are rebated. I have successfully replaced single glass panes in our front door with stained glass but that was child's play compared to this. My windows are like this (these are new windows in the pic) except there are two fan windows (8 panes altogether) on the top and only one wing opens. www.homeadviceguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wooden-windows-cost.jpg
@@lillahamvas9700 Thank you for the picture. Without looking in detail at the actual window. If I was to work on the window in this picture, I would suggest you remove the 3 panes of glass and the 3 muntin’s totally. You then have a choice. Fit one single DGU and have it look like one pane of glass or ask for dividers installed in the DGU where the muntin’s were and stick on external glazing bars (Pieces of wood) to cover the gaps between the internal dividers. This will make it look like it is still 3 panes of glass. Depending on how small the fan windows are removing the muntin’s will let in more light and might look OK without the 8 panes of glass. I would still try to remove the one that is fixed, it should come out.
Also separately. Thank you for saving the glass and making its importance part of your video. That’s a great thing to promote, thoroughly responsible workmanship. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Videos on this subject have been so hard to find. PVC and the like choke the net but this is by far the best I’ve seen on retrofitted double glazing to proper wooden windows. Thanks for a great tutorial. May I ask approximate costs?
Hello mingueyox. Thank you for getting in touch. The window frames in this video are a soft wood, not sure exactly what this one was but I assume it is pine.
@@warwickshireworkshop9186 Thank you for the quick answer. I am up to restoring and making new windows for an old cottage here in Ireland. Your video is very helpful. Cheers
@@mingueyox Your welcome. Hope they work out well. The key is a good paint finish. Try using aluminium paint as an undercoat with a metal paint top coat. I have just finished a house with these and in black - they look great. Best of luck.
@@mingueyox no sorry. The video shows the Dulux Trade weathershield 3 coat system that has an etch coat to start. The other option is apply aluminium paint direct to the dry bare wood. Followed by a metal over coat. As aluminium primer paint is about 40% metal it's like coating wood with a metal coating. Very tough.
Great videos and commentary. Love the attention you detail descriptions of each of the scaffold fixings. Looking forward to seeing the finished product v
Can I ask how much thickness was left in the frame holding the glazing after the routing. I want to do the same but will be left with approx 8mm in the frame and 8mm for the bead. Windows are sash type
Hi Rodney. Thanks for getting in touch. To be honest I don't know as I have never measured it. I am going back to a previous customers house where the glass has smashed due to an accident, When I am there I will measure up and get back to you. Hope this does not delay your project. However. 8mm does sound a bit thin but on the other hand it only has to stop the glass from falling out. If you are in the UK there is little risk of tornados or hurricanes sucking the glass out so you might get away with it. I would try mocking up a frame and then see how strong it is, I think you will be surprised.
@@rodneyjacome6117 Hello Rodney. I measured up one of the frames yesterday. I have 19mm left on the frame after rebating. So a bit more than double yours.. What's the depth of your beading. As you can see in the video I've skimmed mine down a bit and they hold well.
Hello Jason. Thanks for dropping us a line. It is easier to fit one piece of glass than it is three. You will have to create a gap between each DGU so would run out of wood to hide the separator bars behind. Hope this helps.
Good video well presented, a general point worth noting is the use of steel pins to hold single glazed pane in place. Not a great idea because eventually rust or corrosion will form and Bear down and crack the glass. It’s a common site when looking at period single glassed timber frames....the crack on the corner! and the culprit is the securing pins. I’ve also seen pins actually working their way out of timber. Through expansion and contraction the timber squeezes on the tapered point pushing it up and out or stuck half way. Also would like somebody to come up with drainage idea on timber glazing same as plastic windows,thus extending unit and timber life.
Hello Chris. Thanks for getting in touch. Yes, steel pins are not the best. I've also damaged a few router bits on pins that broke in half when they were removed. That tell tale sign of sparks when you rebate the frame is not something I want to see.
Hi, enjoyed the video. One thing I would mention which is you can have gas filled units from 4-4-4 upwards so a 4-6-4 can easily be filled with Argon, Krypton and Xenon. You can also use a warmedge spacer which is more efficient than the standard one. The downside with the duplex system which you used is it can be prone to thermal cracking where the gap between the spacer bar in the middle of the unit and the glass is not enough when the unit expands and contracts through the year. The best way to solve this it to buy the unit fitted with toughened glass.......... All the Best Adrian
Thanks for the feedback Adrian, myself and the subscribers will find this very useful. My glazier said it was not possible to fill these DGU’s with gas so I will ask around and seek more information. It would be beneficial if I can get a supply of gas filled DGU’s, I am sure there will be a supplier in the midlands who can do this. Also, good information on the warmedge spacers. Luckily for me, all the units I supplied in this house are toughened glass as the bottom of the windows are lower than 0.5m to the floor, so UK regulations state all glass must be toughened. Cheers Ed
@@warwickshireworkshop9186 You're welcome Ed . For the past 3 months I've been working on Grade II Listed properties and they would only accept the 4-4-4 Heritage units which have a warm edge spacer and filled with Krypton gas. You can fit them in an 8mm high rebate but the problem is they either last 20yrs or 2yrs and most companies will only give a 2yr warranty on them. They are also hugely expensive too at around £130 sq meter and you can only have them fairly small otherwise the panes can touch and you get what they can "Newtons Ring" which appears like a ring,halo in the middle.. All the best Adrian
That was a very informative video, thanks. I'm curious, how does the finish product compare to uPVC windows in terms of energy efficiency and U value? And was your main objective in saving cost and maintaining the classic look?
Hi Bel. Thanks for your message. As the Double glazed unit in these windows is thinner than the normal upvc DGU's the efficiency is slightly less, if you are just comparing DGU's. I'm not sure about the U Value so cannot comment. The cost of performing this piece of work to having the original sash windows ripped out and replaced with plastic is far cheaper and you retain the looks, so yes, that's why I did it. The house shown in this video is the only house in the road that still has the original windows. Even by hiring a decorator every 5 years to paint the outside in order to maintain the wood, it would take decades before you reach the cost of UPVC replacements units. Hope this answers your questions.
Thanks a lot for the the great video and answers to previous comment! I have some more questions if you don't mind. Thanks in advance! 1) what are your thoughts on wet glazing (with silicone) Vs dry glazing (adhesive tape)? 2) some double glazing video on youtube show the drilling of drainage holes through the bottom rail, to allow any water that may have entered to escape. You yourself mention this potential issue to justify the spacer at the bottom. How is the water supposed to come out without holes? 3) did you say to leave a 4mm gap at the bottom but then used 2mm spacer, won't the gap then be 2mm at the bottom and 4mm at the top? 4) how do you choose the width of the double glazing. I think you used 18mm, but wouldn't 24mm or even 28mm be better? i.e: What is the minimum amount of wood to be left on the inside to hold the glass? 5) how thick are your beads? They look quite thin. Are they siliconed both to the glass and the rails? 6) Can you give some more advice on the routing out of the deeper/larger opening on the side/top rails?
Hello Marcdebattista. I hope you are well and thank you for the positive comments. To answer your questions, please see the following. 1) I have used tape to hold the outer beads onto glass and it has proved successful. I only use a 3M VHB tape which works well. However, I prefer silicone to bond the glass to the frame. 2) In my mind. Drilling holes allows water vapour and insects to get inside the wood (or block it up). I prefer to stop the water getting in in the first place. Attention to detail is the key. If the frame rebate is well painted a bit of water wont hurt. The problem is if it freezes when touching the glass, hence the 4mm gap. 3) Well spotted. It should be a 4mm spacer. 4) I use 14mm thick Double Glazed Unit (4mm toughened glass, 6 mm silver spacer and another pane of 4mm toughened glass). This was best for the frames that existed in this house. Anything thicker would look odd when looking at the window from the inside of the house as the flat part of the inner bead would have been removed. Obviously the thicker the DGU the better the insulation. You can also fill thicker DGU’s with inert gas that makes the insulation better. You cant do this with 14mm units, so my glazer told me. 5) They are quite thin in this case but I did not measure them so cannot tell you the exact size. I used hard wood for better weathering. I have used double sided tape to stick the beads to the glass but that only creates a bond between the bead to the glass. When using tape I relied on paint to cover the gap between the bead and the frame. It’s easier and just effective to use silicone for both points of contact. 6) If the frame contains old hard putty I would use an old router bit to remove it back to the frame. (It blunts the bit quickly) Then I normally start by routing out sideways to the width I require in small 2mm steps. Then drop the depth and repeat the process. Pay attention to bits of old glazing nails left in the frame. Sometimes, not all of the nail comes out. I hope this answers your questions. Please let me know if you have any more as I am happy to help.
@@warwickshireworkshop9186 Thanks a lot for your detailed answers, it is very helpful! I have since come across the 'THE B6 HEEL BEAD SEAL SECURITY GLAZING SYSTEM' from Hodgson (one of several solutions). They have very informative technical specs for different configurations (fully bedded, drained, new or retrofit). They pretty much illustrate the solutions presented in the GGF Glazing Manual. Have you come across these resources? Apparently the DG unit seal is prone to failure if the wrong type of silicone is used and their products shouldn't cause any issues.
@@marcdebattista Thanks for this. A colleague mentioned this to me last Wednesday but I have not looked at it yet. I'm not to worried about the degradation of the DGU seal as the silicon I use does not come into contact with it. So far, all my DGU's have lasted quite a few years without any problem. Cheers.
Hello Shannon. I chose this one as it offered value for money. So far I am happy with it's performance. I don't use it everyday or for long periods but it works well and is powerfull. If you buy one I would advise you remove the circular reinforcing plate in the inlet as it blocks large chips from exiting the inlet hose. Would I buy another one if this was stolen? Yes.
My father would replace his broken glazing himself however he failed to realise that you really need to prime the wood before puttying otherwise the wood would soak the oil out of the putty it would then crack despite applying a top coat to the putty when it dried.
My father used to do an emergency stop everytime he saw a skip and salvage old window frames because he wanted the 3mm glass which you could no longer buy for broken windows we would get now and then being next to a public alleyway. Because 4mm glass didn't balance with the weights on sliding sash cord windows.
Yes Mark. The Old glass is irreplaceable. All the old glass I remove from my windows I pass onto a specialist window renovation company who come to the house and collect it. It is that important to them as you cannot get it any more.
