How to Restore a Historic Wooden Window - Step by Step 

Found this video at just the right time. About to jump into restoring my grandparents house built in 1932. The windows really had me worried. Thanks for the great info!

I just bought a 1900's old house and with the original windows and seem to me after I been watching this video I will be able to restore them.. Thanks

I just bought my first historical house and almost all the double hungs are painted shut and ropes cut... this video made me feel super confident about restoring them myself. Super thorough and informative, thanks!!

Brent, In the 1970’s I was my fathers assistant to his home improvement company that he opened due to the 70’s mass layoffs in the farm equipment industries in the Quad Cities centered around Davenport, Iowa. I can’t count the number of historic windows that he and I restored. I still have his Red Devil PD1 glazier point gun and have occasionally used it for setting pictures in frames. You brought back wonderful memories of working on beautiful historic mansions overlooking the Mississippi River. I so miss working around these homes. We worked closely with the Mueller lumber company which was the premier supplier of woods and mouldings back then. Their own supplies of profile cutter heads to recreate all the mouldings from this period of the 1800’s and later. I almost cry thinking about where these machines and heads ended up at after this company closed its doors due to the onslaught of the “big box” lumberyards. There are many in the quad cities who still keep trying to revive these beautiful mansions overlooking the Mississippi. Please keep up the good work. Tom iossi

Love this, I always thought old was bad and just wanted new everything. But the new things now days has no craftsmanship it's all the same...So with that being said I am keeping my old windows now..Thanks brent

This is an awesome tutorial and I 100% agree with you on the value of saving the historic details. Nobody will ever put that much time, care, artistry and class into new stock. Old is gold

These videos are a godsend! I am hanging on your every word. Not a builder, just an aspiring old house homeowner here, but eager to learn all I can about historic preservation so I can do it in my own home someday. I’m starting to collect old books that you’ve recommended and binge watching all of your videos. Thank you for passing this precious information on for future generations!! ❤️🙏

Love your passion for wood windows! Definitely going to save and refer to your glazing tutorial for my house!

Thank you, Brent! We live in an old "twin" outside Philly and still have our original 115+ year old windows. We've refinished many of them over the past 18 years and are currently refinishing 3 double hungs from our main bedroom. It's a lot of work, and I hate to admit that I often question myself on why we are doing it, especially when 99% of the people that I talk to about our restoration think we are crazy because they are old and drafty. But if they have survived 100 years, they will survive 100 more with a little bit of effort! Thanks for giving me the energy and validation to keep on restoring them!

i live in a 1920s house i was raised in (now own) you inspired me to fix my up my 2nd floor windows like originally. my father had the bottom ones already remolded to new, i was going to replace the 2nd floor the way my dad did. thank you for this, truly your content so far has changed my prospective on how im going get my home efficient and preserve the history of the old farm house. coming from a new 25 year old homeowner.

Thanks for the video. I recently moved into a historic house within a historic district. Your vids really taught me a lot about my house and helped me better appreciate the craftsmanship and longevity of my old windows. I will be restoring them instead of replacing them.

"50 degrees in Texas probably isn't the best day to be glazing a window." That statement right there is why this is probably the best window restoration video I've seen yet. You didn't wait for perfect conditions, and you encountered issues with the window while you were working on it, that you didn't edit out. These are real world situations that apply to every day folks. We don't always have the luxury of perfect conditions, and now I won't have to Google, "what do I do if my glazing is cold?" Great work, and great video. It will help me with my 106 year old house. I've decided not to replace the windows, but restore/have them restored.

Yours are the best videos on RU-vid for this topic. Thank you sooooo much!!!

Wow. Never realized how much time, effort and detail were involved in these historic windows. It's breathtaking and beautiful. Your knowledge and hands on expertise is teaching me an enormous amount. I wish you could see what I've got going on out here in Colorado. I'm in the San Luis Valley and as I mentioned before, about to begin construction on a new "old" house and to learn how to build this way I've been privy to several actual historic structures of the turn of the century or older variety, some of which are partially or even fully stripped down to only their entire frames just sitting there complete. I've taken tons of pictures and walked around these structures studying every single detail to see exactly how they were built so that I could copy it detail for detail to a tee as if an exact replica. I cannot get enough of history and am obsessed by these older things. I have always been that way even since a child. It's like a dream and a blessing from God to be able to preserve and build in this way. You're like an encyclopedia when it comes to these matters. I'm the same way when it comes to classic cars. I restored classics for many, many years and your level of knowledge is extremely impressive to me. I'm very grateful to you for sharing what you know so willingly. Very thankful to you! I'm just binge watching you a lot now. I'm learning so much. I remember back in the 1990s I lived in Fort Worth for a spell and the big talk about were the Bass Brothers who restored many of the older buildings down town and I used to hang out there a lot too. I'm sure you know all about it. Many times I have a very strong admiration for older things, but haven't a clue of the different parts and pieces or their names or details or full functions and you teach me so much in that regard. You're a true, real live expert. Anyway. You have one of the best jobs of all time! God is good. Peace.

i was actually just arguing with my father about this rental renovation we have here in Meriden, Connecticut. its a 3 story built in 1900s that still has some ceramic electrical lines going thru it, as well as these style of windows. i was looking for a company to come gives a us a quote on changing these windows, meanwhile my father is a "if its not broke don't fix it" type of guy. so i ended up going on RU-vid to look at how i could instead restore some of the painted over , stuck, no longer functioning windows and i am SUPER excited now after watching your video. i will be taking before and afters and emailing them to you very soon Brent, thank you.

I’m so so grateful for your work! It’s so important to save our American architecture!

This is a brilliant tutorial!! Thanks so much for for passing on such valuable advice.

Thanks for showing all the tools and details involved in the job. I have all wood storms original from 1918. I'm convinced I need to learn how to take care of my old house myself and your videos are tremendously helpful.

Thanks Brett, Very inspiring. Love historic windows!

Thankyou so much. This is a fabulous video. I’ve rescued an old sash window from the skip and I want to upcycle it and put it in my bathroom. Your video has been amazing, I now feel more confident to have a go to replace the pane of glass and make it beautiful again . Much love from England 🤩

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to make this thoroughly helpful video. I didn't have pocket doors to access my weights like other's videos have shown. Thanks to you I learned to access the weights behind the casings and mullions. It took me a while to get through the many layers of paint and caulk but I must say my restored functioning windows are absoultely beautiful! Thank you so very much :)

Omg this is so helpful as I attempt to dIY my way through repainting and restoring my 1927 craftsman bungalow to its glory!! Thank you so much!

I have eight windows in my house in that pattern. I restored many of them through the years in the same manner you showed. Great instructional video, Brent!

Love your passion , you’re a master in your field.

I'm not done watching this video and all I can say is that this video is a GEM! thank you!

Thank you for this wonderful video! I did a few months of glazier work as part of my vocational training in Oregon, & my favorite part was re-glazing the beautiful historic windows people brought in. I was even fortunate enough to do some work on Point Adams Research Station in Hammond. Came here to brush up on skills so I can restore some windows in my friend's house for them, & this was everything I was hoping for! Your love for your craft really shines through.

Thank you for this! I just bought a 1870s house that needs the windows reglazed. Such a tremendous help!

This is great! Love watching someone real just getting the job done. P.S. Love the theme rifts, "Don't ask me no questions, and I won't tell you no lies." Lolol Perfect!

Outstanding video 😁. Hopefully people will keep the historical window's. Maybe companies will start admitting that the PVC windows are a disaster. Fantastic educational video as well. Thanks again for sharing your expertise. God bless 🙏

This is great! Thank you!

Amazing video. Thank you so much for showing the entire process of restoring a historic wood window in a 1920’s bungalow. Greetings from The Heights, Houston.

I learned so much on this video. I've ripped these out in the past without a second thought as I had never taken the time to really understand them or their benefits. Thank you Brent!

Thankyou so much. This is a fabulous video. I’ve rescued an old sash window from the skip and I want to upcycle it and put it in my bathroom. Your video has been amazing, I now feel more confident to have a go to replace the pane of glass and make it beautiful again . Much love from England 🤩 I also invest in Dako Windows manufacturer.

Great video! Thank you!

Big help! I'm about to reinstall 6 windows. Lots of questions answered. Best video for restoration!!

Thank you sir, great videos!

Thank you. i am restoring a historic building and this info will help alot

Hi, Brent. I'm a new subscriber and you get first prize for the quality, simplicity of understanding and amount of information in your videos! I'm in Deep East Texas and about 3 months ago my mom gave me my Dad's 29 acre Camp with an old shotgun house on it. As near as we can tell, the house was built around the lumber mill in a town about 15 miles away...maybe close to 100 years ago. At some point the house was moved to this property and a sleeping porch was added to the East side. Hard wood floors. Wood framed windows. In restoring the cabinets I found the marks in the drawers to tell me they were cut using a handsaw. Oh, the stories I've deduced from this house! 🤗 I'm pretty sure this house was a family residence at first, but it eventually was just used as a hunting camp by the time my dad bought it in '81. Dad used it as his weekend getaway for time with God and nature. Someone (before Dad) painted EVERYTHING yellow. Walls, cabinets, windows, door frames... everything is yellow. ...even the heavy wicker loveseat. 🤦‍♀️ Now, I've refinished the cabinets, having stripped 4 layers of paint. I stained them antique maple with wrought iron hinges and white, ceramic knobs. My next project, before cold weather sets in, is the windows. My now retired husband remembers helping his dad work on wood windows but I'm clueless. After watching this video I feel confident I can tackle this job! My goal is to complete 1 window per day. I'll have 18 windows in a shotgun house that's approximately 430 sq. ft. : there are 9 large windows on the sleeping porch. All windows have the old wavy glass. Some are 4/4 pane; some are 4/1. Window over sink is 2/2. Your previous video on why to keep historic, wood windows comforted me on energy efficiency. Thank you! I plan on getting started this week. p.s.: my windows will NOT be yellow when I finish! 🙄 I'm going to keep it simple with white. 😁 If you're still interested in window projects I'll try to briefly track my progress and share with you.

thank you so much for this video it answered all my questions before restoring my windows.

Great video. Will use some of your wisdom to restore windows on my 1915 elementary school. I’ll share pics as I go.

Excellent instructor.

This was a great tutorial.

I love this program. Me and my girl bought a house built in 19 teens I think 1914 is the year. Anyway. This clip here showed me how to fix my big bay window in my living room that faces the east and we been wanting to fix our windows. This video here allowed me to work my window free!!!!!! And it's a double window. The top also drops down. Thanks guys for the the information!!!!! I also didn't know how the window weights worked but know I do much appreciated

Brent may I share some additional tools that your viewers may find helpful when restoring old windows. HYDE 45200 window opener - this tool will cut the paint line around the sash both inside and outside. Crescent 7-1/4" end cutting pliers - 727CVN - this tool is a complement to the diagonal cutter pliers. I find the end cutters cause less marring of the wooden trim when pulling out the brad nails after prying the trim. Red Devil 4243 1-1/4" bent putty knife - this putty knife smoothes out the glazing after you put it on the sash like you demonstrated. In my experience the bent knife allows one to draw back and forth to smooth the glazing in half the time. Your video is very comprehensive and helpful for anyone planning to tackle their window project. One Safety tip is to wear gloves to protect your fingers.

Hi Brent, Richard sent me to your channel, several videos ago. The 1st of yours got you my subscription. Bravo for sharing your skills, knowledge, and craftsmanship. I accept your challenge. 32 something windows in this house. House here is a combo of timber frame and balloon framing. Some of my windows have the cast iron weights, some swing inwards on hinges, and some have the spring loaded pins through the sashes to adjust the window openings. What a challenge. Can't wait to share.

I am so happy to find this tutorial. It is a great starting place for us as we try to restore our new/old 1920's Craftsman original prairie style windows. Still a bit overwhelmed!

This is a project I've been putting off in my 1920 house, but I'm VERY thankful that 90% of the windows have been left unpainted.

What a great video. I own and live in an 1895 house and was just about to replace the windows when my window research taught me how much better 100-year-old windows are than even the best 'modern' window you can buy now. I'm going to start working to restore the windows in my house and your video will be invaluable in that process. Thanks so much for taking the time to produce it. Edit: By they way, I found a local business (here in Colorado) that makes custom exterior storm windows that match the house and existing windows perfectly, so the old windows are now probably just about as energy efficient as new double pane windows, and they look great from the outside. Those storms were probably about the same price as (maybe a little less than) buying brand new windows. Now I'm going to restore the sashes myself and your video is exactly what I needed to get started. Thanks again.

Thanks for a great 2 part video. I knew from my eco -building friends that old windows, properly restored, outperform anything new on the market. But I didn't know how to do it. Now I understand the anatomy of a double hung window and feel confident about re-glazing windows in my 1917 craftsman home myself. None of them have weatherstripping--I may be able to handle the top and bottom rails but think I should leave the stiles to an experienced window restorer.

Good presentation Brent. I'm starting on a house full of windows in that condition tomorrow. Owners are not concerned about having the upper sash operating so I'll be installing stops for those. Locating the correct locks is part of the agenda. Appreciate the time I got to spend at Hull Historical.

This video is going to make it harder to install a full house package of fibreglass box units into a character house tomorrow... The most fun I have restoring character windows is when it involves arch tops that require new brickmould with custom made profiles. Great video thanks!

Thanks 👍🏼. About to restore some classic windows. The sill is rotted so there will be a little more going on than this but it’s a 5’x5’ , 54 lite picture window with two - 12 lite casements. Really, all the downstairs windows need to be repointed, but this summer will be this grand livingroom beauty. Add some rockwool underneath and it should be non draft and cozy.

Amazing 🏆

I have switched to sarco type m over the course of restoring my windows. I can leave the sash out for 1-2 days while it skins and then paint before reinstalling. It has been a huge help to not have to try and paint the windows in place or remove everything again.

Great video Brent! A few years ago I was allowed to remove a Gothic Revival window installed in 1855. The piece you call the parting stop is what I was trained to call the parting fillet. In the 1855 window, this element was not nailed at all but its ends fit into pockets at the top and bottom. I broke the first one while trying to disassemble the window but was more careful with the second one and didn't break it. Window construction was definitely simpler for your circa 1920 window than the one I got!

I have 11 old LARGE windows in my old home. I will use these skills to get them working AND better insulating from temps outside

Great video! If a little optimistic. I've been doing this for years. My house was originally built in 1830 and revamped in the early 1920s... i got 28 2 over 2 windows. Fixing them involves pulling them out like you see here, often replacing glass panels striping almost a couple centuries of paint off, sometimes reproducing rotted peices od wood regluing the whole thing together. Waiting. Primingq and.then waiting. Painting and then waiting. Reglaze and wait for it to dry. While all this is happening, you have to address the frame. If your lucky thats some epoxy, paint, and caulk. Sometimes its new sills and ropes for the weights replacing rotted out framing. Generally i have found as a homeowner with a dedicated workspace i can do 2-3 windows a week. Depending on their condition. I have several plywood pieces rigged up with bungees and 2x 4 i reuse as i go round and round

Thanks for the great explanation, the olny reget I have is the bungalow I have is similar to that one and they took out all the original windows in the big openings in the front like they did that one on one side. Im trying to figure out what it would've had originally.

Brent great video. I’ve been waiting a long while for you to release a new one. Watching this makes me want to go purchase a home that was built 100 years ago just so I can restore it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, it’s priceless!

I offer this type of service , but few clients. Good show.

Recently I found hidden in my garage the glass window frames for my old wooden storm doors. I took out the screens for the winter and realized they were all bright copper colored. I bet it looked amazing. But now I just just need to repair the wooden storm windows that hang on two hinges outside.

Have found that having small selection of carbide pull scrapers work very well to remove heavily encrusted paint.

I can't wait to try this! I have these historic windows. My biggest fear is breaking the glass. It's wavy glass. Great tutorial, though. Thank you! I am in Hillsboro, Tx:-)

I just purchased a building, the top floor was a mortuary in 1917 and has been boarded up since 50s. It has 18 windows I need to tackle. Never done anything like this before, but this video is going to be a great help!

This video was what got me on the journey of restoring my windows. I have been taking them all out, stripping back to bare wood cleaning the glass and putting everything back together. They are coming out great and it really has changed the look of our house. So thanks for the inspiration! The question I have for you is about the silicon caulking instead of back-bedding. I noticed with the wavy glass it sometimes isn’t perfectly flat and doesn’t sit evenly in the rabbit. On your professional projects how do you address that to prevent gaps in places. It seems that is where the back bed would come in handy to fill all that in. Also does that silicon ever fail before the glazing etc?

Oh my! I've subscribed 'cause this knowledge is awesome! If you were in town I'd wanna work for you. HOWEVER, the camera work...show the work please! How much do we need to see of the guy's face...this is about the work and the work piece and of course the knowledge in this man's head. The camera angles were just frustrating...almost as if someone was standing in the way when one is trying to watch tv, or at the movies. Grr!

This is just what I need to show my owner/builder remodel client. We are doing a second story addition on a 1900 house. I think he should save the windows on the first story if possible. I get the concept that the windows are only a small part of the envelope and especially in our climate, we'd never see a pay-back on going to new windows--especially the expensive windows that would look anything like the original. I have a feeling this could be more thant 2 hours per window. I appreciate the full process demonstration. I'd like to see more about weathstripping these windows.

Great video. Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on leaving/converting most windows in a room into fixed windows. With modern HVAC homeowners rarely open and close their windows > it’s either heating or cooling season. Think Jim Gaffigan “Spring - that’s a nice day.”

Windows are the hardest part of paint prep, especially if they need to be completely stripped. There is also a good chance you will break the glass while removing old glaze since you are likely to knock one of the points while scraping.

Gosh have I been there before. Great documentation! Where's your safety glasses!

So happy I found this video. House was built in 1901 we have many historic windows . My other half wanted to get brand new ones but I just felt this would make the home lose its originality and it's beauty. We love history. This was his grandparents home and fathers and now it's ours. I wanted to get it professionally fixed but we wouldn't even know what a price would be . I'm just scared I don't want to ruin them . I could practice on the bathroom one . Do you know what you guys normally ask for to do one window ?

The easiest way to remove the old caulking is with a hair dryer set on medium heat. Keep moving the hair dryer and warm up the caulking to the point where is pops out easily. You can use a duck bill sheet metal pliers to remove the parting stop.The wood the glass sits in should be coated with boiled linseed oil prior to applying the setting glazing. Use a good linseed oil glazing putty. Use only oil based paint on windows.

Interested in info on sash weather stripping that you have shown briefly ?

I believe that to be a timber hitch knot on the weight.

Thanks for the video. I'm restoring a 1914 house in Miami - not to many of these left down here. I also watched the window restoration workshop and feel confident about restoring the windows myself. They are one-over-one in pretty good shape, so not too difficult. My question is when the windows are repainted how do you keep them from getting stuck again. Thanks, Brent.

Thanks for a great video Brent! As we know, the devil is in the details and I am wondering what you used to clean the DAP 33 from the glass and does it matter if you wait until it sets up first? I have been working on our 1926 cottage style house in Florida with 11 6 over 1 windows and the windows are first on the list. Thanks again for a really helpful video!

What is the name of the grooved weather stripping that you prefer to use? I have looked around and can only find the spring bronze style. Thanks for the video and I just watched your 2:30 hour class video as well, also excellent.

Brent, great video. I restored about 30 windows in my historical home about 6 years ago. I had to fix or replace many spiral balances throughout. Many windows were 6 over 6, but a few were 8 over 8, and then one was a 20-pane window. That was a pain. I am fairly sure I used Dap 33 and some linseed oil, but I'm not 100% sure. Now, I'm noticing I am dealing with mold issues on the glazing compound, coming right through the paint. Any ideas as to what to do and how to do it without experiencing mold ? Thanks again!

I went to an open house last week for a 1915 Tudor where the owners had painted shut ALL of the windows. It was so infuriating! Thanks for showing it’s not final

Thanks for the videos. I have a 1915 craftsman in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia area) with 9x1 lites, restoring all the windows myself.. Do you recommend exterior wood storm windows - to keep the extreme weather conditions away as an air gap? Gets to 0 in winter and 95+ in summer. I don't have enough room inside for interior storms. Thanks!!

❤❤❤

Inspiring challenge! What would you recommend doing if the previous owner replaced some but not all of the old windows with cheap new windows that don’t match? The most egregious miss match is on a bay window on the front of my house in Galveston.

Thank you for this helpful information. Would it be possible to remove the old glaze and put on new without removing the window from the track? Thanks again. Blessings

Brent, great video thank you. I am renovating a house built in 1891 on the eastern shore in Maryland which has many historic windows in need of restoration some as tall as 8'2". I found a number of weights in the attic which I'm guessing were removed from these windows over the years after they developed issues and the homeowners decided not to repair them. Is there a way to determine which weights go with which windows? As I understand it if the correct weights are not used there could be balance issues with the windows not opening or closing correctly. While I'm pretty handy, I've never done this before and would appreciate any advice offered. Thanks :)

Great video. I’m working on a little 1923 bungalow with all the original double hung windows. Of course everything including the hardware has been painted over multiple times. I’ve had some good success, using an infrared paint remover. After the paint has been removed from the sash channels, what do you recommend using to protect the unpainted channels from the elements? We live in Southern California about a mile from the ocean so obviously no harsh winters, but the sun beats down pretty hard on one side of the house, and occasional sea breezes.

Two of my window weights seem not heavy enough (?) to hold the upper sash… it closes but later inches down. Or perhaps the ropes are stretched? Not sure what I should do. Any tips? Also, I’m in a heat wave with thunder storms. Some months are very cold. What’s the best way to work on big windows which need more repair (a few days worth)? Plywood over window openings? Thanks! Great video. I very much appreciate it and will recommend it to old house people.

LoL. I’m actually in Europe and in the planning stages of building a garage. And I’m actually considering to build one of these double hung windows from scratch for the garage.

Great video! Thank you! IMHO... if your restoring a window like that... you must change the rope on both sides. Am I correct in believing that you did NOT change the rope on the side that you did NOT pull the interior box cover / trim off of?

Would you recommend priming the wood between the glass panes before reglazing them? Also would you recommend spraying these types if windows or painting by brush? I’m getting more and more of these types of jobs and would really like to know you’re input. Thank you for all you do!

What about installing newer double pain glass for better insulation ? Are there any examples of repairing these old windows with newer glass ?

Great video! I am working on restauring 100 years old windows. I striped them down of old paint and infused them with linseed oil. The putty is also linseed oil based as in the video. I didn't know that you need to wait so much before painting them. Should I paint the windows first and after a month paint the putty that holds the glass in place? Or just wait and paint them at the same time?

Excellent video!!! Any concerns about lead paint contamination or are the levels too low to worry about?

Great video thanks. One thing though, dap does not use linseed oil anymore, which in my opinion is not as good. They use soy oil.

Would it also make sense to put a thin layer of glazing putty underneath the glass when it's set in the frame, and pressing the glass against it to make it squeeze out a little, instead of using silicone? The excess could then be trimmed from the inside.

Thanks again. The first 1 went great. The second 1 someone had caulked 😭. The third 1 has damage to the sash under the bottom panes. I bought from your tool list wood epoxy and liquid wood. Do you have a video on how to fix it? I'm hoping I can fix it in the tracks like the others. Blessings

hi Brent , fantastic video ,I'm a new member to your RU-vid, I will like to get the name of the putty that you use please thank you

Okay.!

Ok !

What the tool your using for pulling at nails you referred to as "snips" ?

Dap 33? I would use Sarco on those windows.