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Been asked by a friend, who knows I've done a bit of painting over years, whether I could do some basic repairs to rot and putty then paint 25 windows on his listed ex vicarage property. One of them has 45 panes! Now I've done the odd one or two in the past and am aware of their time consuming nature and wondered whether anyone in the know might have any tips or tricks to aid the job. I don't need advice on the order to paint ..more so regarding rubbing down and avoiding scratching and getting a nice 2mm clean line sealing the glass preferably without masking. Presumably a window guard would avoid any scratches and a decent brush and steady hand for the glazing bars ( mullions?).
I'm thinking sash brush is the best tool for this unless anyone has a better suggestion ? .I keep hoping I'll find some magical method to make the job a breeze but suspect that doesn't exist .
Before anyone asks I suspect he's asked me as I'm fairly cheap labour ,has seen my work before and was horrified by recent quote!
Never done one myself, but have seen neighbours strip them and repair, looks like a horrendous amount of labour to do it right. They all take the sashes out, strip, repair and repaint them somewhere else - a lot easier to work on in a workshop than up a ladder....
whether I could do some basic repairs to rot
Ime there is never 'basic repairs' to rot. It's always a can of worms.
What you can see is an iceberg of trouble ime.
Add to that presumably being up ladders etc.
Add to that presumably being up ladders etc.
Just remove the sashes from the inside, take off site, strip - repair and repaint.
That's what my neighbours have done. Just stick a bit of Ply in the gap (and do it in summer).
You can stabilize rot ,theres a type of paint on stuff hardens it.A penetrating epoxy I've seen in boatbuilding repairs. Dont think its cheap though.
Other than that its realy just a case of light sanding to key the surface and away you go. Also available is a window scraper(Stanley) so if you do get any on the glass you can easily scrape it back to the wood edges without problem, leaving straight lines along those edges.
As to taking on the job, personally I wouldnt, as it is clear your 'mate' is pretty much taking advantage of you and you might find once started its just too much work for to little money. He's seen what a pro restorer is costing and has asked you, so thinks youre cheaper, but likely is going to expect a top class job, and the amount of work youve described is quickly going to become a headache and you might end up quitting.
I'd tell him to do it himself, him buying any stabilizer and doing that job, you're happy to paint them and thats it. To renovate a sash window totally is a big job, the window will need to come out, the shuttering, the weight box etc etc etc, replacement of cords, weights etc etc.
Bugger doing 25 of them, you'd be at it for a couple of years 😕 And keep in mind th eguys doing this normally have the whole operation down to a tee, you'd have stuff to contend with you probably havent even thought of yet, and problems yet to be encountered.
Sllap on the pain and cal it quits at that. If he really wants them totally renovated, best he get saving and do it when he can afford to do it.
Typically on a Georgian sash window the astragals (mullions are fat astragals) are only 16mm thick with the feather (that you putty against) being about 5mm. Glazing rebate is then tiny and the whole lot flex in the wind blowing the putty off. very likely the feathers will be missing and have been replaced with lumps of putty. I'm a fan of Sadolin Superdec for outside painting as it's microporous so doesn't trap moisture in and can be painted over suitably prepared old gloss. Only problem is that it is slightly translucent and the putty will need a primer paint over it as it will get too dry with the Superdec.
I have no info specifically, but would like to share the info that former House Of Love front man Guy Chadwick is "The Sash Guy", making a solid living not of "Shine On", but off his high quality sash windows in the South East.
Having done a few myself over the years and having got pros in ( thanks chickenman) when it was beyond me there is no way on earth I would be tackling that job unless 1) your mate is going to be reasonable about costs and paying you and 2) the scope of the work is well defined 3) the rot in the windows is very minimal - usually IME a little bit of rot that you can see means the sash is fubar when you dig in to it
To be fair although he asked me to quote , on seeing the job I knew it was impossible unless I risked working for £2 an hour! Before I got back to him he mailed me to say he realized it was a big job and would pay me at an hourly rate and I could do it bit by bit and he would probably help as he's retiring in the spring ( GP.) I told him there'll be no retirement for him but a change of career.
I'm going to give it a go one by one and if the rot is too much on any I'll highlight for someone else to sort.
Likewise if it takes me too long or is a real nightmare I'm not really tied to completing it and he'll understand I guess. It's quite a bit of travelling also but I have very little income so could do with the work . In a way I see it as an opportunity to hone a skill most people avoid and if it goes well could lead to bigger things.
I would do as you say and do a trial on a couple of windows. If you think it’s a goer get some light weight scaffolding, being up a ladder any length of time is exhausting.
I’m a fan of Sadolin Superdec for outside painting as it’s microporous so doesn’t trap moisture in and can be painted over suitably prepared old gloss
Seems odd painting over a microporous putty with a non microporous gloss?
Look on YouTube there are a few restorers that put stuff up. From what I have seen the key is to use old materials as they breathe enough. Anything that doesn't breathe traps moisture and rot sets in.
Pete Ward at Heritage House is one but there are others
You're not going to strip all the sound paint off, just where it's weathered so yes that means covering some of the old gloss. Fine with this paint.
Just remove the sashes from the inside, take off site, strip – repair and repaint.
Not when the rot is in the sills, which it very often is. I've replaced a few whole sills.
If he's your mate why do you need to quote? Just give him an hourly rate and make a start on one window. He'll be able to work out the rough overall cost once you've done one window. And you'll probably regret doing multi-paned old windows off a ladder... tell him to get some scaffold up and spend the summer doing a decent job.