JHZR2
Staff member
My detached garage has two original wood windows. They are beautiful on the inside but on the outside years of exposure, coupled with the fact that they are on the garage and not on the house and in a pretty unobservable location, I suppose left them open to damage.
The windows themselves are fine although the sash cords are still rope and not chain. That's okay we don't really use the windows... My primary concern is the sill, stool and apron that make up the outer windowsill. It has always been painted and I do not think that the wood is particularly rotten. But it does not hold paint well, and new water-based paints seem to lift up after a couple years. Worse there are a few spots in the grain where it seems as if it has lifted long-ago under the paint.
I'm not keen on scraping and sanding down to bare wood because I'm sure that there is lead paint on these windows. I would like to have the ability to open them. What is spurring me on here is the fact that the window is going to be covered up by a shed and so I want to make sure that it is sealed and protected once and for all since access will be very difficult once the shed is installed. I would like the window to be able to be opened because it would be a primary access if I wanted to add utilities into the shed such as electricity for lights. Looking wonderful is not the most important thing because it will be fully covered by the shed. The shed will also provide substantial weather and sunlight protection for the window.
I just need to know what is the right process to protect the window and especially the sale so that I don't have to worry about it and it will not rot or becoming bad shape. I was actually thinking about cutting and aluminum For the outer windowsill that tucks underneath of the lower sash and goes all the way around and underneath of the window. I would affix it with a few small nails, and then caulk all the seams where it butts against the wood with a good long-term 50 year caulk.
But I'm not sure what the best recommendation is so any thoughts or suggestions would be very much appreciated.
The windows themselves are fine although the sash cords are still rope and not chain. That's okay we don't really use the windows... My primary concern is the sill, stool and apron that make up the outer windowsill. It has always been painted and I do not think that the wood is particularly rotten. But it does not hold paint well, and new water-based paints seem to lift up after a couple years. Worse there are a few spots in the grain where it seems as if it has lifted long-ago under the paint.
I'm not keen on scraping and sanding down to bare wood because I'm sure that there is lead paint on these windows. I would like to have the ability to open them. What is spurring me on here is the fact that the window is going to be covered up by a shed and so I want to make sure that it is sealed and protected once and for all since access will be very difficult once the shed is installed. I would like the window to be able to be opened because it would be a primary access if I wanted to add utilities into the shed such as electricity for lights. Looking wonderful is not the most important thing because it will be fully covered by the shed. The shed will also provide substantial weather and sunlight protection for the window.
I just need to know what is the right process to protect the window and especially the sale so that I don't have to worry about it and it will not rot or becoming bad shape. I was actually thinking about cutting and aluminum For the outer windowsill that tucks underneath of the lower sash and goes all the way around and underneath of the window. I would affix it with a few small nails, and then caulk all the seams where it butts against the wood with a good long-term 50 year caulk.
But I'm not sure what the best recommendation is so any thoughts or suggestions would be very much appreciated.
