Have you ever noticed after opening a window that’s been painted shut, that it sticks almost as bad? Why is this? I do maintenance on older homes and apartments and this problem comes up every fall when clients start closing up for the cold. Does anyone have any good tricks for unsticking windows? (come-along, hydraulic jack, TNT, etc.)
ANDERSON RENOVATION
“A fair job at a good price”
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Replies
Heat seems to soften the paint and causes it to bond. Once you've got it moving, you might try rubbing some Door-ease on the friction parts. This should leave a film that might prevent the paint from re-adhering to itself. Best of luck.
__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Make sure you've cut the paint away with your utility knife really good. Be careful to control the knife so as not to slip it and score the jambs or sashes. Its also possible that those windows hadnt worked right before they were painted being that you may be unfamiliar with them as youre doing maintanence work and not windows you use every day. I've used parrifen (wax) on several windows and that worked pretty good. What kind of windows are they exactly? Can you pull them and plane them down a bit or isnt that cost effective for your client?
Be well
Namaste'
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Norco makes a little 2 ton bottle jack for under $50 that fits pretty well. Don't apply pressure directly to the sash, that'll break the glass. You need to put blocks on top of both sides and a 4x4 to span between them. Caulk them shut for the winter, replace them with casements in the spring.... ;-)
-- J.S.
Quick fix, candle wax. Other than that you'll have to get the windows out and clear up the several coats of paint that has worked its way onto the side. Allow about 3hrs per window.
sometimes there are no quick fixes
before taking the sash out try WD40 to loosen and lube the sash
There is a special tool for breaking the paint on stuck windows it is shaped like a trowel with serrated edges it does a fair job of removing the excess paint then I spray pledge on the inside edges while the window is up.
ANDYSZ2
Can somebody tell me why people paint windows shut in the first place?
Excellence is its own reward!
Weak moral character. Short time horizon. Inability or unwillingness to defer gratification. All the same habits of mind that are exhibited by most felons.
LOL.
Excellence is its own reward!
Thats simple Piff..Cause they simply don't live there.
Worst stuff I've seen areeeeeeee people that live there(DYSers) and they paint the jambs as well to do a really great job. Oil no less. Well they mean well at least.
Be well...so to speak
NAmaste'
aIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Almost every painter I know gets the windows painted shut.
My house was owned by the family for 50 years, my folks sold it to me. Only one window worked.
I have taken almost every sash apart and cleaned off the paint, smoothed the wood and restored all the sash cords.
I taught the painters I work with how to keep the windows working - or else they go on to the next job and I come in afterwards and restore the functions.
I have met a lot of painters who are too lazy or stupid to make sure the windows open and close properly.
Makes me a reasonable living, though.At my age, my fingers & knees arrive at work an hour after I do.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
I guess we're lucky here. Only half of the professional painters stick them shut.
On my jobs they take sashes out to reglaze and paint separately before reinserting them with new sash cords. Final touchup after in place and wax in tracks.
On one home, I restored several doublehungs after recommending to the owner that he let me replace them because they were in atrocious condition. He chose restoration. Then he3 hgad the caretaker repaint to change colour after I was off the job. Middle of summer the caretaker called me to tell me that the owner wanted me to fix the blankety blank windows so they would open you so and so...
I thought, 'Hummmmm, that's strange, I had them working pretty good, but maybe they swelled up from humidity or something'
"You didn't paint them shut or anything like that, did you Bud???"
"Nope"
Well, when I went out to check the window, I found the entire tracks painted with a dried blob of paint about two inches in diameter on the sill at the bottom of each track welding it shut. I made sure to scrape it down to the wood to get them open and charge for the time to do it.
Take that you blankety blank liar..
Excellence is its own reward!
Piff
Check out my post somewhere in here. Same thoughts....When I do my old house ( or anyone elses) out come the sashes onto a table or saw horses......redo the glazings and paint. Wax the jambs.reseting the weights on new cords or chains and keep movin on. Is there really any other way other then vinyl repacements? Stuck painted closed windows are done by stuck between the eared painters or DYSer's
Be well
Namaste
andyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
They paint them open. It is so the room will be ventilated while the paint dries.
It is the poor freezing bastards inside that close them before the paint has cured. ;~?
The sticking problem you describe typically occurs due to paint build-up between the faces of the sash and the stops. Window frames are typically constructed with 1-7/16" wide "tracks" for the sash, whereas the sash itself is typically 1-3/8". The sticking problem mainly occurs when people start to glob in so much paint that it bridges this clearance.
The three hour estimate for a double hung window is a good one. There's no quick and easy solution, unfortunately.
If you want to minimize effort, realize that you can simply move the interior stops a little bit to re-establish clearance for the lower sash. Many people don't even know that the upper sash is operable (it's been painted shut for 30 years!), so they sometimes don't even care too much about having that part fixed.
The upper sash is a lot tougher, since the position of the blind stop and parting stops are immovable.
Yeah, it would be nice if people paid a bit more attention to their painting!
Parting stops should pop right out and upper sash remove just as easy as lower.
Excellence is its own reward!
Rag
Lumber yards sell stops so I always just pull the stops and buy new ones and this almost always solves the problem. I'm not really clear what you mean about the upper sashes. They work the same as the bottom ones. You are right that people dont care as much about them but when fixing this issue I pull the entire parting strip out therefore bothe sashes always become resolved.
Be well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Piff and Andy,
I guess I was a little unclear when I wrote: The upper sash is a lot tougher, since the position of the blind stop and parting stops are immovable.
What I meant to say here, is that the "channel" width of the upper sash is non-negotiable: it remains 1-7/16" no matter what you do, whereas the lower sash "channel" width can be increased simply by resetting the interior stops.
You're right that the parting stop pops right out -- or at least it's supposed to! After being painted in place for 100 years or so, it's often not the case!
Regards,
Ragnar
Ragner...
I never try and save the parting strip for the reason you say. Just rip the bad boy out and use a new one.
aIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
That's a good point. I get old heart oine flooring occasionally that is fine clear vertical grain with close growth rings but when tearing it up you lose the edges so I set it aside and every now and then, I'll rip and plane up a set of new ones to keep in stock. That heart pine is best for the job. It's size stable and resists rot while the resins in it will polish themselves into a wax from the friction. And I've recycling!.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
<<<The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius>>>
Piff
Before you know it I may find you up at Omega chanting and meditating with me...lol http://www.eomega.org
Be well
Namaste
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Edited 11/4/2002 9:41:18 AM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)
Edited 11/4/2002 9:43:23 AM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)
Edited 11/4/2002 9:44:08 AM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)
No Andy, I don't go for that zone-ing out stuff. I like to zone in.
I spent six months in Taos with one of those rami swami guys and that was enough. If it works for you - fine. I get my answers from the creator, not from within....
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Piffin
Just to keep it simple and unpreachy. theres all kinda "swami guys" as well as "minister guys" and all kinda guys that are jerks. I'm no part of any of that.
I also don't EVER "zone out". I "zone in" .....to all the fabulous gifts I've been given. Zoning out to me is being either drunk or stoned on crack or something. I zone into whats inside my soul that will always live on. Thats what I teach my children and thats how I live and those are the people I relate to. I don't hang around quacks which are all around. I'm too intelligent for that BS. Thats what Namaste' means.....Its what we believe...nothing more and nothing less..its a pretty simple principle......NAMASTE MEANS:
View Image
And thats it! (among my daily meditations ( which I'm not sure you might understand fully) to keep me clear and real)
You may have had a bad experiance but so have a shirt lot of young boys with the most respected priests and ministers but that doesnt make the Christian religion something to shun nor shy away from. Nor does it make the Hindu religion or the Muslum religion something to shy away from. And it IS within you as it is whith out you if you get my drift. Its all in you....its the gifts you were given that you pass on....but what do I know...I'm only a carpenter.
Be well
Namaste'
Andy...
PS..If you notice......I dont put my sign off in a place that prints it's self ...I write it each time cause I think it each time
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Edited 11/4/2002 6:27:20 PM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)
No bad experience.
I just saw enough of the teaching to know that there's nothing there for me. Christianity is more real to my thinking..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Be well my brother..I like you alot and have a lot of respect for you.
May you and your family be well happy and healthy.....
Now lets get back to kiddin and informin'
Major smiles
Namaste
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Shalom.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
tee heeIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM