Window quandry

[heartwood]

james...yup, another example of conditioning humans to yearn for easy simple do it yourself no maintenance...

vinyl windows are bad all around...they pollute during manufacture, they have a very short life span, they must be replaced generationally and cannot be recycled and end up in a landfill...with all that, the 'quick and easy' salespitch
wins over...we can't compete with that...we offer your 150 sash a chance to last another 150 years (with continued maintenance), you are supporting a local tradesperson, your money stays in the community, we can make your old windows just as energy efficient as a temporary replacement window, you don't lose many inches of 'light' as with a replacement and we can help maintain the architectural history of your home...
our parents and grandparents used to maintain their old windows...everyone knew how to replace a piece of glass or change out a rope...not so today....
...jade

[Manalto]

Jade, your advocacy couldn't fall on more receptive ears. I'm eager to have a house with all restored original windows (except for the sleeping porch - still searching for good-condition oldies) with bronze weatherstripping and wood-frame bronze screens - huzzah! I keep getting delayed by higher-priority projects (leaky roof, termite damage) but I'm hoping to make some headway this summer. I have you to thank for my enthusiasm and cautious confidence.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Unfortunately, the Mid Atlantic is the replacement window capitol of the US, I believe. I love how all of the shyster window companies use the "green" sales pitch, yet the life expectancy of their product is about 15-20 years on a good day. After which, virtually nothing from them can be recycled and they end up as dump fodder. Yeah, that's "green" all right.

I'll have to make four different plywood space fillers, as I have four different sized windows on the front of the house. I'll paint them and hope for the best.

I know each coat of blop should be dry to the touch overnight, though I've read it takes several days to fully cure before the sash can be primed. Is this an accurate assessment?

[GibsonGM]

Me, I just mix it like 50/50, brush it on with a throw away chip brush, and then wait for it to 'stop smelling'. If I can't smell turps anymore, and nothing is 'damp', it's time to prime

I find that, of course, the drying time at 45 degrees can be longer than at 70! Couple of days or more this time of year, in my case, not heating the shop. If the sashes are VERY dry, forcing you to really soak them, that can make a difference, too.

I cannot FATHOM that having a piece of plywood over a window is anyone's business other than the property owner???? How have we gotten so far down this crazy road? Guess I'll be staying up in the boonies forever, rather than deal with THAT kind of ----!

HTH!

[heartwood]

1918...I have been priming with oil primer over blop in about 16 hours (the time in between I spend traveling, eating dinner, reading and sleeping!) without issue...some preservationists suggest that you can allow just a few hours between blop and oil primer as they are complimentary products...

windows are an easy target when convincing homeowners to depart with their hard earned cash.....yea, 'green', I try not to use any 'bandwagon' phrases like that...'green' paint--manufacture 3 times as much, transport 3 times as much, pay 3 times as much and use 3 times as much as a good quality paint from 40 years ago...nothing 'green' about that!

...jade

[awomanwithahammer]

I was lucky enough to have good storm windows on mine, so I was able to remove each window without having to put plywood up. Would it help to invest in one storm window in each size that you could install temporarily as you pull a window out to restore? I know they're not cheap, but it might be worth it to keep down the neighborhood talk and complaints. And it wouldn't be much more work than painting and putting in the plywood.

[GibsonGM]

1918...I have been priming with oil primer over blop in about 16 hours (the time in between I spend traveling, eating dinner, reading and sleeping!) without issue...some preservationists suggest that you can allow just a few hours between blop and oil primer as they are complimentary products...

windows are an easy target when convincing homeowners to depart with their hard earned cash.....yea, 'green', I try not to use any 'bandwagon' phrases like that...'green' paint--manufacture 3 times as much, transport 3 times as much, pay 3 times as much and use 3 times as much as a good quality paint from 40 years ago...nothing 'green' about that!

...jade

[phil]

I think I'd just buy a piece of lexan , drill holes near the edge to attach to wood strips about 2 inches wide around the perimeter. you can screw through the lexan, use washers against the screw heads. then you have a frame of sorts and a window. just do butt joints, nothing fancy since it 's temporary.
start with the bigger windows, then cut the piece down as you go to smaller ones to avoid buying more lexan and buy what's cheap , it can be thin or might be sold as plexiglass or acrylic will work. see what they have in the rack. sometimes they are happy to get rid of leftovers or anything with a scratch.
if you want it more secure buy thicker stuff otherwise just thin stuff is fine.

you can screw through the strips to hold it to the frame if you dont; mind the screw holes. If you are painting then it's just a little putty to fix the holes.

I was thinking you'd just reinstall the windows at the end of each day but you could keep them out for the whole project. depends if they are hard to reach or not.

heat gun drying, make sure you dont start it on fire. Remember turps burn well. make sure you don't collect the rags with linseed oil and turpentine. Just want you to be aware that a pile of rags soaked with the stuff can light up magically and all by themselves via spontaneous combustion. toss them on the lawn to dry up separate from each other or you can put them in water. just don't collect them up together.. that's how it happens. balled up solvent soaked rags generate warmth and then can go poof !

[Mick_VT]

Paint the plywood dark gray or black, then paint on a fake sash, I'll bet nobody will notice the difference from the genuine article

[phil]

best if you use wavy plywood