How to repair and maintain leaded windows.How to restore your original sash windows.However, if they are too rotten to repair, inappropriate modern designs are present, or you are extending, you need to source authentic-looking new designs. But you are unlikely to ever see a return on fuel bills, while the originals could have been upgraded. Single-glazed windows are often replaced with double glazing due to a fear of inefficiency.

‘Draught-proofing and repairing original windows can dramatically improve functionality, security and efficiency at a fraction of the cost of replacement,’ says Richard Dollar, managing director of The Sash Window Workshop.Īdditionally, the whole-life environmental costs of replacement will be much greater than repairing the architectural treasures that already exist.

If cames are corroded or have major fractures, the whole panel will need to be taken to a specialist workshop for careful rebuilding.If your windows do not require structural repair, they can still be significantly improved. Installing extra ferramenta can help prevent further buckling. It may be possible to reduce distortion in situ, but in the severest cases panels will need to be laid flat to be repaired. It also traps moisture, accelerating the decay of both the glass and the ferramenta. More serious distortion places further stress on the cames, which may then lift from the glass, increasing the risk of breakage.

Minor undulations contribute to the character of a window and generally don’t need repair. Over time, lead creeps under its own weight and causes panels to distort, particularly where rectangular rather than diamond-shaped pieces of glass, known as ‘quarries’, are used for plain glazing. Sometimes lead or copper strips are used instead, to repair cracked glass in leaded lights. Get inspiration, ideas and advice straight to your door every month with a subscription.īroken or cracked glass can be replaced on a small scale by bending back the flanges of the cames to insert new pieces, and re-sealing. Period Living is the UK's best-selling period homes magazine.

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