How do you care for old wooden windows?
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How do you care for old wooden windows?

Updated: 07.08.2024 by Argo Glass & Windows

Over time, wooden windows and their window sills may lose their original appearance and characteristics declared by the manufacturer.

To extend their maximum operational life, it is necessary to provide proper care for natural materials. It is known that windows made of natural wood require much more attention than plastic counterparts.

Initially, you need to process the windows well after their installation, because otherwise they will immediately begin to fall into disrepair. Much depends on the form in which the product was purchased and installed. It happens that the windows are installed unpainted, not varnished or treated with impregnations that repel insects, preventing the appearance of fungi and mold. From time to time it is necessary to inspect the condition of the wooden windows and to provide preventive care for them. Considering the fact that such structures are constantly in contact with the external environment, periodically they will need to be cleaned. How to provide care for wooden windows? This is what we will understand today.

What to do and in what case?

In some cases, providing the best care for windows - these are the simplest methods to maintain their pristine condition. You do not need to spend a lot of money on modern cleaning products, as there is not always an urgent need to use them. Much depends on how exactly the windows are trimmed, what processing they were subjected to by the manufacturer and installers. If the wood is not covered with anything, then it is worth resorting to painting windows with a special paint.

If this is not done, the frame will start to rot and deform. It is possible to remove dirt by means of a soft cloth and ordinary detergent. If the windows are varnished, then a polish can be used to make it possible to remove scratches from their surface. It is important to clean and dry the window surface very well before applying the paint. Any excess water only hurts the care of the wooden structure. Provided the windows are painted white, you can use dishwashing or laundry detergents to remove strong stains.

Caring for painted windows

In order to clean the windows that were previously painted as well as possible, we strongly recommend using a soft cloth and detergents. Once all the dirty stains are removed, you need to prepare a solution of warm water and dishwashing detergent to once again walk along the entire window frame, washing it clean. This will avoid the appearance of divorce and new spots. If a balloon with a detergent aerosol type is at hand, this will speed up the work considerably. Provided that the windows were varnished, they can fade. In this case it is necessary to use polishing agents and other specialized means. It uses all the same methods as for the care of painted wooden windows.

If the contamination is sufficiently resistant and there is no possibility to wash it off, then you need to apply fine-grained sandpaper, and then polish the surface. The main thing is that in the process of dealing with dirt does not damage the varnish and wood. Remember that re-opening of windows with lacquer can be done only after they have completely dried. In this case, the varnish is guaranteed to fall well on the surface to be treated and will not bubble. Final care is provided by a waxed rag coated with special oil. As a result, the windows can regain their original appearance, and visually it may seem that they were completely replaced with new ones.

Why do windows and methods of dealing with depressurization leak?

When the rain is transmitted in the weather forecast, many people react quite calmly to this natural phenomenon, but only not those with windows. If the sealing gum has become unusable, then the probability of depressurization of windows and the penetration of water into the room is great. Regardless of the season, worn seals in wooden and plastic windows can cause a lot of inconvenience. The fact that the windows have lost their original appearance is not the biggest problem, because the room will become much colder or hotter, and everything depends solely on the weather conditions outside the window. As soon as you notice that the windows have lost their tightness, you should immediately take steps to eliminate this problem. If you provide timely care for the windows, you can save a lot on their subsequent repair or replacement.

What can cause windows to leak?

Often this problem occurs in old houses, when windows have not been repaired for a long time and come into contact with the external environment. The constant change in temperature and humidity contributes to the failure of the sealing elements, so there is a depressurization of the windows. Also, over time, window frames can be deformed, so the seals simply cease to fit tightly to them. It happens that the shape of a block changes a lot and ceases to be geometrically correct.

How to determine the damage?

First of all, you need to decide where exactly the windows have ceased to be airtight, from where moisture enters the room. If you notice water on the walls or under the window, this is a sure sign that there is a hole in the wall that is leaking. The bottom line is that there can be no large opening around the perimeter of the window, since the installation uses a variety of sealing compounds. If we talk about the old real estate, then the problems can be covered in the roof or upper floors. Provided that the water will be noticeable in the upper part of the window opening, it is worth to be alerted, since the problem will be covered in the design of the window itself.

Old windows constantly bother their owners with such problems due to the fact that their design is simply deformed during operation. If the windows were constantly opened, closed, put on airing, then the hinges began to wear out and began to rub on the window frame. If the drainage channels are clogged, the water will simply have nowhere to go, and it will begin to flow into the house. At first, the windows will cope with this pressure, but this will not always last.

How to fix the situation?

You can fight this problem on your own, but only if you have the necessary experience. Otherwise, it is worth contacting a specialized company, whose employees will diagnose in a short time and at the same time provide a high-quality repair of seals. The cause of the depressurization must be accurately determined, because otherwise the work will be done in vain.

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