How to Restore Old Wood Windows like a Pro

Have beautiful old antique windows? Want to keep them forever? Don’t want to spend your life savings doing it? Me too. This post will cover exactly how I restored my wood windows, saving a TON of money and ensuring they last for years.

Check out these babies.

I absolutely love them. They’re beautiful rich wood that slide on built-in grooves. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore, and I want them to last another lifetime at least.

But they were in terrible shape. The old glazing was literally hanging off, right along with the peeling paint and chipped caulking. If I wanted to save them from rotting away (and I sure did!), something needed to be done.

While hiring a professional to do this job is the ideal option, it is an incredibly expensive one, and one that was far out of our budget.

A little disclaimer to start by saying this was NOT a weekend job, especially in my case as I had to do 80% of the windows on our home, plus the removable storm windows, so it was a TON of work. Prepare yourself if you’re also doing your whole home.

There’s a learning curve and it requires patience, but it’s 1000% worth it and probably only cost under $100 in supplies. If we had someone else do it, it would have been SO EXPENSIVE.

If you only have a few windows to do it’s a no brainer.

I have never worked on windows before in my life, but with just a little research and practice they came out pretty darn good, if I do say so. If you’re in the same boat, this post will tell you exactly how we restored our old windows so that you can too!

Supplies You’ll Need

• Scrapers
• glazing knife
• glazing compound
• sand paper
• primer
• paint
• caulk
• caulk saver (optional)
• caulk gun
• hand brush
• rag

Notes on supplies:

• I used this DAP window glazing compound. It comes in a tub and you have to apply it with a glazing knife.

• I heard that they make glazing in a tube like caulk that you apply in the same way, and it’s a lot easier, dries faster, and comes out perfectly smooth. I did not use this because I am a glutton for torture. (In reality, I didn’t know about it until I was just about done 🫠)

• I used the DAP Alex Plus caulk for exteriors. It’s latex, paintable and dries white.

• For the glazing compound, I purchased the large tub as it’s a bit less expensive by quantity but transferred it to a smaller tub because it is SO much easier on my hands and fingers and easier to hold.

Scrape

This is the first stage of the prep work. Scraping, as opposed to just sanding, will save you a ton of time and is very necessary to ensure a professional finish that will last for years to come.

Here’s your list of all the areas that need to be scraped:

• Paint. Scrape off any old peeling paint. Anything that’s hanging, flaking, loose or unsightly needs to be scraped away.
  
  I used a 5-in-one tool for this step and a lot of it came right off in big chunks. Never try to paint over old peeling paint to try and save time as eventually both layers will just chip right off and you’ll have to do it again anyway. Do it right the first time.

• Caulk. Your caulk around the window frame is super important for keeping your windows air tight and waterproof. We had a window leaking in our office and it was because there was no caulk over large sections of it. Renewing any old caulk is super important for your home’s efficiency.
  
  Most old caulk will just chip away easily, but if you have any stubborn areas, the best way I found is to wedge the scraper underneath the caulk from either side, widthwise and then pull gently on it and it will usually fall away.
  
  Our shingles are asbestos, so I had to be super careful removing it as the tiles could crack, releasing its cancerous makings into the air. If this is a concern for you as well, a firm but gentle hand is very helpful. If there’s a part that won’t budge, it’s not worth messing with it. You can caulk over and paint well later on.

• Glazing. Scrape away all the old glazing. I found that ours was so old that it often just fell right off. It’s best to remove all of it, but just like the caulk, if there’s an area that won’t budge, don’t mess with it too hard as the glass can crack from your force. I know this from experience 😬.
  
  Also make sure that the glass is supported by glaziers points so the glass doesn’t fall out of the window after you remove the old glazing. They should be in place but if not you can always add more.

Sand

Sand everything down before you add your new glazing or caulking or the little particles from sanding will get stuck in it. Use course sandpaper first with a sanding block where possible. This will help further remove any chipped areas and will help even out any unevenness.

Then go over it with a medium and then a fine sandpaper to blend the areas together. Be very careful not to sand your glass! It will scratch.

Always protect your lungs with a good mask! You don’t want to breathe in those tiny particles.

You can use a palm sander for this job but I had more control doing it by hand.

Clean

After sanding, clean off your windows to remove any dust. I used a hand brush to get off any large particles and then wiped everything down with a damp rag.

Caulk

Once everything’s clean and dry, it’s time to calk around the window frame. This keeps the inside of your home protected from drafts and rain, while protecting the area where your house meets the window from rot.

We had some pretty large gaps between the siding and the windows and used poly foam caulk saver to fill them before caulking. This stuff fills in large gaps, so you don’t use up all your caulk in one area.

Cut the tip of the caulk at an angle and mark where the longer side of the tip is. This will be your guide when you apply the caulk.

Run your caulk around the entire window frame with the caulk gun while having the line you drew in the same position the whole time so that you have an even bead of caulk around the window.

Then take your finger (I always do this with gloves – watch for sharp edges!) and smooth out the bead, not pressing so hard that you remove it, as this will allow for cracking over time. The goal is just to smooth it out.

You can also use caulk for any gaps in the wood. We had some gaps in the windowsills, mostly likely from expansion and contraction over time. I simply filled them with caulk as well so the water runs off as intended and doesn’t get inside the wood to rot.

Glaze

Now for the fun part! (note the sarcasm🙃). Here’s how to do it:

1. Mix up the putty inside the tub. It should be the consistency of pizza dough after mixing.
2. Put some on your glazing knife and push it into where the window meets the frame. Really push it in there as you want to fill any spaces or gaps.

3. Using the clean flat side of the knife, smooth out the glazing at a 45-degree angle, pressing down as you go along the glazing.

A few tips:

• Make sure that the glazing does not go on thick that it comes up above the window frame from the inside (so that you don’t see the glazing when you’re looking out your window). I learned this one the hard way.

See the image below for the first window I did. I was not thinking about what it looked like from the inside.
Don’t do this. It bothers me daily 😆

• Push down on the glazing as you move the knife along the window. You want to have a firm hand which will create a smooth finish. If it starts to crack or come apart, it’s because there’s not enough glazing in that spot. Add more and smooth it out again.

• Start at the top part of the window and work your way down. I found that if I did the bottom first, the excess that fell from the top would land in the finished areas below and I would have to fix it. Working from the top down keeps you from having to do extra work.

4. Pull away the excess glazing with your free hand (latex gloves helps get it off easily) and if possible, catch it in your tub to reuse it.
5. Let the glaze harden. This can take anywhere from a week to like four weeks depending on the temperature and humidity. My windows that were outside dried a lot faster than the storm windows that I glazed in my basement. Just let them sit until they’re completely dry. Don’t rush it!

Tip:
If you also have removeable storm windows that you’re reglazing, make sure that you have room to store them where they will not be touched. Even after a week or two, fingerprints can show up in the glazing, so make sure you find a place they can just sit untouched.

Prime

Primer must be used over your glazing. Use an exterior latex primer for both the glazing as well as the caulk and on any bare wood.

Paint

Now you’re in the final stretch: time to paint!

The major thing to keep in mind here is that you don’t want to paint the window shut! If this happens, you can go along with a razor but it creates an ugly finish that will likely need to be sanded and repainted. I found the easiest thing to do is paint the window while it’s open, then let it dry for an hour or two until it’s dry to the touch, then open and close it a few times to make sure it slides well. Let it finish drying and you should be good.

Also avoid drips! Make sure that you clean up any excess paint so it doesn’t leave a drip, for a few reasons. First, and foremost, it doesn’t look great. Excess paint can also create a point for the window to stick to the frame. And because the window might not close right if there’s a big clump of paint somewhere.

I also like to paint in the direction of the wood grain. This is not necessary but I think creates a really beautiful finish.

I also decided to just paint the window and then scrape off any paint that got on the glass. You could use painters’ tape if you prefer. I avoid using tape at all costs because it drives me crazy, takes forever and doesn’t work all that well. But do what works for you.

I just used a razor to scrape the paint off and it was much easier for me than dealing with tape.

I went with Benjamin Moore Regal Select in the color Montgomery White in a soft gloss. I wanted a creamy white and this one totally fits the bill. It can look more yellow in certain lights but I really love it.

Conclusion

And that’s it! It took some time and patience to complete all the windows on our home but it was SO WORTH IT. We saved a ton of money, I learned a new skill, they look incredible and will last for many many more years.

If this is a project you’re thinking about taking on, remember the simple steps:

• Scrape then Sand
• Caulk then Glaze
• Prime and Paint

Any Questions? We’re here!