Irish Sash Windows

Now that may sound like a bridge too far for most but just think about it for a while after all DIY does stand for “Do it yourself” right! You’ve probably done most other home improvements around your home so why should you be afraid to replace your own sliding sash windows and more importantly why on earth would you consider paying someone else to do it, when you could easily replace your own windows if you put your mind to it. DIY double glazing, ok lets run through the basics firstly you must measure your existing window to make sure the one you are replacing it with will actually fit even if you measured it originally to place the order. Always check your sizes before you rip-out the old window. Ok your new window will fit you are now faced with the task of taking out your old window. The Rip-out The first thing to do is remove all the opening sashes depending on the window type in your home, you will probably be left with one or two fixed panes of glass these will also need to removed to do this simply cut through the frame section around the glass and remove allowing you to access the glass pane, once removed you will be left with just the outer frame, cut the outer frame out and your ready to fit your new window. Ok I know there’s a little more to it than that but that is the basics. The Fit The fit is the easy part, just make sure your frame is nice and level and plumb although if you live in a very old house your walls or your internal plaster lines may not be level or plumb in which case it is sometimes better to fit your window slightly out of square to make it look right in the opening. You may think this would make the opener catch and you would probably be right depending on how much out of square the whole thing was, but there is way to combat this and make sure your window never catches the procedure for this is called toe & heeling which is paramount when glazing side hung sashes. Glazing Glazing can be tricky but is very easy to master as is the toe & heeling procedure once you know how of course I not going to go into too much detail here on this but the rick is to firm and precise when tapping home the glazing beads. I see too many fools really hammering the beads far too hard then loosing their heads when the beads won’t go in, they won’t go in because the bead as been kinked on the back edge from being hammered in too hard so be aware of this when glazing upvc double glazing. Sealing Sealing is an art in itself but can be easily mastered the most simplest trick to keep the sealer straight on the frame is to use masking tape but the tape won’t stop the bumps bubbles or gaps you may create that’s all in the application.