Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- Storm Windows
- Blow Dryer With Diffusers
- Utility Knives
- Hammers
- Pry Bars
- Screwdriver Sets
- Hammers
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Step 1
Check for nails or screws holding the window shut. A previous owner might have nailed the window shut for security reasons. Look carefully: If the nails or screws have been in place for a while, they may be painted over.
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Step 2
Remove any nails or screws that you find.
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Step 3
Inspect both the inside and outside of the frame to make sure the window isn't painted shut.
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Step 4
Loosen windows that are painted shut by running a sharp utility knife all around the edge of the window sash where it meets the jamb, both inside and outside.
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Step 5
Use a blow-dryer or other mild heating device to reduce swelling if the sash is swollen from humidity. Install quality storm windows to regulate temperature and humidity changes and prevent future swelling.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 This is much easier than you probably think. It avoids most potential denting, gouging or breaking of the sashes that can come from running sharp objects around the edges, and it is 100% effective. I just re-opened all eighteen lower sashes in my 1935 house, which had five layers of interior paint and four layers of exterior paint gluing them tight. On windows of early or mid 20th century vintage, the lower sash is held in place to two pieces of trimwork that are almost always 1/2" thick, forming the innermost edge of the window frame on the left and right. Paint has probably obscured the fact that it is a separate piece of trim. Two 1-1/2 inch putty knives are the perfect tools to pry it loose. Work from the bottom up, because the top is probably held in place with a 45 degree miter cut where it meets the top window trim. Before doing this, use a razor (held in one hand while the other hand presses its edge, with a metal straight edge to keep it running true) to score the paint at the edge of a molding curve at the 1/2" point where you think the edge of the trim lies under the paint. Scoring the paint will cause it to separate cleanly with little chipping, so that touch-up is easier when you put the trim back in place. Next, gently work one putty knife edge into the joint where you scored the paint. When the first edge sinks into the gap, it will be tightly wedged there. Lever it out a bit with one hand, using the other hand to gently work the second putty knife blade in just above it. Along the way, you will encounter the finishing nails that are holding the trim in place, which you will now work loose by leveraging from the bottom up. Once both the left and the right trim are removed, see if the sash will come loose into the room. If not, place the putty knife blade into the joint made by the lower muntin of the upper sash and the upper muntin of the lower sash. The sides of these window edges that you can't see (which are touching one another) are probably beveled to abut one another like two wedges put side by side, so don't try to force the putty knife blade straight down at a perpendicular angle. Tilt the putty knife so that the blade is pointing toward the interior as you insert it. This will break the seal and let you tilt the sash free from even the worst stranglehold of a bad paint job.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Even a light tap with a hammer head will dent the wood. Keep a 10 inch strip of 2" x 1" handy. Attempt to break the paint seals, as directed in this eHow. Then, place the 2 x 1 on the upper or lower edge of the sash (whichever is exposed) and tap it with a hammer to apply pressure evenly over a large area of the wood sash. This will avoid denting your sash and will eventually dislodge the sash from a tight-fitting track. Also, see the tip about removing some trim.