my bed room windows is too old i need to do some repair (i.e. wood filling, cleaning, painting etc). I am not sure how to open it to clean it and do the wood filling. i could not find any youtube video to show how to repair an old 2 hung window. any help would be very much appreciated. the following are pictures of my windows which are identicals
Good link. If you live in a northern climate, it's too much effort reworking an existing window like that. If you're on a budget (and even if you're not...), Menard's has on-the-shelf pocket (replacement) single-hung windows for $99 after rebate, and in today's flier they have Jeld-Wen double-hungs for $130 or so. Any of them would be about a hundred times more efficient & comfortable than what you have now.
It looks like you're on the second floor, so a minimum of ladder work would be called for, but when you're done you're DONE. You can fill those counterweight cavities with expanding foam and stay cozy & warm all winter.
You just have to start taking them apart starrting with the stop molding if it is actually holding in the window. I coulnt tell from the pic. This looks like some windows I have seen where you remove the rail the window slides on by pushing the window all the way down and removing the screws from the top of the rail then slide the window up to remove the screws on the bottom. You may not have to remove any molding but new would certainly make it look better. I know picture is worth a thousand words but some carefully chosen verbage would really help describe what we are seeing here.
It does look like a second floor window so consider that when I say,
Most old double hung windows have long since been painted or caulked so that the top sash does not move. Removing the storm window allows access to both sashes. Repairs and glazing can be applied in this manner without further damage or effort.
As designed the lower sash was removable from the inside, by removing the interior trim along the inside edge of each window. As designed the outer sash was removable from the inside, by removing the parting bead, the rectangular shaped piece of vertical wood between the sashes. After all these years of paint and caulk it is not likely to come out with ease. Chances are it will break during removal.
So removing the storm window is your best option for repairing these.
Leza-
I see windows like these every day.......my SoCal house built in 1930 has 18 pair. :)
Are you wanting to repair / refurbish:
1) the sashes? (the moving parts of the a double hung window system 2) the frames & sill?In any case the link posted by Oren & the description by Colbyt are excellent guidance on how to proceed.
Do not underestimate the strength of paint holding things in place. Use a utility knife to score the paint at joints to lessen the chance of breaking wooden parts. A bit of paint remover in the right places can really help.
As Joseph said, for no a lot of money you can have new modern windows. I have restored my 1930 double hung windows; reglazed, epoxied, added bronze weather stripping but they're still old tech. I live in a mild climate so its not a huge issue.
Repair / restoring old double hung windows is a lot of work but doable.
Most new window installs I've seen tend to have leak issues....make sure you get a pro & a good guaranty if you go with new windows. If you choose to DIY, make sure you understand the water intrusion issues.
cheers Bob
Unless the house has some historical significance, don't even try. You can buy replacement windows that will seal better, tilt in for cleaning, and save energy. Not to mention just plain work better. I used to sell and install them years ago. Once you've done a few, you can do a window in less than 30 minutes start to finish.
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