Do-it-yourself warming of wooden windows: materials, methods

Wooden frames are much more environmentally friendly than plastic ones, but regular maintenance is required for such windows. One of the necessary items is the insulation of windows for the winter. No matter how well the wooden frames are made, over time they dry out, drafts appear in the house. In order not to drown the street, gaps need to be sealed. 

Cardinal insulation of wooden windows

Wood windows can blow into the gap between the glass and the frame. This “disease” is treated separately. Another possible source of cold air is sashes that do not fit snugly against the frame. For a good and long-term effect, the insulation of wooden windows is best done in two stages. First get rid of blowing from under the windows, then minimize the gaps in the frames. Such insulation is guaranteed to give a good result. It is worth starting the insulation with the installation of glass on silicone, which came to replace the old putty, but it works much better, retains its properties longer.

Glass sealing

To reduce the blowing of heat through the windows, the glass must be installed without gaps. The most effective way is to use a sealant. For glass, you will need a transparent silicone sanitary sealant. You can take not sanitary, but for aquariums. It differs in that fungus or mold never appears on the surface. And this is possible if the windows will “cry”. When buying, pay attention to the temperature regime of use – it should easily withstand the minimum temperatures for your area. Then the insulation of wooden windows will be effective.

To make it easier to work, it is better to remove the frame and carry out all the actions on the table. Why shoot? You will have to take out the glass. If the window is really old, the frame can warp without glass. Then you still have to remove it and align it, and this is not at all as easy as it seems. So it’s better to remove the sash. Next, the procedure is as follows:

• we remove the old glazing beads;
• we separate the glass, clean it from putty, dust, degrease along the edges;
• we clean the frame from paint and everything that can fall off;
• we apply a strip of sealant on the ledge of the frame for installing glass;
• lay glass, press;
• leave for several hours – until the sealant polymerizes (the time is indicated on the package);
• We take new glazing beads, nail them into place.

If time is running out, you can not wait until the sealant polymerizes, but immediately install the glazing beads. The north window can be made even warmer – go through the sealant under the glazing bead. Double sealing of glasses will turn out. Also do if the wind constantly blows into it.

Let me give you one piece of advice: if you see that the frames will soon fall apart, reinforce the corners with overhead corners (at least). This will allow the frame to hold its shape more rigidly and new gaps will not appear for at least a few years.

Insulation of wooden windows without sealing the glass will not give the desired effect. It is checked up repeatedly, and not only at home. My son had the coldest class at school. After the glass was put on sealant and new glazing beads were installed, it became much warmer. The class became almost the warmest. Try it. It really works.

How to close the gaps between the frame and sashes

Very often in old wooden windows there are gaps between the frame and the sashes. It is through these gaps that heat is blown out. To avoid such a situation, these gaps are laid with a sealant. There are modern materials for sealing:

• The condensed foam rubber on a self-adhesive basis. Strips about a centimeter wide are sold in skeins or by the metre. More dense are those that are per footage. They provide better protection against drafts.
  

• Rubber seals of various shapes on an adhesive backing. There are two main profiles – D and F. They come in different sizes. They are used depending on the size of the slots and the type of porch. The D-profile is more elastic, they put it where there are large gaps. F-profile is needed where the gaps are not too large.

The self-adhesive base of any sealant allows you to quickly and easily stick it on the frame, but after a while, the glue stops holding and the tape peels off. You need to change the seal. With foam rubber, this is not too annoying – it costs a penny, but the rubber seal is quite expensive. To prevent this from happening, after installation, secure the seal with staples from a construction stapler. It will be necessary to choose staples of sufficient width with long legs. Stainless steel or copper is better, as steel will rust. Staples are placed in increments of 20 cm, more often in the corners. If it is necessary to replace the rubber seal due to loss of elasticity, the staples can be easily removed with a conventional screwdriver.

It is necessary to glue the sealant on the place of the frame to which the sash adjoins. It’s easier and more convenient. The thickness is selected according to the size of the gap. A very thick one can interfere with closing the window, a thin one will not give tightness. And another point: when gluing with a rubber seal, leave small gaps: two in the vertical part and one in the horizontal. Otherwise, the windows will “cry”.

How else to insulate windows

Other materials can be used instead of foam or rubber seals. Insulation of wooden windows can be done using:

• Foamed polyethylene. It is on an adhesive basis, there are just rolls of insulation. It is clear how to mount the adhesive, and the usual roll insulation is cut into strips of the desired width. You can attach it to buttons or staples from a construction stapler. This option is good because you can “cut” the strips of the desired width.
  

• Use mounting foam. If you are not going to open the window during the winter, you can fill the gaps with mounting foam from a can. They blow in a very small amount, and the foam is also needed with a small expansion, otherwise it can squeeze out the frame. After polymerization, the excess is cut flush with the frame, and then you can either paint it or glue it with paper. It depends on how you plan to use the window in the future. The disadvantage of this method is that the foam cannot be torn off without damaging the paint.
• Lubricate the joints of the frame and sashes with silicone sealant, but white. We will get an individual sealing tape that will ideally fill the gaps. But, again, the silicone comes off along with the paint. In principle, it is possible to apply sealant to one of the parts “dry”, degreasing the surface. Lubricate the second part with something greasy (the same vegetable oil, for example). Close the window, wait for polymerization. Then we open the window, we have a sealant strip that almost perfectly follows the contours of the adjacent sash.

The last two methods of window insulation described above cannot be called humane. There is a high probability that the varnish or paint will be damaged, and in order for the window to have a normal appearance, it will have to be repainted or varnished again.

What else can be used for insulation

Other materials can be used to insulate wooden windows. For example, to eliminate the gaps between the frame and the sash, use:

• cotton wool twisted into bundles;
• foam strips;
• cloth cord.

This window insulation is called the “grandmother’s” method. This is exactly what they did (and continue) when they did not hear about plastic windows yet. These materials are twisted into a tight bundle and, using a screwdriver or a table knife, are pushed into the slots. It is more convenient in this regard to work with foam rubber – it is pushed into any cavity.

Then, in order to completely block access to air, a strip of paper or fabric is glued on top. Paper or cloth can be moistened in a paste (dilute 1 tablespoon of flour or starch in 2 tablespoons of cold water, add a little boiling water, put on a small fire, boil, stirring for transparency). The paste can be replaced with soaked laundry or cosmetic soap. You can simply put a bar of soap in warm water, run a cloth or paper over the soaked part and stick it on the frame. After drying, the paper and fabric become much denser, they almost do not let air through.

If the “grandmother’s” method of insulation does not please you, you can use construction (paper) tape or paper for sticking windows with adhesive applied on one side. It turns out the same, but a little more expensive. But less “fuss”. But construction tape sometimes peels off badly – with pieces of paint. And the “grandmother’s” way is removed without problems and even the paint that does not adhere too well remains in place.

Window insulation from the outside

Sometimes the glass is “planted” on silicone, all the cracks are sealed, and it blows from the window. This means that the insulation has fallen into disrepair, which paved the gap between the wall and the window frame. To do everything thoroughly, you need to get to the heater and change it. This is long and difficult, because in the process you can break the frame. Faster and easier to use mounting foam. Foam, again, is better to take with a weak expansion. It can be found, although it is rare. Walk and purposefully look for a balloon, where it is written – a weak expansion. The ones that are usually sold can squeeze out / warp the frame. This will not help, but will only worsen the situation.

After examining the perimeter of the frame, you can find holes. Most often, a significant gap is found under the ebb. They can be both on the sides and on top, but here they usually either have slopes or are plastered. If you can see that the plaster has fallen off or there are obvious voids under the slopes, it will be necessary to somehow provide access. It is difficult to suggest exactly how – it is necessary to decide on the spot.

Having gained access to the cavity, proceed as follows. Clean out everything that is possible, remove everything that falls off and crumbles. Use a spray bottle to moisten the cavity with water. Gently, in layers, blow with foam. If the hole is too large, do not apply too much foam at once. It is better to apply it in layers, waiting for the polymerization of each layer.

When filling, do not overdo it – mounting foam with low expansion should fill the void by no more than 2/3 (with normal or strong it is many times less). Leave until polymerization (the time is indicated on the bottle). After the mounting foam has become rigid, we cut off the excess, we achieve tightness with paint. Such insulation of wooden windows will allow you to avoid drafts for a long time and keep warm.

We tighten the film

If you have done all possible types of work, but the room is still cold, you will have to use an extreme method – tighten the window with a film. Yes, it’s not pretty. But better not very beautiful, but warm. This method is usually used for windows facing the backyard. We take a dense transparent plastic film, stretch it outside on the window, fixing it with strips from the street. Not the most aesthetic window insulation, but effective.

Why does this method work? Because an additional insulating layer of air is created between the film and the outer glass. This is the first moment. The second one is this. Since the film is usually nailed to the walls, it turns out that cold air does not penetrate to the frame.

Energy saving film

The same effect – an additional insulating layer – works in the case of the recently advertised insulation of window panes with a film. As you know, any room loses heat through the walls, windows, roof, floor. Windows account for up to 40% of heat loss. Previously, this problem was solved by installing additional winter frames. Heat-saving film, in fact, is a modern substitute for such a frame. A thin double-sided tape is attached to the window frame, and a film is glued onto the tape. How exactly is not the point. It must be warmed up with a hair dryer (normal, not construction), after which it will even out and be hardly noticeable.

This simple method allows you to raise the temperature in the room by several degrees. The same film will prevent overheating in the summer – to prevent the sun’s rays through the glass. The only disadvantage of this method is the inhumane price. A square meter of film costs from 350 rubles, plus you will need double-sided tape.

Is this energy-efficient film different from the usual one? It is difficult to say until comparative tests have been carried out. Will something change if you tighten the window with ordinary plastic wrap? Hardly. The advantage of this film is that it is crystal clear and after heating it is invisible on the window. So it’s a relatively inexpensive and easy way to raise the temperature in a room without ruining the view.

The cheaper way

Almost the same effect can be achieved by sticking a packing film with air bubbles on the inside of the glass. Of course, using this film, we lose transparency, but the price is not so high. The film is generally very easy to install. A piece of film cut to size is moistened with water (from a spray bottle). Water is applied to the smooth side. We spray it on the glass. We lay the film, align, press, straighten it with our hands. Everything, the film is glued.

It can keep for months. It can be removed without problems – they pulled the edge, and all of it moved away. The same piece can be used for several years, as nothing happens to it. This is a simple way that makes the insulation of wooden windows more efficient.