It’s an all too common practice to rip out all the old windows in a house and replace them with new ones. Steve Jordan, the author of the exhaustive treatise, “The Window Sash Bible,” makes a strong case for fixing existing windows. He writes, “Old windows are usually meant to last a lifetime when maintained; modern windows last fifteen to thirty years and most cannot be maintained to significantly improve durability.”
The book’s breadth of knowledge is impressive, as is the detailed table of contents, index, glossary, bibliography, and source list for window parts. It’s bothersome to buy a reference book and not be able to find what you’re looking for. Not that I didn’t want to read the entire manuscript, but if I hadn’t and were only looking for, say, sash bolts, I could have found them listed in the seven-page table of contents.
There’s a chapter on improving old windows’ energy efficiency and airtightness, as well as one on interior and exterior storm windows and panels. Chapters on wood repair, paint stripping and repainting will show you how to do it right. Jordan’s discussions and opinions regarding tools, techniques, and materials are based on his 40-plus years working in the field as a painter and restoration carpenter, and are well founded and thorough. If you must, there’s a chapter on replacement windows that will help you avoid making the wrong decisions. And the final chapter deals with lead paint and your safety.
The book is also filled with window and glass history as well as reprints of vintage catalog and hardware pages. It all makes for interesting reading. I learned a lot, even something that’d been bugging me for years: the difference between a muntin and a mullion (see page 209 for the answer). Find out more about Jordan, his book (available for $40 at amazon.com), and his window repair business, in Rochester, N.Y., at windowsashbible.com.
Jefferson Kolle is a former contractor and JLC editor living in Bethel, Conn.
