Wooden Window Restoration

Wooden window restoration means keeping the existing frames and sashes, cutting out only the timber that has failed, splicing in new wood, then reglazing, draught proofing and redecorating so the window works and weathers like it should. It is usually worth doing when most of the joinery is sound and the window has character you want to keep.

We look at timber windows across Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset and quote the repair route first wherever it genuinely exists. This guide walks through how a restoration is assessed and carried out, and the signs that point towards replacement instead.

Start with an honest assessment

Every opening is checked piece by piece: the sill, the bottom rails of the sashes or casements, the joints at each corner and the glazing bars. A thin blade pressed into suspect areas quickly shows whether decay is on the surface or has gone deep. Paint that is cracked along a joint often hides wet, soft wood beneath, so the survey looks past the finish rather than at it.

The result is a simple schedule of what can be kept, what needs splicing and what, if anything, has to be remade. That schedule is what makes the repair cost predictable.

What restoration work involves

Splicing in real timber is the heart of a good repair. Filler has its place on small defects, but a sill or bottom rail that is largely rotten needs new wood joined in properly, or the problem simply returns.

• Removing loose and failed paint back to sound material
• Cutting out decayed sections and splicing in matching new timber
• Consolidating small areas of softness with a suitable resin filler
• Re-puttying or re-beading glass that has worked loose
• Easing and adjusting sashes or casements that bind
• Fitting discreet draught seals where the design allows
• Priming bare wood and building up a durable paint system

Why restoration is often the right call

Older joinery was frequently made from slow grown, dense timber that outlasts much of what is available today. Keeping it preserves the proportions, mouldings and glass that give a period house its face. On listed buildings and in many conservation areas, the planning authority will expect repair before replacement is even discussed, so a well documented restoration is also the easiest route through consent.

Signs replacement makes more sense

Restoration stops being economic when decay runs through most of the frame, when joints have failed on several corners, or when earlier alterations have left a window that no longer fits its opening. Modern replacements that were poorly made can also be cheaper to replace than to rebuild. In those cases a new timber window made to the original pattern, with double glazing where it is permitted, gives a sound window for the next generation.

Either way, the decision should be made window by window. It is common for most of a house to be repaired while one or two of the worst frames are remade.

Keeping restored windows in good order

Once repaired, timber windows last best with a routine: wash them down, look over the paint on sills and bottom rails every year, and touch up any cracks before water gets in. Keeping vents and drips clear and leaving a little ventilation in rooms that produce moisture reduces condensation, which is one of the most common causes of rot on the inside face.

Questions people ask