Description

Although they look good and perform well thermally, timber windows need regular maintenance to keep them in top shape.

Until the 1970s, timber was the primary material used for window frames and sashes. Window styles vary, and different styles are generally indicative of the age of the house. Double-hung, vertical, sash-sliding windows were common up until the early 1920s, while casement (side-hinged) windows, often with fanlights above, were common features of the 1920s and 1930s.

Multi-paned fixed-sash and opening casements were used during the 1940s and 1950s, and awning windows that open outwards from the bottom and are held open by friction stays were typical of houses built in the 1960s and 1970s.

Scope

This article includes:

• Advantages and disadvantages
• Construction
• Timber for windows
• Common problems
• Repairing timber windows
  • Repainting
  • Rot in timber
  • Joints in sashes opening up
  • Loose or missing putty
  • Sticking or jammed sashes
  • Rust staining from fixings or hinges
  • Loose or corroded hardware
• IGUs in existing single-glazed sashes
  • Considerations when retrofitting IGUs