How To Make Wood Windows Slide Easier

All About Wood Windows

Windows are i of the bones necessities of a home. They brighten our rooms, feed the states fresh air, go along out the rain, and, when matched to the mode of the architecture, profoundly enhance a business firm'south appearance, inside and out.

Only if your windows were letting in a fiddling as well much air concluding winter, leaving you chilled and stuck with loftier fuel bills, consider this: New high-performance insulating units can cut your free energy costs by almost 25 percentage. Then with the inflow of spring, and a fresh round of federal taxation credits for installing more-efficient windows, it's a nifty fourth dimension to say sayonara to those drafty sometime units.

If you lot're not certain which kind of windows to get, allow u.s. offer a suggestion: forest. Information technology's a light, strong, and attractive cloth. Information technology'south a good insulator, information technology's moderately priced, and it can be milled into an unlimited assortment of shapes and profiles. Plus, with a bit of regular care, it'll final indefinitely. The large problem is finding the right type and style for your house among the myriad choices and manufacturers. It'southward enough to make your head hurt.

Save yourself some pain past studying the following slides. Nosotros make sense of the smorgasbord of options and evidence y'all how to compare products then that y'all go the all-time window for your cadet. If new windows are in your future, this is one story yous don't want to miss.

Shown: Andersen 400 Serial Woodwright

Similar to shown: Jeld-Wen Custom Woods

Anatomy of a Double-Hung

The most pop window in the U.S., it has the same bones parts equally other types.

Sash

Movable or fixed frame that supports the glazing.

Casing

Trim that covers the gap between the jambs and house framing.

Sill

Bottom part of the frame; angled to shed water.

Jambs

Sides and acme of the frame that surroundings the sashes.

Glazing

Window drinking glass.

Muntins

Slender strips that divide the glazing.

Sash Lock

Hardware that secures the meridian and bottom sashes.

Woods Windows: Vitals

What Do They Cost?

An off-the-shelf, 36-by-54-inch pine double-hung with insulated glass runs about $270. The same window made to order with high-performance glazing will exist about $825. In mahogany the cost jumps to $2,100.

How Long Practise They Last?

A wood sash and frame will final indefinitely, if properly maintained. Glazing is typically warranted against fogging for 20 years.

Can You Install Them Yourself?

Leave it to a pro to put a new full-frame window into a crude opening. Replacing just the sashes is a DIY-friendly task. Shown above: Pella Precision-Fit; pella.com

How Much Tin can They Save Yous?

Free energy Star–rated windows can shave 7 to 24 per centum off your heating and cooling costs, depending on the type of window you lot're replacing and the part of the country you're in.

How to Speak Window

Double-hungs are identified by the number of panes, or "lights," in each sash. A six-over-6, for example, has half dozen panes per sash. The double-hung shown here is an eight-over-12. Information technology'southward chosen a "cottage window" because its upper sash is smaller than its bottom one.

Is It Fourth dimension For New Windows?

Start shopping for replacements when the following issues crop upwardly:

Extensive Rot

Small pockets of decay tin exist scraped out and filled, but if the sill and jambs are severely compromised, in that location's no saving them.

Fogged Glass

When the perimeter seal on a double-glazed window fails, the condensation that collects between the panes of glass spoils the view and reduces energy efficiency. The window needs a new sash, at the to the lowest degree, if not entire replacement.

Poor Function

Is a sash hard to open or will it non stay open? Those old windows from the weight-and-pulley era are easy to ready, just sashes with tubular-remainder hardware from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s may not exist worth saving.

Inappropriate Fashion

A 19th-century Italianate fitted with modern replacement casements, for instance, volition have infinitely more curb appeal with new wood double-hungs that match the wait of the original windows. Pictured: Rather than replace these 18th-century windows, TOH master carpenter Norm Abram restored them to like-new status. Adding interior storms made them as weathertight every bit new units.

Replacement Options: Full Frame

Completely replaces existing units. Use if a jamb or sill is shot.

Pro: Offers most styles and highest free energy efficiency. Opening a wall crenel allows you to upgrade insulation.

Con: Hard to install; requires removal of interior and exterior trim and some siding. Inserts from the exterior.

Shown: Andersen 400 Series Woodwright

Replacement Options: Frame-and-Sash Insert

A frame with manufactory-fitted sashes. You keep existing sill and jambs.

Pro: Easiest to install. Trim not affected. Goes in from the inside.

Con: Nigh expensive option. Frame reduces size of window opening by upward to 1 inch on all sides.

Shown: Marvin Ultimate Insert

Replacement Options: Sashes Only

Units slide on plastic tracks mounted to existing side jambs.

Pro: Least expensive option. Neither trim nor opening size is afflicted. Installs from the inside.

Con: Bachelor only equally double- or single-hungs. Requires exact measurements for sill angle and window opening. Existing frame must be square and solid.

Shown: Marvin Tilt-Pac

Deciphering the Label

Comparing window performance is easy, thank you to labels from the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). Computer simulations create the fundamental numbers for each window

ane. Energy Star

The shaded portions of the accompanying map evidence where the window meets regional Energy Star performance criteria. This ane passes muster nationwide.

2. U-Gene

Measures how well a window stops rut catamenia, on a scale of 0.10 to ane.20. The smaller the number, the better the performance in both cold and hot climates.

iii. Solar Heat Proceeds Coefficient (SHGC)

Measures how well glazing blocks the dominicus's heat, on a calibration of 0 to 1. The lower the number, the less heat gets in. Get for 0.40 or lower in warmer climates.

4. Visible Transmittance (VT):

Tells how much light passes through; 0 is opaque, 1 is transparent. Glazing with a VT of 0.threescore or more than looks clear. A lower VT limits glare but tin slightly darken rooms.

Some labels also charge per unit Air Leakage (look for 0.30 or lower) and Condensation Resistance (the higher the number, the better).

TOH Tip: Score a Tax Credit

Federal tax credits tin can cut the cost of new energy-efficient windows by 30 percent, up to $1,500 per household. Windows installed in 2009 and 2010 qualify if they have an NFRC-certified U-factor and an SHGC of 0.xxx or less. The credit applies only to window costs, not installation. Relieve the "qualification statement" from the manufacturer and your receipts. A word of circumspection: Not all Energy Star windows are shoe-ins for the credit.

Cost: Off the Shelf

Good for tight budgets and for new construction where you can frame the opening to fit units in just a handful of standard sizes.

Where to Buy: Home centers and lumberyards.

Styles: Plain-vanilla double-hungs or casements, often without muntins.

Hardware: Painted metal crank.

Glazing: Double-pane; non eligible for tax credit.

Wood: Unprimed pine.

Wait: Upwardly to iii days, maximum.

Price: Well-nigh $270–$350; Jeld-Wen

Cost: Made-to-Order

Meridian pick, if you want more size and blueprint options. Mix and match choices shown in the catalog, including free energy-saving glazing.

Where to purchase: Dwelling house centers, lumberyards, window retailers.

Styles: All window types, with different muntin configurations. Hardware: Cull among a few crank styles and diverse painted or plated-metal finishes.

Glazing: Depression-e, triple glazed, patterned, laminated.

Wood: Mostly pine—either bare, factory primed, or painted. Some companies besides offer clear alder or Douglas fir.

Expect: Iv weeks, minimum.

Price: almost $315–$650; Jeld-Wen

Price: Custom

The way to go for nonstandard sizes and shapes or if you want to create an original pattern or replicate a historic window.

Where to purchase: Window retailers.

Styles: You name information technology.

Hardware: More crank styles in custom finishes or solid bronze.

Glazing: The works, including leaded art glass.

Wood: Oak, maple, cerise, and exotics, such as mahogany, finished to your specifications.

Await: Six weeks, minimum.

Price: Most $800–$ii,000 and up; Jeld-Wen

Glazing Choices

Vintage single-pane "wavy" drinking glass can't be beat for character, just it provides little protection against the heat and cold. With today's drinking glass, called glazing, you can get more than insulation and added security, and tin can save time and coin on window washing.

Double-Pane:

Much more efficient than single-pane, information technology can exist improved further with rut-reflective low-east coatings and past filling the infinite betwixt the drinking glass sheets with a denser-than-air gas, such as krypton or argon.

Triple-Pane:

It'southward the best barrier against the cold but reduces light manual and adds weight and cost.

Self-Cleaning:

A titanium-dioxide coating reacts with sunlight to loosen dirt, which washes off in the rain. (Yous yet accept to make clean the indoor surfaces.)

Unbreakable:

An invisible layer of plastic sandwiched between two sheets of standard drinking glass helps to foil intruders, block sound, and withstand earthquakes and hurricanes.

Shown: Marvin Ultimate Double Hung

Muntin Choices: Truthful Divided Light

These traditional single-pane windows are strong and light and volition last indefinitely, simply they're poor insulators. A separate glass "energy panel" affixed to the outside of the sashes improves performance to the level of a standard double-pane. Difficult to clean.

Muntin Choices: False Divided Light

Muntins are adhered to the indoor and outdoor surfaces of double-pane drinking glass. More energy efficient than a truthful divided light but just as hard to clean.

Muntin Choices: Grille in Glass

An aluminum grille sits permanently between two glass panes, hinting at the look of actual muntins. The metal conducts estrus, raising its U-cistron and making the window less efficient. Cleaning is a breeze, merely choose a grille color you like, because there'south no irresolute information technology.

Muntin Choices: Removable Grille

A forest grid on the indoor surface of the window is held in place with metal or plastic clips on the edge of the sash. It's easy to remove for cleaning and can be replaced if damaged, but it doesn't look authentic when viewed close up from the outside or within.

What's a Clad Window?

Paint is the traditional way to protect forest windows from the elements, just it requires ongoing maintenance to keep the finish intact. Cladding the exposed exterior with vinyl, aluminum (left), or copper eliminates the work while maintaining the look of wood within your house. Easy upkeep doesn't come cheap, though. Prices for a 36-by-54-inch double-hung window start at virtually $285 for vinyl cladding and about $475 for aluminum, and go up to $1,400 for copper.

Alternatives to Wood: Aluminum

Durable; needs almost no maintenance beyond an occasional washing. Choose from several long-lasting colored finishes. The metal conducts heat, which tin result in inside condensation and lower energy efficiency.

Alternatives to Wood: Vinyl

The to the lowest degree expensive option. Never needs painting merely bachelor only in light colors as nighttime hues cause vinyl to oestrus up and expand. Good insulator. Vulnerable to cracking in the cold. Not as strong equally wood, so sash frames are thick and bulky.

Alternatives to Woods: Fiberglass

Stable in hot or cold climates; insulates improve than all other window materials, including wood. Bachelor in colors; like shooting fish in a barrel to paint when dark colors fade. Can't be shaped and milled like wood, and is more expensive.