I’m Restoring My Old 1850s Windows

New skill unlocked!

☞ Bonus note! The carpenter has returned since and he was really happy with my work which was a big confidence boost! I definitely saved us many hours of work. He taught me that you can take a foam brush with some paint thinner over the glaze at the end to even further smooth everything out. So he spent some time further tidying up my work but it was a fraction of the time it would have taken him to do them all from scratch himself. Woo!

Videos I found helpful:

☞ My name is Ariel and I’m a Canadian writer and YouTuber. I'm currently making videos sharing the renovations of my 1850s Gothic Revival house. I own five pairs of overalls, organize my bookshelves by genre and then by colour, and my favourite book is Animal Farm. I also co-host a podcast, Books Unbound, where I share my love of reading every week. Thanks for visiting!

☞ Thanks for watching! ☜

[clairecarlson]

when i first saw this title i thought it said "i taught myself how to GAZE out a window" and i got really excited about that how-to

[JohnCrockett-lr]

If it’s already broken you can’t break it more. This mantra will help you tackle tough projects.

[annaanthony]

I couldn't agree more about secondhand items: "you're just using from this giant library of stuff that is already available."

[okeating]

Glazing windows is an art, much like cake decorating. One of my first jobs was glazing windows. I glazed all sizes. I would hold the putty in one hand, and used a putty knife spread the putty on, smoothed and continued. Its a not being done as much today. Mostly for restorations. Decades later I re-did my parents house. You did a great job. Keep learning.

[auditoryeden]

Rubber sweep for the bottom of the door and gaskets that go on the exterior frame of the door for the top and sides are tremendous for sealing up an antique doorway. We spent 20 years rolling up towels for the kitchen and front doors and still freezing, and then when we put proper sweeps and gaskets on it was just warm. Like, standing next to the doors in 15 oF weather and it was just....still warm. Not cold. I think I cried. Weatherstripping doesn't work nearly as well.

[Shawnasart]

This video has made me very aware of how I, as a fellow Canadian, say 'putty'.

[GrahamandMatthew]

That newel post is giving main character energy.

[tmtb]

By the way, if you live close to a place that sells to stained glass companies you can put panes of colored glass in there just as easy! They will cut it for you. Many greens???

[sourisdebibliotheque]

You should add another pane of glass, maybe inside, for better insulation. As a fellow Canadian, I know how winter feels

[laurieg]

Using the clips keeps the window pane from rattling as the glazing shrinks and adds strength and stability to the glass.
Window glazing also comes in a caulking tube in various colors. 🤷‍♀️

[doraskenderovic]

This video just reminded me of a summer break some 7 or 8 years ago. I was at my grandma's place and she asked me to help her glaze the windows. Neither of us had any prior experience with that, but when all was done, we were both happy with the outcome. I was the putty master of the family for the whole summer, and I glazed a number of windows at my grandma's place and at home!

[fianorian]

I'm with you on the 'zen-ness' of glazing. I learned how to do it many years ago, but I was fortunate enough to have a professional joiner show me how. I was amazed at how easy it is, once I'd done one.

[mlaiuppa]

Treat the bare wood with linseed oil so the wood doesn’t suck the moisture from the putty drying it out. You don’t stain putty, you paint on top of it to protect the putty from drying out. You should be able to roll a long rope of putty, being generous. After you press in the pane you remove the excess. Same on top of the glass when you remove the excess at an engle with the putty knife.

[flclinutri]

What a treat. So many Ariel videos lately

[tmtb]

Pro tip, before you remove glass, label it with a Sharpie. Number the glass pieces and also make sure you know top/bottom and interior/exterior.

[susannechinn]

This video has come in handy, as I have whole house of 100 year old windows to restore. And I realised that I too could do that.

[Timothy-NH]

Ariel, I love seeing a young person tackle a project like this. I use to enjoy glazing, back when my fingers were not so disagreeable to stuff like this.
I'd like to share a few things with you about my knowledge of glazing.
1) You do not put glazing into the frame before putting the pane of glass in; the pane goes right up against the wood. I was cringing has you were pushing the glass into the glaze, so afraid that you were going to put your hand right through it. Gloves are your friend! But, then again, if you are not pre-glazing, you don't need to push that hard.
2) You can't pre-color glaze, just paint it when done. Though I wonder if it could be blended with a dry pigment of some sort.
3) To make glaze easier to work with, you need to really play with it a bit. The other thing you can do is, when playing with it, add a few drops of paint thinner to it. This makes it easier to work with.
4) While you can use your fingers, you can use your putty knife to apply and smooth the glaze.
5) Totally use the points! The wood should be soft enough to just push them in with the blade of your putty knife.

I am going to see if I can find a video that shows the way I learned and always did it. If I find one, I'll comment on my comment with the link.

[ohjoannabanana]

You did a great job. I agree that YouTube tutorials are the most amazing resource.

Have you considered putting colored glass or a stained glass window in the transom? I bet it would look awesome. It would be a fun craft to learn as well.

[cypriennezed]

My gray Max cat likes to sit with me when I'm watching your videos - he definitely likes your voice ✨️

[heatherburrill]

How fun to watch your learning journey. By the end of doing all the windows in your home, you will feel like a master glazer 😊❤