5 Ways To Get Your Wood Windows Ready For Winter
Window structures made of wood are usually insulated with:
Modern profile seal
This material is sold at any hardware store and is a tape, with or without an adhesive layer. Such a seal is also called a tubular profile and is made of the following materials:
-
foam rubber
- rubber
- polyvinyl chloride
- polyethylene foam
- polyurethane
Adhesive-based seals are more popular. But their disadvantage can be considered that they cannot stick as securely as their self-adhesive counterparts.
The foam rubber seal absorbs moisture, so it must be replaced annually. The polymer tape is water resistant, which significantly increases its service life.
The sealant is easy to use: the tape is glued to the open sash around the perimeter, inside and out. To eliminate especially large gaps, you can additionally use masking tape.
For gluing a sealant without an adhesive base, it is best to use a transparent silicone adhesive-sealant
Improvised means
The method is suitable to insulate old wooden windows for the winter, as it is designed to eliminate too large gaps. They can be filled with cotton wool, rags, paper, or foam rubber. A special putty for wood is also suitable.
Stages of warming:
- firmly tamp the cotton wool or other material into the slot using, for example, a wide screwdriver;
- glue strips of fabric or paper over the material.
Glue for these purposes can be made from a soap solution or two components - water and starch. The recipe is simple: pour a heaping tablespoon of starch with one 200 ml glass of water, and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
Instead of starch, you can use sifted flour. After cooling the paste, proceed to the insulation.
Paraffin
Paraffin can be purchased at any hardware store. This method was widely used several decades ago among housewives. They made it possible to seal large gaps quickly and without cost.
Melt the paraffin candle in a water bath and pour the hot mixture into a preheated syringe. With this device, you need to quickly process all the gaps.
Sealant or Silicone
Transparent sealant (acrylic) or silicone (silicone sealant) is applied either between the window frame and the window sill or between the frame and the glass.
How to insulate wooden windows with sealant:
- glazing beads are removed from the frame;
- the seat is cleaned of debris, dust, and paint residues;
- sealant is applied to the seat;
- after the sealant has completely dried, the glazing beads are installed back. Users recommend using new glazing beads. Firstly, because old glazing beads often break during dismantling, and secondly, in this way, minor repairs of the window block are performed.
You can replace the sealant with a special putty for windows. The procedure for applying it will be similar, only instead of sealant, putty is applied, which is pressed tightly against the seat, leveled, its excess is removed with a knife, and after drying, the putty is painted over. Often, putty is used inside the frame, between the panes, and from the side of the room, the glass installation site is decorated with glazing beads.
Heat-saving film
The heat-saving film is an effective way to avoid heat loss This method is suitable for warming wooden window structures and PVC windows.
In hardware stores, you can find a special protective film that has universal properties - in summer it protects the room from sunlight, and in winter it raises the temperature to 5 degrees.
The material of the required dimensions is glued to the frame glazing beads using double-sided adhesive tape and blown with air from a hair dryer to level and make it transparent.
Additional cold bridges
Be sure to check the lintels above the windows, as they are often the source of heat leakage. The lintels are insulated from the outside by alternately applying facade polystyrene foam, reinforcing mixture, and plaster.
Slopes can also become conductors of cold. For thermal insulation, the side surfaces are sanded, then primed and PVC panels are installed. If voids have formed inside, it is necessary to fill them with tow or polyurethane foam.
The window sill, incorrectly treated with foam, is insulated by attaching a piece of PVC panel under it, adjusted to size. The voids are filled with the same materials as in the case of slopes.
Summing up
If the budget does not yet allow you to replace old windows with new ones, do not despair. We briefly examined how you can insulate wooden windows for the winter with your own hands and at a low cost, using improvised materials. By choosing the best way for a particular room, the user can ensure comfort and coziness in the house, as well as extend the life of the wooden window and reduce the cost of heating the house.
