There are many ways to restore old windows. We want to introduce you to the step by step method we use to do so. The treatment method described below has been used for many years and continues to deliver great results. 

Restoration of old windows with linseed oil paint

  1. Fittings must be removed and grinded down, preferably with sandpaper. A sand machine may be also be used. 

  2. The plaster or glues that hold the glass panes in place around the frame should be carefully removed. The window panes should then also be carefully removed and numbered.

  3. Loose color, or even the entire old coat of paint should be carefully removed from the wood’s surface down to crevices. In some cases, scrapers would work best. In other cases, heat guns would be the better choice.

  4. Sand grind the window frame thoroughly, possibly starting with coarse sandpaper grain 60 and ending with grain 100.

  5. The grain dust and color brittle should be gently brushed away using a hand duster.

  6. The wood should then be treated or primed with cold-pressed linseed oil and allowed to saturate. Each end, including the crevices naturally absorb more oil. For this reason, they too must be well oiled until saturation has been achieved. Priming the wood surface with cold-pressed linseed oil is a vital step in reaching the best results.

  1. The window frame should now be allowed to dry until the next day before removing any excess oil. However, after removing the excess oil the next steps to restoration should be taken within 2 weeks. If not the oils will begin to harden and bond completely.

  2. The window frame may now treated with 2 coats on both sides, inside and out. The paint must be applied in thin layers and thoroughly and evenly spread. Make sure to include corners and crevices as well as the window sash in the process.

  3. Now apply a thin layer of silicon glue around the window sash and place the window back in the window frame up to the collar before thoroughly securing the window pane back into the frame. Be sure to use window braces to hold the glass properly in place and finish this process with window glue to insure the glass be properly attached into the frame.

  4. Immediately after this treatment, the window glue should be painted with at least 2 layers of paint with at least a few days gap between layers. The fixture itself is still very soft and the oil paint should be carefully applied. Be sure not to get any paint on the glass itself. If this happens, quickly remove the paint with lint free cotton cloth.

  5. If the window fittings are not galvanized, they should be well heated with a gas burner or placed in the oven heated at 200 ° C, so that the humidity in the metal pockets dissipates. The fittings should then dipped into cold pressed linseed oil immediately after they completed the heating process. Once cooled, the fittings should be cleared of any excess oil until they are completely dry. After that, the fittings should them be treated with at least 2 layers of hematite/ Iron rust protectant. Be sure to leave a day or two between each coat. Finally, the fittings should be painted or treated with linseed oil paint with Tonkin oil.

  6. The fittings are again best mounted into the putty on the window, and possibly painted with linseed oil paint.

  7. The last step requires a 3rd layer of linseed oil paint. About 1mm should be applied between the glass and kit itself in order to make the bond waterproof.

After several days have passed between treatments and the color is dry enough, any excess paint may now be removed by using sandpaper with 220 grain to achieve an even surface. The exact planning of the various treatment methods is the key to the best results when working with linseed oil paint It. Best practice has shown that this process should be executed across all windows of that same area, window by window until the entire process has been completed and the first layer of has been applied. This saves time and is the most efficient because at the end of this process all of the windows in question will be completed. This saves time and ensures the very best and equal results.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!