“Built to Last”

DOOR AND WINDOW MAINTENANCE

Doors and windows are on the front lines in the battle against mother nature with their sills sticking out amongst a bunch of intersecting parts. It’s common for caulkings and paint to crack at intersecting parts a couple years after a paint job. Where there are cracks, if water is introduced, you know where it will go, It pays to give these vulnerable areas a look and tune up especially considering the cost of windows and doors.

You also want to take a look for storm windows that rest on the window sill. If that little stripe of the window sill under the storm window does not receive paint then it creates a weak point in a vulnerable area and is a typical spot for rot to start. Sometimes the removal of the storms is necessary to do a good job sealing up the window frame and trim before re-installing the storm window.

I’ve also had the opportunity to restore antique windows, sometimes getting antique glass from a salvage yard to replace broken panes. I’ve done complete restorations of windows from the late 1700’s that are beautiful and functioning, like new again.

Door thresholds and where the door frame and trim meet the threshold is the area that goes bad typically and regular maintenance between paint jobs can go a long way towards making it last. Some doors have replaceable weatherstrippings that tend to break down, but are easy to replace.