Sustainability Through Preservation

Preservation maximizes sustainability efforts for our planet by reusing existing materials, reducing waste that ends up in landfills, and limiting energy consumption that is required to create new structures. As part of SCA’s #SaveOurSphere Virtual Earth Month series, learn about the basic process for window restoration led by the Historic Preservation in Public Lands Corps!

  • Remove window from building 
  • Remove paint from sashes with steam, scraping and sanding 
  • Remove glass and hardware 
     
  • Check for repairs 

    – Dutchman repair – replacing large pieces of the window with in-kind wood 
    – Epoxy repairs – fill holes or rotted sections with epoxy 
    – Wood filler – fill small holes and imperfections with wood filler 
     

  • Prime 
  • Measure and cut glass 
  • Glaze – process of setting glass and securing it to the sash with glaze and glazing points (glaze is a linseed oil and pumice mixture and flexes with the natural movement of wood in different seasons) 
  • Finish paint 

  • Clean window & touch ups
  • Re-install window in building

 

Student Conservation Association