I absolutely love our porch windows, but they are in rough shape.  Right now they are quite the eyesore next to our new siding.  They are great windows because they open up all of the way.  We looked for new windows to replace them, but you can’t get windows that open up like these.  Some of the window panes are broken and some have even been replaced with plexiglass.

 

To do this project you will need:

• Heat gun or hairdryer
• Putty knife
• Needle-nose pliers
• Glazing points
• Glazing compound
• Knife
• Wood glue
• Wood putty

Start by heating the old glazing and scraping it away with a putty knife.

 

Be careful of the old glazing points.  They will be small pieces of metal that hold the glass into place before the glazing is put on.  In this case, they were very small glazing points that just look like a point.  They are stuck into the wood and will need to be pulled out with a pliers.  I used a knife to lift it away from the glass to get a better grip.

 

After the glazing points have been removed, you can clean up the glass or measure for a new piece of glass.  If you need a new piece of glass, measure the opening and subtract 1/8″ from each side.  You don’t want the glass to be too tight.  There should be a bit of movement when the glass is laid into place.  The glazing points will hold the glass where it needs to be.

 

After cleaning up the glass, you need to put in new glazing points.  I bought mine on Amazon, but you might be able to find them at your local hardware store.  Push the sharp point into the wood by rocking a putty knife back and forth on the prongs.  The prongs should fit tight against the window trim.  With the larger points, you should only need one or two on each side of the pane.

 

After putting in the points, you can start working the glazing compound.  The compound needs to be warmed with your hands and rolled into a round piece that can be pressed into the window edge.

 

Use a putty knife to press the putty into the window edge.

 

Then, use the putty knife to smooth out the putty at a 45 degree angle (or slightly less).  Scrape away any excess putty.

 

If the putty has any slight bumps, use your finger to smooth it out.  You can use the putty knife to smooth out the edge that meets the glass as well.

 

 

The glazing will need to set for about a week before you should paint it.  If you paint it before the glazing is fully set, you may have moisture problems, including mildew on the glazing.  When painting, paint about 1/16″ onto the glass to seal the glazing to the window pane.

I will update with more pictures once I am able to paint the windows and install them!