Revitalising natural wood finish on inside of sash windows

[CuddyMum]

When I eventually get my sashes repaired and reglazed I would like to give the insides a freshen up. There's no paint on them and I guess at some point they have been waxed by the previous owners. There are some areas that have already been repaired with a solid filler/resin that I can tell won't cover with just waxing and I know there are more internal repairs/filling that will be done as part of the renovation.

Any tips as to how I can achieve a nice, natural finish whilst blending in any filled areas? :)

Hello CuddyMum,

When you have your sashes restored it is usual that the material on the sashes themselves are burnt off, i.e the wax/varnish/paint is burnt off and removed, then primed. When re-glazing, if you are re-glazing with Double Glaze - sorry, i'm assuming you are - then new sashes are made to accommodate these, retro fitting double glaze is not an attractive method, unless you are using a very slim glass unit of 11mm, say.

If you are renovating yourself, then no clear wax or varnish will hide any filled areas, sanding down these areas evenly across the sashes will yield the best result.

I have had my windows (some renovation, some new sashes) renovated and the company I used have lots of information on their site. I have posted a link here for you.

www.joineryworkshop.com/sashwindows/restoration/

I hope this helps.

Thank you. We are intend to have the windows retro fitted with very slimline double glazing. Thank you for the link :)

Have just emailed them to see if they will come and quote.

And appointment booked! It's helpful that they give you a guideline price on their website.

Hi WACG - we opted for Joinery Workshop in the end! Thank you for the link. We were originally going to have the work done next August but are now having the top floor done asap (think there's an 8-12 week lead time) as we have found out that these windows are leaking!!

Windows are especially difficult with clear finishes as there is pretty sure to be condensation which will eventually get to the wood and discolour it. I use linseed oil outside as it is so easy to recoat, but it is not moistureproof so I use a lot of wood preserver to prevent black mould stain, and a dark wood dye to hide the darkening effect of moisture. Varnishes are more water resistant but they are a lot more trouble to sand or strip off once they have gone defective. If you accept that you have an old house with old windows and they are going to look old, it is easier to live with.

Windows are especially difficult with clear finishes as there is pretty sure to be condensation which will eventually get to the wood and discolour it. I use linseed oil outside as it is so easy to recoat, but it is not moistureproof so I use a lot of wood preserver to prevent black mould stain, and a dark wood dye to hide the darkening effect of moisture. Varnishes are more water resistant but they are a lot more trouble to sand or strip off once they have gone defective. If you accept that you have an old house with old windows and they are going to look old, it is easier to live with.

We have decided to paint them :) (or rather have them painted - too tedious for me).