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Bringing old windows back to life

Unless you know me in real life, you’ve never seen the outside of my house. There’s a seriously good reason for that: until a few days ago it was one hot mess. Like the hottest mess to end all hot messes. It was like Ke$ha multiplied by Amanda Bynes, then topped off with some Lindsay Lohan, and some Miley Cyrus for garnish.

Yeah.

But, I’m on a mission to make the outside match the inside – and it’s finally time to give the outside a major makeover. We’re in the process of building all kinds of dreamy things, but before we get to all of that magic, first the windows needed a little lovin’.

Before we look at bringing old windows back to life, let’s all take the oath that you won’t make fun of me… or call me names… or snicker behind my back at the horrible before photos, m’kay?

weekend-window-makeover

Alright! Now that you’re a bestie for life, let’s look at the journey we took to get from the sad, old, untrimmed windows to the finished beauty above.

wood window makeover

Remember, no laughing! We replaced all of our mobile home standard windows with these gorgeous old 12 pane wood windows from the ReStore. And for $10 a window, they were a steal. Farmhouse charm? They’re oozing in it. Let’s fancy them up and make them shine the way they are destined to be.

protect work area

First, I covered up my work area with a ScotchBlue drop cloth to keep my area neat & hopefully keep from destroying my flower bed (which worked – yay!)

remove window glaze

Next, I chipped out all of the old window glazing. A lot of it was old and falling out, some had to be coaxed, but I did get it all out.

repaint old windows

After the glaze was out, I scraped off all of the old, loose paint (which I knew was not lead based).

Reviving Old Wood Windows

Then, I used 3M Advanced Abrasives sandpaper to clean all of the wood facing of the window to prep it for painting.

window glaze tutorial

Using a clean, dry brush, I cleaned up all of the dust to get the windows ready for glazing.

Window Glaze tips

I took the putty style glaze {because the caulk style is awful} and warmed it up in my hand by working it around like a stress ball.

how to glaze windows

Then I rolled it into a snake and put it into the grove.

window glazing

Using a putty knife, I squished it into the corner where the glass and wood meets, leaving plenty so I could trim it off after it was full.

revive old windows

Although you can cut the excess off with a putty knife, I find that a razor blade from a utility knife works better for me, and I use it to cut off the excess glaze.

Putty style glaze takes 7-14 days to cure, so you’ll have to wait to paint it – but we can trim out the windows.

3M Tekk Protection

Mr. SCC geared up with some 3M Tekk Safety Glasses and got his saw on! First he measured the windows, then cut 1x6s to use as trim.

Trim Out Windows

Using a compound miter saw, he cut them on a 45 degree angle, so it would all fit together nicely.

window trim

Using a nail gun, he put all of the pieces up for the trim, then caulked out the window so it could all be painted.

scotch blue tape

Once the glaze was cured, I went back and used ScotchBlue™™ Painter’s Tape for Exteriors to prep for painting.  Have you seen this stuff? It snaps off easily to give you a clean end, making it easier to tape windows. Neat, huh? Check it out below:

 


*I shared that on Instagram a few days ago*

painter's tape

After it was all taped and painted, the job was complete.

Window Makeover

It’s a long process, but totally worth the results, don’t ya think?

Want to see more great projects? There are tons of great ideas here: 3M DIY Facebook Page, 3M DIY Twitter Page, &  3M DIY Pinterest Page.

This post is a collaboration with 3M DIY. To keep up-to-date on projects, products and sampling visit 3MDIY.com.

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Filed Under: DIY

About Gina Luker

Gina Luker is a writer, photographer and lover of all things quirky. She's usually found with a drill in one hand and a cocktail in the other while blogging along the way. She's addicted to coffee, polka dots, rock stars, Instagram, and everything aqua.

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Comments

  1. Ida says

    August 21, 2013 at 8:37 am

    Your windows look fantastic! Don’t worry I did not make fun of your windows, I was super excited to see the end result!

    Reply
  2. Carla says

    August 21, 2013 at 8:44 am

    What a nice job! I’m working on replacing some rotten wood on some of my windows. I used some wood putty and regular caulk, but a few areas probably need the glaze. Is it OK if it gets wet while its curing? Apparently, it’s never going to stop raining around here……

    Reply
    • Gina says

      August 21, 2013 at 9:26 am

      Hi Carla,
      Thanks! Yes, it rained like the next day after I did ours and I didn’t see any damage. The caulk style only needs 24 hours, yet the putty needs 2 weeks to dry.

      Good luck with your project!

      Reply
  3. Kathy says

    August 21, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Great tutorial! Your windows are great, and the trim looks really neat! Great job!

    Reply
  4. Marilyn says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:00 am

    Your windows look great, Gina!

    Reply
  5. Debbie says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:20 am

    You know Gina I so wish you and your oh so handsome hub lived by me. I think we would just be besties for sure! And the Mr. could help with all my handyman stuff. I love love love your windows and the motivation to do all your projects.

    Reply
  6. valarie says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:59 am

    Thanks again Gina for the wonderful job of sharing. I love getting up in the morning and visiting with you and all your projects!

    Reply
  7. Patty Wilkins says

    August 21, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Beautiful job! Your window looks like new and I love how you’re salvaging vintage wood windows. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Judy Clark says

    August 21, 2013 at 12:18 pm

    Awesome job Gina and hubby! It really looks great!

    Judy

    Reply
  9. Becky says

    August 21, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    Love the window and how they look! great job on the trim and the simple white clean look is great. Can’t wait to see what else happens next.

    Reply
  10. Judith @ Today's List says

    August 21, 2013 at 3:34 pm

    I love the window! Now we’re besties for life…can you show a picture of the outside of your complete house 😉 ? I really would like to see how the windows turned out in the overall look of your house.

    Reply
    • Gina says

      August 21, 2013 at 4:00 pm

      It’s coming soon, Judith – pinky promise 🙂

      Reply
  11. Audrey Zumwalt says

    August 21, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    I like your hint on glazing. I have a window that is needing glazed, so this advice helps. Your windows look great.
    Blessings,
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

    Reply
  12. Kimberly says

    August 21, 2013 at 11:43 pm

    Wow, Gina, the after looks so good I thought you’d actually REMOVED the windows and replaced them with new! Nice job! Also, that tape is amazing, I’ve got to get me some!

    Personal question: your nails look really nice! I’m looking for the perfect aqua/turquoise polish, and am wondering what the brand name and color is of your polish? Thanks in advance!

    Best,

    Kimberly

    Reply
    • Gina says

      August 22, 2013 at 6:07 am

      Hi Kimberly,
      Thanks so much! The color is by Loreal, it’s “Not a Cloud in Sight” and I found it at Target 🙂

      Reply
      • Kimberly says

        August 27, 2013 at 12:08 am

        THANK YOU for the response, Gina! Guess what’s on my shopping list now? LOL! 😀

        Reply
  13. Katy says

    August 22, 2013 at 5:22 am

    Wow! Great Job!!!

    Reply
  14. Tina @ Living Life Wright says

    August 22, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Love the windows! I too have standard mobile home windows in my home and hate them! I would love to have them replaced and trimmed out like yours! Are you coming to Tennessee anytime soon? LOL!

    Reply
  15. Jennifer Longenecker says

    August 22, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    It’s looking great!

    Reply
  16. kerri says

    August 24, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    Bondo can also be used to repair rotten wood. Reglazing old windows then putting up quality combination storm windows will really help you conserve energy also. We have a historic home and have redone all (35!) windows this way. Let’s just say I got really good at glazing!

    Reply
  17. Leslie says

    August 24, 2013 at 10:49 pm

    Gina, I am so glad you posted this because we just bought/moved into a 75 year old Craftsman with windows that need some love. Like: the glazing needs to be scraped off and redone and the mullions need to be repainted and such. I loved finding out about the glazing putty! Thanks!
    The windows now look divine!
    What an inspiration!
    HUGS!
    ~me

    Reply
  18. Jo @ Let's Face the Music says

    August 25, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Love your “new” windows. Do you have to caulk the trim so no water gets in behind? Jo @ Let’s Face the Music

    Reply
  19. Michelle says

    August 25, 2013 at 8:08 pm

    That looks amazing! I have seriously been wanting to trade in our plastic shutters for trim just like this.

    Reply
  20. colleen says

    August 25, 2013 at 8:16 pm

    oh Gina you are very brave and real. what I like most about your blog is its for us real folks that don’t have gobs of money to throw at our homes! what a difference your windows add ,I bet its alot more enjoyable to drive up to the homested now. 😉

    Reply
  21. teresa says

    September 3, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    Great tutorial and the old windows are beautiful and add so much character. You might want to visit oldhouseguy’s site to read up on redoing old windows and their frames:. the information is astounding. Unfortunately, I can no longer look at windows with “picture framing” without cringing a little. i think it’s some new modern thing which doesn’t protect the windows or house, and people now don’t even know it’s wrong.
    I do really like this post, however, so I hope I don’t come off a critical and I think I may stick around to read what other great things you do.

    Reply
  22. CeeCee says

    November 9, 2013 at 8:46 pm

    What a super job! Changing the trim makes a wonderful difference.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  23. Paula says

    January 11, 2014 at 7:23 am

    I remember my dad doing this when I was a kid! Wish we had these windows again!

    Reply
  24. Bev says

    August 17, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    You are so smart and so creative. What a great transformation! -Bev 🙂

    Reply
  25. Danno says

    October 11, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    Looks great.
    We just put a roof on our mobile home; doouble wide 22 years old. Looks great and now I’m cleaning and painting the deck and using 1×6 pine to make our 2×4 framed porch look “chunky”.
    Just showed my wife your pine floors and we have decided to do that. The windows though, amazing and it’s my big project next spring. Did you have trouble finding windows to fit at restore? Did you blog the process? (is blog the right term???)
    Love the siding too; any blog on that?

    Thanks
    Danno

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      October 13, 2014 at 10:12 am

      We got lucky on finding the right amount of windows that we needed. However, they were just slightly larger so we had to do some trimming on the walls to fit them. You can refer back to my windows post to see the process we did it in. just google Shabby Creek window makeover.

      Reply
  26. D. says

    April 11, 2015 at 11:16 am

    Awesome and recycled. Doesn’t get better than that!

    Reply
  27. Amber says

    July 5, 2019 at 5:17 pm

    I’m here because I’m looking how to trim a window but with vinyl siding! Want to let all readers know, if you have vinyl you cannot just add on wood trim! You HAVE to redo J channeling to properly fit everything or else water can and will get behind everything!

    Reply
  28. DEREK KEITH SMITH says

    May 14, 2020 at 10:22 am

    The windows looked better than the did, but just barely. You (and more importantly, the contractor, who should know better) created what is known as a “picture frame” casing around the window. Pictures and photographs deserve picture frame casings, but not windows. Window casings should have a Header. The Header is at the top of the window and should be slightly wider vertically than the casing to the sides of the window. In addition, the Header should extend beyond the side casings by around 2 inches. Finally, the Header should have a drip ledge at the very top (with a tasteful Cornice if you want to get a bit sophisticated). The window casing should also have a Window Sill with an optional Sill Apron. A properly constructed Header, Drip Ledge (and optional Cornice), Window Sill (and optional Sill Apron) will make all the difference in the world on the look of the window and the entire house. They provide incredible shadow lines that give a house depth and the sense of the organic.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Five tips to make your home more energy efficient says:
    December 24, 2014 at 4:05 am

    […] TVA said that the cost of new windows would never be recovered in energy savings. Say what? YEP! My $10 windows that are properly sealed were no big deal. […]

    Reply

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Get instant access to this free guide to The Best Sources for a Farmhouse Style Home on a Budget!
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