Keeping old sashes weathertight
Water gets into a sash through cracked paint at the joints, the sill and the bottom rail. We scrape back to a firm edge, sand with Mirka dust-free sanders to keep old paint dust contained, fill open joints and prime bare timber. Undercoat and eggshell or satin top coats follow, with a thin seal onto the glass over the putty.
We handle the paint and decorative repairs. Our carpenter deals with broken cords, rotten timber or new sashes before we decorate, so the work is planned as one job.
Listed and conservation area homes
Around 300 Buntingford homes predate 1900. On a listed building or in the Buntingford conservation area, check with East Hertfordshire District Council before changing window colours. White and soft off-white are traditional outside, while indoors a coloured frame can lift a room. Our sash window page covers what paint can and can't fix.
Buntingford at a glance
- 31 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 43 minutesOSRM routing
- 10%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 98listed buildingsHistoric England
- 1conservation arealocal council
- 24%are terracedCensus 2021
- 4%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
How we approach sash window restoration
Graham inspects every window and lists them individually in the quotation, so you can tackle the worst first. During painting we move each sash up and down so all faces are covered while the runners stay clear. Outside faces wait for a dry, settled spell, and windows are eased before we leave each evening so they don't set shut. The full method, products and FAQs are on our sash window restoration page.