Keeping water out of old window timber
Original sashes last for generations, but only while paint keeps rain out of the joints and bottom rails. Once paint cracks, water gets in and rot speeds up. Our work is the decorative side: scraping back, filling open joints, priming bare wood and building up proper coats. Where timber has rotted or a cord has snapped, our carpenter repairs it before we paint.
Some of the oldest coats on Swavesey windows may contain lead, which is one reason all our sanding uses extracting Mirka machines.
Sash window restoration in Swavesey's conservation area
For listed homes and those in the conservation area, keeping existing windows in good order is often simpler than seeking consent to change them. If you are thinking of a new colour, check with South Cambridgeshire District Council first. Most people keep to white or off-white outside, with more freedom inside the room.
Our sash window restoration page covers finishes, and the Farrow & Ball redecoration shows bare pine frames primed with Zinsser and finished in Elephant's Breath eggshell.
Swavesey at a glance
- 14 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 20 minutesOSRM routing
- 14%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 28listed buildingsHistoric England
- 1conservation arealocal council
- 13%are terracedCensus 2021
- 5%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
How we approach sash window restoration
Each window is listed in the quotation with its condition, so you can prioritise the weather side. Flaking layers are scraped off, open joints and sills are filled, and bare wood is primed. Undercoat and eggshell or satin follow, sanded lightly between coats, with a neat seal onto the glass. Sashes are worked so they still slide. The full method, products and FAQs are on our sash window restoration page.