Replacing wood trim / casing around window
Hey NeoGrec, can you please post a pic of the work that Cortez did for you? I’m going to need someone to replace & rebuild the exterior window frame around a large bay window (currently aluminum & ugly) in front of our brownstone. thanks.
radgirl
in Doors & Windows 11 years and 2 months ago
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Sweet-Action | 13 years and 9 months ago
http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4ea63af08ab27-.jpg
Hey all, In preparation for the coming winter, I’m preparing to perform some triage on with my drafty front windows on the front of our house. They are vinyl replacement windows, which aren’t great, but are in decent enough shape. The problem is the exterior wood trim around the window was never capped with vinyl or aluminum, so the old wood is exposed, and in bad shape (and lets it lots of cold air). As the wood has really disintegrated towards to bottom of the sill, I’m planning on removing the 2″ x 2″ trim around the windows, painting and replacing it with new wood trim and sealing the cracks up with silicone. My questions: – what species of wood should I use for this? – Any recommendations for where I can get such unusually thick wood trim (nothing at Lowes / home depot or even Dyke’s is this big)? – any other tips / recommendations for this repair? Thanks!
brucef | 13 years and 9 months ago
Large moldings are normally built up with multiple smaller moldings. In terms of species, durability will have more to do with painting, sealing,and caulking than species. That said I would go with pine or poplar. If you feel ambitiuos, you can set up a router table and fabricate your moldings. Source the poplar from Rosensweig in the South Bronx. 5/4 and 6/4 poplar is quite reasonable if you pick planed two sides and are able to rip what you need. Just go there, don’t call and ask newbie questions. You go upstairs, figure out what works for you, and they’ll drop it thru the hole in the floor and tell you the price. It’s supposed to only be wholesale, so don’t blow it. They carry pre-made molding froma different mill than Dykes, but I still don’t think there is anything fat.
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 9 months ago
What brucef said about “building up” moldings. Look at a lot of houses and see what you can design yourself by doing this. The router table is a great idea if you are handy enough. Your pic looks like you could make a corner with two butted pieces of 1″ stock (which is really 3/4″) and then fill in the decorative center portion (looks like a large quarter round in your pic) with something like a small 2″ or so crown piece. You’ll need a miter saw fow the corners. Finally, can’t stress enough the use of plenty of caulk and an oil based primer
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 9 months ago
There is also an off-the-shelf molding called “brick molding” that can be trimmed in both thickness and depth. it is simple with only a small amount of detail but would be very quick.
http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4ea6a735a22f7-processed-brick-mold[1].gif
stevecym | 13 years and 9 months ago
most of the moldings we can find in this area are not suitable for exterior use. If I go to say Adriatic or Dykes most of the moldings are poplar. Poplar is not suitable for exterior use. Now if we were in another region, like the south, you would find pine, which is what is used outside. I so far as building moldings up, that is the case and it is not always the case. Adriatic hardwoods has some pretty heavy moldings that are one piece. they also have the blades to make them, so if you asked them to order some pine and make you these out of pine, they can; it would take a couple of weeks. They can also make smaller profiles out of pine which you can build up. They can also recreated the exact profiles you have now. You can take a look at Adriatic’s website at adriaticwood.com. If you go there, tell them “Stetson” sent you. What ever you do, use pine, not poplar. Steve Stetson Farr Ltd d/b/a The Tinker’s Wagon
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 9 months ago
Not to be too much of a downer, but before you do this, make sure you’re not in a landmark district. I have a client that has a violation because LPC noticed they did some work and did not remove the metal panning (the covering you said you are lacking). Not to ry to scare you, but I could easily see them giving a violation for the work you’re describing. Obviously, if you’re not in a district, then nothing to worry about.
Sweet-Action | 13 years and 9 months ago
Jimhill, yes we are landmarked, but I’m simply replacing some exisiting wood (which is what they want anyway). No cladding on the windows at all. This falls under basic maintenance, repair etc. Form the LPC: _Do I need a Commission permit to make ordinary repairs?_
You do not need a permit from the Landmarks Commission to perform ordinary repairs or maintenance chores. For example, you do not need a permit to replace broken window glass, repaint a building exterior to match the existing color, or caulk around windows and doors. If you have any doubt about whether a permit is needed, call the Commission at (212) 669-7817. So I think I’m fine here. Thanks all for the advice. I will try to get some pine run through a router table to match the profile that’s up there now, and use oil based paint to make sure the wood is well protected. We plan on some major facade repairs down the road, at which point we’ll be replacing the windows, and likely having all the wood replaced carefully. Just want to make sure we’re sealed up and have some solid wood in place. Thanks for the advice!
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 9 months ago
From your description, it sounded to me like you are changing the appearance by replacing the 2×2 trim. LPC can be easy to deal with if you are forthcoming. I would call them up and speak with them directly. They may ask you to send them some photos of the existing conditions so they can see exactly what you’re talking about. If I were you, I’d err on the side of caution. LPC violations don’t carry a lot of weight, but why get one if it’s easily avoidable? You might find that if you use the wrong trim, you’ll have to replace it later to remove a violation. Avoid the expense and give them a call. I know it sound ridiculous, but it could be worth a few minutes on the phone with a LPC staffer.
NeoGrec | 13 years and 9 months ago
Hey sweet-action, I had our carpenter do EXACTLY this project for us very recently — while we were having the front of the house rebrownstoned. He did it in back too — removing old aluminum panning for one window. While the window frame was opened up, he insulated. It was a quick and not very expensive job. He’s a great guy, very skilled, has worked on our house for years. His name is Cortez Williams. Text him at (347) 245-4606\. Tell him Roz referred you. We are landmarked but because we were replacing like with like, we didn’t get a permit.
NeoGrec | 13 years and 9 months ago
Oh, I also wanted to add that when Cortez removed the old framing, it wasn’t in as bad shape as we had expected. Especially the areas that weren’t visible (ie. not exposed to the elements). However we all agreed that the time to scrape, putty, expoxy etc etc wasn’t worth it compared to the ease of replacing it. Cortez saved even more time by pre-priming the new trim and of course the subsequent painting was a breeze because the surface was new and sound. In terms of the wood used, I believe Cortez said it was sugar pine.