How To Replace Metal Frame Basement Windows

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Basement Window Replacement

I apologize in accelerate for the nighttime photos in this article! Many of my photos involved shooting a motion picture with a bright window in the background.

Here is the problem. The window in my basement shop is Really hard to open up. Actually so is the other basment window, but I don't care about that one every bit much. If I climb up on a table to get shut to the window I can ordinarily muscle it open. Just when I'm only standing on the floor in the shop -- ie similar a normal person -- the window might equally well be glued shut.

I really need a functioning window, equally I regularly need to be able to ventillate my shop a bit. I try to get outside when applying a baneful finish, merely that just doesn't always work.

Dorsum when we first moved into the house, the basement had these erstwhile inefficient single-pane glass windows in the basement. They kind of looked like this -- this is a moving picture of one of our neighbour's basement windows.

I ripped out and replaced ours nearly 20 years ago, before long after we moved into the house. And they've never worked that well, though they have gotten worse in the last 10 years. I tended to blame myself, equally I am Not a window installer, and I figured that I must take done something wrong. I found out later on in this project that that was not entirely the case.

I started by Carefully removing the window trim, and the other wood trim that was surrounding and holding in the window. I was very hopefull that I could re-utilize most of this trim.

After removing all the interior forest, it was clear that the existent problem was that the window was probable as well big for the opening. If y'all expect at the lower border of the window in this photo you can run into that the window is SLIGHTLY higher in the center, and lower at the two outside edges.

Over again, this was installed around eighteen-xx years ago and I don't call up fine details, but I think the window was a bit tight, and I managed to forcefulness it into place. My theory is that distorted the window frame a bit, which fabricated information technology tough to open up. And if the house shifted at all during those 20 years that will have excacerbated the problem.

If information technology had been smaller, it would have just nicely "floated" in the opening, with cream or shims all around it.

I started this project at the beginning of the summer. I took measurements, and ripped out all the interior trim. I tried to encounter if I could remove the window ... just in instance there was some adjustment that could be fabricated. The window was solidly wedged in so I gave up that idea and went and ordered a new window.

The new window took almost Half dozen WEEKS to arrive, and then we had some vacation and other bug, so in the end I had a two month suspension earlier standing on with this project.

I first removed the sliding window earlier proceeding with removing the fixed role of the window and the window frame.

I used a utility knife to cut through any caulking around the inside and outside of the window. Caulking is an splendid glue, and needs to be removed earlier y'all attempt to remove the window!

From the outside I used a deadblow mallet and a slice of wood to strike at the corners and edges of the window frame. It took a few minutes, but the window began to shift and slip dorsum in the opening.

I then returned to the basement and pulled the sometime window free of the frame from the inside. I was honestly shocked that I had managed to get it out in one piece. I fully expected it to pause, if not shatter, during this procedure!

Hither is a close up look at the window opening later on I cleaned out the debris. On the left you tin see the drywall and stud from the inner wall. Then yous can see the exposed concrete from the foundation, and and then you tin can see the metal lip of the window opening.

When this house was built (1984) the basement windows were embedded directly into the concrete, and then that rusty/reddish steel window frame is Non coming out (It is a dim memory, but I seem to think that was office of the trouble twenty years ago. I had measured for replacement windows under the assumption that the entire window would come out, and and then when I tried to remove the old windows I discovered that part of the steel frame was embedded in the concrete. Makes for a good alibi at the least!)

The new window easily fits in the opening, as I made sure to club it smaller than the old ane, and fits upwards against that metallic lip in the steel frame.

I added ii modest blocks/shims at each side to help concur the window vertically in the center of the opening. I checked the window for level and it was close enough.

I then wedged the inner wooden frame back into place. I had purposefully fabricated this a tight fit xx years ago. At that place is no fashion I am drilling into steel or concrete, so the window essentially just "floats" in the opening. This inner wooden frame is wedged tight, superlative and lesser, into the window opening, and snug up confronting the window. This holds it in place, but is not so tight every bit to impeded the window from opening and closing.

From the outside I applied some Depression EXPANSION expanding insulating cream into the gaps. It is noted directly on the can that this is low expanding foam, and is intended for windows and doors.

Later the foam had cured for a few hours I cut off the excess foam with a utility knife and so practical a generous dewdrop of exterior window caulking to the window, to cover upward the foam. I also applied a thinner dewdrop forth the inner edge of the window frame.

My care in removing the inner frame and trim paid off as I was able to re-install ALL of the pieces. There were a few knics and cracks, simply zilch that prevented information technology from being reused.

That was pretty much the end. The new window is installed, and it works easily, which is the main thing. Information technology also looks pretty adept. I tin hardly tell that I ripped out and replaced all this trim. I still demand to observe some purple pigment to touch upward some marks on the trim

Pay no attention to the lousy caulking job!

Some of the Tools/Supplies Used In This Project: (Affiliate Links)

Source: https://wordsnwood.com/2018/window/

Posted by: pachecopamentier45.blogspot.com

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