Window weatherproofing help.

I saw this too late but... screen door spline. It comes in several diameters, long rolls, is cheap and compressible. Using a screen spline too (looks like a mini-pizza cutter), roll it into all crevasses. I did this with my pre-WWII single glaze windows then put the 3M plastic INSIDE. It cut the drafts completely even though the heat-shrunk plastic quivered in strong winds. A candle flame or insince stick will show you any remaining air leaks. And get a dehumidifier. You can take it with you if/when you move.
 
Never too late if the tape doesn't hold which I don't think it will I will give that a try. I think I may have some of that laying around.
 
Ugly but effective: newspaper soaked in boron-salts. Stuffed lightly in between frame and window. Let it dry. That's your insulation that doesn't rot and lets humidity out. Small stripes of newspaper or wallpaper (you can get artsy here!) with wallpaper paste to mask the gap. Voilá!
 
Removing old woodwork from around doors, we found newspaper shoved in the cracks for insulation... from the 1920s. :)

I love the expanding foam, if you have any spots that need it. It seems to last forever, decades at least. And it's much easier and less expensive than actually repairing structural or carpentry problems (a nightmare on historic homes). The foam can be sanded and painted (somewhat convincingly) or even plastered over, but is better suited to hidden frame gaps. Around heat pipe openings, holes created by plumbing or electrical work, gaps too small to bother with roll insulation, between rough-in framing and finish sills and frames, and gaps/holes that are hard to reach.
One tip: get everything prepped to use the entire can, because once opened there's no re-use or second chance.
 
Bob W said:
Removing old woodwork from around doors, we found newspaper shoved in the cracks for insulation... from the 1920s. :)

I love the expanding foam, if you have any spots that need it. It seems to last forever, decades at least. And it's much easier and less expensive than actually repairing structural or carpentry problems (a nightmare on historic homes). The foam can be sanded and painted (somewhat convincingly) or even plastered over, but is better suited to hidden frame gaps. Around heat pipe openings, holes created by plumbing or electrical work, gaps too small to bother with roll insulation, between rough-in framing and finish sills and frames, and gaps/holes that are hard to reach.
One tip: get everything prepped to use the entire can, because once opened there's no re-use or second chance.
Click to expand...

Foam is how I insulated all my outlets and I will tell you they needed it and I put the foam panels they sell over that. At least I only had to pay for those once the windows are what's killing me.
 
This is what I was referring to. You can use the clear painters plastic drop cloth and the 3M double sided tape. Both can be found at HD and Lowe's. You need to create an air barrier between the glass and the window trim. It might not look up to par for showing on the HGTV channel, but it will sure work.

[video=youtube;gwkmgbzGG-g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkmgbzGG-g[/video]
 
Codger_64 said:
I saw this too late but... screen door spline. It comes in several diameters, long rolls, is cheap and compressible. Using a screen spline too (looks like a mini-pizza cutter), roll it into all crevasses. I did this with my pre-WWII single glaze windows then put the 3M plastic INSIDE. It cut the drafts completely even though the heat-shrunk plastic quivered in strong winds. A candle flame or insince stick will show you any remaining air leaks. And get a dehumidifier. You can take it with you if/when you move.
Click to expand...

This worked like a charm the spline packed in and some weather proofing tape I can really feel the difference. Thanks Codger
 
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