Window and Door Repair, Restoration and Preservation
If you have been looking for a passionate team of individuals that can restore your beautiful windows and doors rather than replacing them, that is where we at Oakshire Rose come in.
We believe in preserving English heritage and the beautiful character and charm that comes with period properties and believe it’s important to provide you with the most cost-effective, long-term solutions possible.
With the use of natural, sustainable, environmentally friendly products and traditional techniques, your windows and doors can continue to live on for upwards of one-hundred years with maintenance every ten to fifteen years.
Timber and metal window and door repair and restoration:
- Sash windows
- Casement windows
- Iron windows
- Crittall windows
- Leaded windows
- Traditional single leaf doors
- Stable doors
We complete repairs and restorations using like-for-like timber, linseed paints and linseed based products, unless otherwise specified by you.
Our team apply the following traditional techniques and materials to window and door restorations:
- Remove paint and fillers, bringing all woodwork back to bare timber
- Replace decaying / damaged timber like-for-like
- Replace any cracked / damaged panes
- Apply linseed putty
- Apply linseed paint or oil
- If the frame is removed and repaired / replaced, we will apply oakum caulk around the timber frame where necessary, then apply lime mortar between the structure of the building and timber frame
*If the use of alternative methods, paints, and products is preferred, we are happy to apply these for clients.
Our aim above all is to preserve and restore rather than replace, unless replacement is the only viable option where cost is involved.
When we refer to ‘preserve and restore’, we mean that we aim to repair and replace sections of decaying timber as it’s the most cost-effective and least disruptive solution.
It is incredibly rare that we come across a window or door that is irreparable.
However, if the only viable option is to replace a window or door rather than restore, we have a joinery workshop where our joinery team will craft to your specification.
What causes decay / deterioration in timber windows?
Most modern timber repairs, decoration works, and installations that we see often have involved the use of modern chemical-based materials or products containing plasticisers, which trap moisture against the surface they’re applied to.
Even paints and products claiming to be ‘breathable’ are not permeable and suitable for the surface they’re being applied to when being used on period properties. Truly permeable products are made using natural sustainable materials.
This is a common mistake made by tradespeople and homeowners that don’t have prior knowledge or experience in working on period properties and apply what they feel is the best option based on advice provided by general retailers and builders merchants.
Examples of products containing plasticisers are; silicone, mastic, cement, glues, decorators caulk, and chemical-based paints claiming to be breathable. These products are impervious and trap moisture against the timber, causing decay in the timber, which inevitably leads to windows failing to serve their purpose of insulating and preventing water ingress.
All materials that we apply are permeable and ensure the timber can release moisture naturally.
