Sealing Up

The Long Bedroom. The radiator to the right was the last one to be installed!

 

Today, I finished sealing all the windows in the Long Bedroom. Whoee!!!!!!!!

The temperature of the room immediately increased. Whoee!!!!!!!!

And the room immediately got much quieter. Whoee!!!!!!!!

I use peel-away caulk, so the windows could be opened if somebody down the road so desires.

Oh, and you cannot see the glorious stained-glass in the above image.

Wanne see though?

 

The triple set. But even here they are washed out. This though…

 

…is accurate. Yummy!

 

And facing east and west are these glories.

 

So, it does not look like I did anything for the last few days. But the room feels and sounds very different.

Ross very happy.

 

 

16 Comments

  1. Jenine on February 13, 2018 at 7:51 pm

    Those stained glass pictures are wonderful! I so envy you being able to see them every day. Are all of them repaired now?

    The first picture shows 2 radiators? Are both staying or will one be removed later?

    • Ross on February 13, 2018 at 7:54 pm

      All the stained- and clear-glass windows in the Long Bedroom are restored, as part of the 2015 Heritage Fund Grant.

      Yes, both radiators stay!

  2. Annette on February 13, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Sigh I can never get enough of Cross House stained-glass windows. They are like the jewels on the Cross House crown. So lovely.

    I like your non permanent stategy of keeping the drafts out.

  3. briana on February 13, 2018 at 8:23 pm

    Could you share what type of caulk you use? I would like to do the same with several of my basement doors and windows.

    • Ross on February 13, 2018 at 8:32 pm

      I use DAP peel-away caulk.

      It is sometimes hard to find.

      There are also, weirdly, two different formulas.

      One comes out clear. But it is HARD to get out of the tube, and basically impossible to smooth out and make neat. But, it peels away pretty well.

      The other formula comes out white, and effortlessly. It dries clear. It is VERY easy to smooth and make perfect. And this makes Ross happy! However, it is hard to peel away. Nonetheless, I much prefer this formula.

      DAP makes no distinction on the tubes which formula you are buying.

  4. Randy C on February 13, 2018 at 9:24 pm

    Ross, I am in the process of making a leaded, beveled glass panel to put over my front door. Because the existing transom style window is a double paned, insulated affair, rather than replacing it, I am planning to install my piece in the frame on the interior side against the existing window. I was planning to use a clear acrylic caulk, but your solution above is interesting. If DAP makes no distinction on the tubes as to which formula you are buying, how do you determine which tubes to purchase? Are they perhaps different colored tubes?

    Thanks

    • Ross on February 13, 2018 at 9:32 pm

      Hi, Randy!

      As mentioned, DAP makes no distinction on the tubes which formula you are buying.

      It is SO weird.

  5. Cindy Belanger on February 13, 2018 at 9:35 pm

    I’ve never seen so much stained glass in one house. All the stained glass windows are truly beautiful. I too am curious as to how to determine which DAP formula you are buying. I would like to try it on my house, it leaks cold air like a sieve.

  6. Mary Ann Lammersen on February 13, 2018 at 11:37 pm

    Cool idea-peel off caulk! Gonna look for it to add to my little DIY hardware store cache. Those windows make one simply swoon with delight. You are so lucky to be able to enjoy them!

  7. Sandra Lee on February 14, 2018 at 5:55 am

    That is so weird— there must be some way to distinguish between 2 formulas—ingredients list? Must be subtle difference. Strange it wouldn’t b stated on container/ tube?

    The number of stained glass windows in Cross House is over the top breathtaking! In person mesmerizing!

    • Sandra Lee on February 14, 2018 at 5:57 am

      I think you should contact 1800# for comments/concerns, etc; you could waste a lot of time trying to figure out which product—time is money— I have never heard of such s thing- just cuckoo.

  8. Stewart McLean on February 14, 2018 at 11:20 am

    Hi Ross,

    Please help me to understand something. As I understand this post, the long bedroom windows, having been completely restored, still had a lot of air coming in. You used a peel away caulk to seal the air out that must be removed to open the windows.

    If so I am confused that so much is being made about the idea that the old restored windows are as good or better than new replacements. Either way, it appears to me that installing removable seals on the windows of rooms that are not in use makes a great deal of sense.

    I don’t want to give the impression that I don’t prefer the old windows, even if they are more drafty, nor that I would take their inability to keep out the air into consideration when restoring a house. I like your peel away caulk solution to this problem. I had simply gotten the impression from so many of the restoration sites that I have visited that they would be as good as new windows at keeping air out. If old windows don’t keep the air out, I’d like to know it.

    I don’t want to put you on the spot, yet would be grateful if you would give further comment on old windows that can make me clearer on this issue. I have no preference if your answer is a reply on this post or part of another.

    • Ross on February 14, 2018 at 11:45 am

      Hi, Stewart!

      Even when brand new, the windows in the Cross House would have been drafty.

      And after 123-years? Even more so.

      The sashes are not tight to each other, nor tight to the frame. So, wind just freely blows in. Making the house unheatable/uncoolable.

      Even though now sealed, they still are obviously the original windows. You can see the lovely rippled glass, and the inside of the sashes retain their original faux wood finish. And hardware!

      I have long lived in fully heated/cooled houses, and never have a desire to open a window. Also, because the Cross House is against a highway, an open window means NOISE. Ugh.

      However, a later owner may well want to open windows, and this is why I am using peel-away caulk.

      NOTE: Old windows can be made tighter by meticulously weather-stripping them with bronze. This is a lot of work, and if not done really well is ineffective. I decided not to go this route because, again, I will never open the windows.

      • Stewart McLean on February 14, 2018 at 11:49 am

        Perfect answer!

  9. Barb Sanford on February 15, 2018 at 9:40 am

    Catching up reading your posts. Ah, those lovely windows. I can’t wait to see how you furnish and decorate this room. It’s such a lovely blank slate to start from.

  10. mlaiuppa on May 2, 2021 at 8:38 pm

    I love the stained glass in this house. And to me it is quite unusual. A lot of jewels and a lot of unusual bevels. I’m sure a lot of those bevels were custom ground. But the colors are so luscious. The pinks, purples, blues, greens and yellows really blend well. The two different tones of greens are lovely together. His discrete use of opalescent and the textured cathedral. They are both elegant and clean and simple. They are timeless.

    You are so fortunate to have all of the original stained glass (save one) and all of the original mantles. I am astounded at how much of the original house is still there and that through all of it’s iterations, things were not discarded or sold but stowed away in the basement and attic. It’s like ever owner thought “this might be put back later.”

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