old wooden windows
Both in winter and summer it is important to insulate wooden windows to improve the energy efficiency of your home, reduce drafts, and maintain a more constant temperature, especially if we are talking about old wooden windows.
How to insulate windows from the cold
The best way to insulate windows from the cold is to have good raw materials in their structure, such as solid wood such as pine, cedar, and oak, among many others that allow thermal and acoustic insulation and provide visual warmth. It is also important that this structure is accompanied by good double glazing that forms a layer between one glass and another.
If your windows are very old and do not have this structure but you are looking for the best system to insulate old windows from the cold yourself, we leave you some steps on how to seal wooden windows and prevent air leaks that will help you whether it is a casement window as for sliding windows.
The first step is to examine the windows and identify areas of air leaks. Pay attention to the joints, corners, and surroundings of the window frame, even the blind box, there are normally a lot of air leaks in this part.
Once you have detected the leaks, apply caulk or sealant, use a caulk or silicone of the same color as the wood to seal any gaps or cracks in the window frame, and apply it to all problem areas and it will prevent the cold from entering and the heat escapes.
To seal the windows from the cold, you can use rubber weather stripping that is placed around the entire perimeter of the window to prevent air from leaking. Self-adhesive weather stripping is easy to install, but you must do it calmly and with the area clean so that it adheres well and does not come off.
They also exist in self-adhesive polyurethane foam that will also serve as thermal insulation and must be placed between the window and the frame.
Adding curtains or blinds always improves the interior temperature, placing thick curtains will always help keep the cold out and maintain the interior temperature.
Regarding the blinds, we will pay attention to the box where the blind is rolled up. If we want to insulate this area well, there are light aluminum insulators similar to bubble wrap that you can use inside the box to create a thermal lining.
Thermal insulation for old wooden windows
Now that the heat is coming, preventing the cold air from the air conditioning from being lost is vital to maintaining the ideal temperature in our home. In winter, isolating yourself from the cold outside and avoiding heat loss will be our goal.
We are going to use an insulating weather stripping that will prevent the passage of air. Adding weather stripping to an old wooden window is a simple and very inexpensive method.
- The first thing we have to do to insulate old wooden windows is to clean them properly. With a cloth with a little alcohol, we will remove the dust that accumulates on all the edges of our old-style wooden window.
- Glue directly on the parts through which air can pass. In older wooden windows it is usually in the upper frame and in the upper frame, as well as in the joint of the window sashes. Take special care to keep the gluing areas very clean.
- With the help of scissors, cut the excess weather stripping so that it is as tight as possible.
We now have our old wooden window insulated. You will be able to notice how the flow of current has decreased, achieving good insulation for our old wooden window.
Acoustic insulation for old wooden windows
Good acoustic insulation in our home can significantly improve our comfort and rest. If we do not achieve adequate acoustic insulation we can have serious cases of stress that are harmful to our health.
To avoid these high noise levels, we are going to explain a few homemade methods to insulate our old wooden windows.
Installation of curtains to insulate acoustically
The curtains are a great element that will absorb the noise that filters through the glass or the joints of our old wooden window. Hanging a curtain just after the window will act as an acoustic barrier. The greater their size, thickness, and weight, the better they will fulfill this function.
In addition to being a decorative element, curtains will add a better sound to the interior of the room. They manage to reduce the reverberation that occurs inside the cabin.
Glass Insulation
Normally when the windows are old, where the noise passes most is through the glass. This resonance effect means that we are forced to cover the glass with some type of material.
In our case we are going to install acoustic shutters on the inside of our wooden window adapted to our personal situation and design.
The shutters will be made up of two sheets of DM (medium-density fibreboard) with a bituminous sheet between them. On the side that is in contact with the glass, we will place a sheet of Copopren so that it adapts to the shape of our old window.
For the installation of the gates and their subsequent removal, according to our needs, we can use the system that best suits us. Hinges, eyebolts, or eyebolts can be a good option to make our work easier.
To finish the work we can paint the shutters or decorate them with wooden moldings so that they adapt to the design of our window.
This method will help us improve the thermal insulation of our room and control the passage of light into it.
Closures for old wooden windows
Let's not forget that a fundamental part of our window is the closure. A bad closure on our old wooden window does not ensure that the window is perfectly anchored to the frame. This will cause us to lose insulation capacity and lose heat in our homes.
Currently, there are a wide variety of window closures. We just have to look for the one that best suits our design and manages to increase the insulating capacity of our window.
If we have a window with a grill, it is always a good idea to try to combine the grill and the closure, in case we opt for a latch or a bolt as a closure for our old wooden window. Even more so if it is a beautiful old fence.
Thermal insulation for old doors
Remember that another fundamental point when it comes to insulating our house is the doors. If we have an old wooden door we can use any of the previous processes for doors and windows.
Always try to look for those materials that best suit your design and combine them best with your old wooden doors and windows.
Just as we did with our old window, the process for wooden doors is very similar. The weather stripping that we will use for our doors has a polyamide brush.
We follow the same steps as for insulating wooden windows. On this occasion, we cut the weather stripping with the help of a saw. We will place it closest to the bottom edge of the door.
Remember to keep the surface where we are going to glue the weather stripping as clean as possible. A little alcohol and a cloth will be more than enough.
You no longer have an excuse for not finding an ideal place for your home without extreme temperatures or excessive noise. Insulate your old wooden windows with the tips and tricks we have given you and get the comfort you have always wanted.
At Conely we are professionals in manufacturing custom wooden windows, if you need advice and a budget we will be happy to inform you about everything.
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