HOW TO Remove an OLD Window
We measured for this window some time ago and finally got it. In this video we are going to show part 1 of this process. HOW TO DEMO or REMOVE the existing double hung window. It has been painted shut. Please feel free to comment on our procedure. If you have a different way of doing it please let us know. We are Very interested in your skills and experience. We can learn how to do this better from you.
Transcript:
How to Remove an Old Window
This is Dennis with Home Rehab Pros. Glad you're joining us today. You might remember a while back, I recorded measuring this window. It couldn't open; it was painted shut. I wanted to replace it with a vinyl replacement window, so I showed you how to measure for that. Well, we have our window; we've checked our measurements. Everything's perfect; that window's going to fit right in there. And today, we're going to show you how we're going to install that window. So, my brother Jeff is here to do that, and we're going to take a look and see how he does it. So, from the beginning to the end. And you know what? If you have a project like this that you're thinking of doing, just muster up the courage and do it. Just do it. You can.
So now, let's pay attention to Jeff as he takes this old window out, puts that new window in, and shows you exactly how he does that. Okay, Jeff with Home Rehab Pros.
My brother introduced what we were going to do here today. We're going to remove this old window that needed to be replaced. Clearly, the glass is out of it, and it was painted shut. But to begin, let's see what we have to do to get this started in the demo and listing process.
So, we have our stops here, as was pointed out before. We take a razor knife; we're going to cut down the old paint to be able to remove this. We've got to pry off the old curtain rod holder. We've got to remove the springs, the spring sashes, so we can be able to clear those. Then we're going to bust out the window here, loosen it up. We're going to remove it all, and each step is very important to be able to fit that window in. You don't only have this stop in the window; you have an inner stop that holds that top sash in. So when we get to that point, we're going to have to take this stop out also, and we'll show you how to do that. So we're going to take a look at our tools, and then we'll get started.
Okay, so we're going to go over the tools that we may or may not need for this. Some of them are very important. First and most important thing is my glasses because I can't see to do my work without them. So what we're going to do, I have a tape measure, putty knives, and the reason I have a putty knife for a job like this is if we want to save those old stops, sometimes a stiff putty knife, once we cut the stop with the razor knife, we get that in and it prys that out. Then, to where you can use the actual pry bar to begin to pop each nail where it's necessary. So this really saves trim; it's a trim saver.
So, you have a razor knife; I have two flathead screwdrivers. I've got my impact drill with a Phillips head number two. And I've got these pliers which will help me get out that second stop. Very important. Once we have the window in, we have to have the insulation to be able to pack in to make sure that no cold air can come in or you have air seepage in that window. You want a good seal on that. I have interior caulk for once we put the finished touches on, and we can caulk the edges of the window frame. And then, this is an exterior caulk to be able to seal the outside to again help keep a good seal on the window.
So, I do have some shims. I don't necessarily need them in most instances. I balance the window with my screws, and I'll show you how to do that. But if necessary, I'll have them handy just in case. I have a step ladder over here because this is a tall window for me to be able to get up here. Sometimes I need to have that to be able to do some of this higher work on the window.
So, we have to take these three stops out. This top one does have to come out. If you don't, you may have trouble getting your window in because of the fit. So important to come out. Then we're going to go ahead; we're going to take some of these. I'm going to get my razor knife first of all, and then we'll get started.
Okay, so I've got my razor knife. What I'm going to do is take it right in that edge, and I pre-did this one, but you see some of this old paint chip stuff, so you may want to have a little sandpaper to be able to sand your casing out. But you take that and you get it right in the joint, and it comes down. Be careful that you can cut yourself. Got to do that. And we come to the other side, and this one I hadn't done yet, but it's coming pretty good. Right down in that joint. We've got that. We're going to do the top next. Anytime we're on a ladder, we want to make sure we're cautious. So, I'm not going to stand sideways; I'm going to go on the front side of that. Let's get right into that.
All right, so we've got that. Now I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to take these off the old curtain rod holders. I'm just going to take a small screwdriver for that because they're probably just nailed in there. Pop those out. My stiff putty knife, and I'm going to go ahead. See how that holds that knife without breaking it. I need my razor knife; I'm going to take my razor knife because I need to cut that around the bottom. Sometimes they come right out. Now I can take my pry bar; if you're, again, you've got to be careful. You don't want to go in and just force it; you want to... But you're trying to save these; you've got to be gentle with them. If you're gentle, take your time; you can save the stop. That came off pretty nice. Of course, we're going to have to take the old nails out. That's why this red bar is nice.
Okay, so if we look here real quick before I forget and while I'm thinking about it, we took that stop off. See how that window when we go to remove that, it will come right out. Okay, so I'm going to do these other stops. Top one here.
Okay, so we've got our cotton. I'm going to remove those nails. So... So...
Okay, so now what I'm going to do is I'm going to take that screwdriver, and we're going to try to remove those sash springs. That was a job. So, you couldn't use a screwdriver. What'd you do? I had to pry it out. Okay, and why aren't you worried so much about damaging that casing? Well, this is just a small hole here, and you'll never see it because the window, the new window's going to cover that over without a problem. The new window covers that right up. Okay, thanks.
Okay, now the sash springs are loose, as you can see. Now we're going to go ahead and pull this old sash out, and it should be pretty simple at this point to do that. This thing was so painted in that I have to kind of pry it out of the old paint. There we go. And don't be alarmed, and you can expect that these old springs, once you start to move these windows out, they will release, and they'll do a spin. So, you can kind of expect that.
Okay, so we've got that sash out. Now I want to show you the secondary stop. So if we come up, you see this is all painted in too. So, I'm going to have to take my razor knife, cut along this sash, and then I'm going to have to cut between this rough frame and this stop to get that paint out of there because this actually pulls out. It's channeled in, and they usually just knock it in with a hammer. So we've got to pull that out, and this is why I have those pliers because once I get this loosened, I take those pliers and I pry. I pry that out. You'll see. You'll see what I mean.
So, let me get my razor blade. Now I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to...
Okay, we've got that. I'm going to go ahead and cut this one because this stop has to come out too.
Do the inside.
Okay, so now I'm going to take the pliers. This is what I want to do. We're going to lock those on, and you see how that moves. It's always good to start down here because the paint's not usually as heavy as it is on that top sash. See how that starts to come out, right out of the slot?
And here we go.
[Music]
Sometimes what I'll do is I'll just go ahead and bust that out.
[Music]
Okay, so I took my razor knife and I cut around as deep as I could all the paint around the stop and the sash. So, what I'm going to do now is I'm going to take my hammer. I'm going to take this end, and I'm going to go down on the top of this ledge on the sash, and we're going to just try to gently without hitting the glass, knock this down. All right, there we go. Got her. So, I'm going to take this down, and I'll be able to slide this out. Now remember, there are still springs on here, so what I'm going to do...
[Music]
So, what I did was I just angled one end out, as you can see, and all I'm going to do with this is take my pry bar. Hang on, let's show them how that's connected there.
[Music]
How do they connect those? Those are screwed in with the screw. Yeah, and they've got this little channel in the side of the window that this spring fits in when it's in the frame, right? And so we're just going to detach that screw and get that spring off of there. Then we can take those springs off the frame again, right? Yeah, either that or just pry it out of there. You just pry it out of there too, okay? I just wanted to give them an idea of how those windows are put together.
Okay, so now that that's screwed on there, but then it's screwed on up here too. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to pry that off. You could do either one. And don't be surprised again if it makes a little noise and does its thing, acting like a spring.
[Music]
And with this one, I think I might just for now, pop this off here. Let's give them a closer look as to how these windows are made. Okay, and you can see, let's get that sash spring put where it belongs in the window. You see how that goes in that groove that's there? And that's how it fits in the window, and then that spring is screwed to a bracket right there. And then that tension spring keeps the weight of the window balanced so that's how they built those old wood windows. After they went from the weight in the wall and the rope, that's the first science of tension spring. So, just wanted to give everybody a little look at how those windows are built.
Okay, so now that we've removed both sashes, now I can finish taking out the other stop.
Okay, so now we have this all cleaned up, the rough opening. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to preset this window to make sure we've got a good fit, and I'm confident that we do, but we're going to do a test run on it anyway. See how that fit right down in on the sill, and then we move it in. Look at that. Beautifully done.
This is Dennis for Home Rehab Pros. Thanks for watching and welcome to my tiny little tool bench. You know, I use this for my own home repairs around the house. But we appreciate that you watch this video. It's not that difficult to take these double-hung windows out of its opening to replace it with the vinyl one. Hopefully, this one helped you. It's just muster up the courage to do it. You can do this; you just need to take your time, educate yourself, make sure you have the right tools. And you know what? If this video helped you, please thumbs up; that would really help us. And subscribe if you haven't already. And you know, when you tune into that part 2 when we install that vinyl window, you're going to like to watch that as well. In fact, you know, we'll see you in that next video.