This broken window pretty much represented my mental state last night.
I @#!$*# hate windows. There are so many bloody components. Sashes, sills, balances, casing, glass, glazing, stops, trim. And when all of these components are either broken, rotted, cracked, missing, falling out, and/or all covered with lead paint... you think MAYBE its time so dig into that bank account and say goodbye??
Why on earth did we not just plan long ago on buying new windows for this project? Well, for one, I got it in my head years ago (bolstered by our experience with vinyl replacement windows in our last apartment) that somehow replacement windows were useless expensive hunks of earth-destroying junk. And in fact i'd still say that about cheap crappy vinyl replacements. And secondly, new windows are so damn expensive if you want good ones. So I set out on an excruciating crusade to restore the old wood windows. And after 6 years, I have restored exactly 3 of the 26 windows in the house. Even at that I paid the building co-op to reglaze them, because for some reason I just know I don't posses the patience to learn how. Notably, those three windows are in the living room. So there are two remaining nasty ones.
So I procrastinated and procrastinated all summer on getting to these.. but now as the nights dip into the lower 40s, there is no time to waste. Mr.LL and I set forth with conviction last night to mount an all out assault towards the restoration of the remaining two. As the true scope of the mess unfolded, my brain began to become paralyzed and I spent 15 minutes staring at the rotted glazing wondering what the hell was I thinking.
I snapped myself out of it, commenced with the paint removing heat gun, and was just breathing that first sweet whiff of lead fumes and... crackle.. the broken pane.. followed by a meltdown of disproportionate size to the issue at hand.
1 comment:
Kirsten,
I feel your pain. In my first appartment in Barcelona I decided to take over ONE window. Old time, with "porticons" (an extra piece of wood that, like a door, shoots the windows...)that means, extra hinges, and extra "closing devices", and of course, extra decorations around that stupid door. That thing had been painted over and over, like 1000 times. Our goal: peel everything off and leave it "natural wood color".
We used a chemical that melts down the paint, but then you have to scratch it out, and of course, in the corners it accumulates all the melted paint, which took a delightful moldy-rotten green/brown/grey color. So, after days of restauration, it ended up looking OK.
Luckily, that dive of appartment only had THREE windows. That was the only one we restaured to its natural beauty....
But, for now, maybe if you try to work with chemicals instead of heat, your glasses won't break. It is nasty, but...it is only 2 more windows...
And, I trade time with your window (now you know i am experienced) for time with the Cooch. What say you? (she is teething, by the way...)
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