Window Conservation & Restoration: Gore Place

Window Conservation & Restoration: Gore Place

Waltham, Massachusetts

The windows at Gore Place are a combination of double and triple hung units with period interior storms and upper level Palladian sash.  This wood window restoration project began with the south elevation windows, which were in an advanced state of deterioration.  Extremes of temperature and wind-driven moisture resulted in damaged and rotted sash and frames, in spite of receiving regular maintenance. Many of the main block windows had been replaced, but the replacements were often of a slightly different size and thus required shims. These often jammed, preventing the windows from opening. In several cases, the window frames themselves had become distorted. In others, repairs to the frame had resulted in a separation of the back from the front. The sills also had areas of rot, in large part due to the application of primitive epoxies without necessary consolidation.

Our approach to the conservation required taking a small number of windows at a time.  We removed paint only from the exterior, and limited glass breakage by removing only those panes that were broken or whose glazing bed had failed.  After repairing all broken or split muntons and using a two part epoxy consolidation process where necessary, we glazed the sash, then primed and painted each section. While we had matched the exterior paint and used this for the windows and frames, we were able to custom match each interior room color. After finding samples of the original hemp sash rope, we were able to secure several hundred feet from a local maritime source, and used this to hang the sash units. As seen above, Gore Place - south elevation.

ARCHITECT: Unkown, 1806