Restore an Old Barn Window
Old Barn Window Basics
Lately it seems I’ve been restoring old wooden windows, particularly old barn windows, a lot. First, I helped create this wedding gift for an old classmate of mine. Now I’ve been restoring old barn windows from the barn my sister is renovating to be a community art center. They are from the farm I grew up on and I’m making them into end tables. More on that later, for now I want to show you the process of how to restore an old shabby window back into a usable state.These windows are very old — the barn has stood for more than a century — and I’m not sure when the windows were installed. They reeked of caked on manure and were adorned with countless cobwebs. So the first thing I did was line them up and spray them off with a hose. As you can imagine, this also took off some of the old chipping paint. Unfortunately while I was spraying, one fell down and broke a pane of glass.
Cleaning the Windows
I took a rag to the old barn windows and wiped them down. This got off all the cobwebs and now the only stench was what had actually soaked into the wood itself. Next I got to work scraping out the old caulk from each window pane. Because these windows will become the table top for end tables, I wanted to be sure the glass had a strong support system to hold up lamps, flowers, and other decorations I might set on it. I wasn’t going to trust however old caulking to hold up.
OLD CAULKING
SQUEAKY CLEAN
I simply used a flat head screwdriver to remove the caulk. Then I used a tack cloth to pick up all the little pieces. A tack cloth is basically a really sticky cloth you can use time and time again to lift sand, sawdust, or any other tiny particles off a surface. I use it to clean up after I sand, which was the next step.
Now I got to caulking. I used paintable white latex caulk and a caulking gun to distribute an even layer of caulking into the crevice between the wooden frame and the glass. First I taped off where I wanted the edge of caulking to be, squeezed it into the crack, and then smoothed it with my finger.I learned that a glass of water does the trick for a professional looking caulking job. Just dip your finger in the water and glide it along the globs of caulk to smooth it. If using silicon caulk, use rubbing alcohol. Pull off your tape before the caulking dries. I like to use green frog tape for cleaner lines than blue painters tape.I flipped the window pane over (before the caulking was dry, shh it’s okay) and taped off the other side for painting. I found these corner versions of blue painters tape that really came in handy for this project! They were well worth the 25 cents I paid at a garage sale.
The window was finally ready for the painting process! If you don’t know the steps to painting wood stuff, click here!
Primed and ready to go
All done after 2 coats of paint and 3 coats of polycrylic.
The very last step was to clean the very hazy glass window panes. I’m sure it was years and years since these old barn windows were last cleaned so the dirt, poop, and dust clinging to them was disgusting. First, I came at them with rubbing alcohol to clean off any old paint. This works on any non-porous surface like glass or plastic and takes off even hundred year old dried paint. Next, I sprayed them with Windex and wiped them down. Look at this classy glassy transformation!
After this step, there was no hint of manure smell. Bye bye barn stink.
There you have it! That is how I restored very old barn windows to be functional and beautiful again. Please let me know if you learned anything! Thank you for reading how to restore an old barn window!
Hello! I’ve been working on old windows for 2 days and I’ve tried everything to get the haze off of them including rubbing alcohol…. Nothing is working. Any other suggestions?
What worked best for me is undiluted vinegar and following it up with Windex. Good luck to you! Thanks for asking 🙂
i have an old barn window i have washed and cleaned the glass but part of the frame attached to the glass inside the wood that runs up and down as i washed the window gently part of the wood fell off the window pane on the inside of the window. Would you recommend just using the white caulking to adhere those pieces or glue them back on with your advice of wood glue or just use the white caulking. And also i do not want to sand them and repaint them i want them left alone for the rustic look and sentimental value. Thank you for your advice…from Illinois.
Hi Julie! Thanks for taking the time to comment and leave a question. I love to help! If it were me, I would put a thin strip of wood glue on the skinny strip of wood that fell off and then nail it into the wood frame itself. One side of my old barn windows had caulk and the other side had skinny wood slats that held the glass pane in place. That’s how I secured them on my window. Little wood glue, then use tiny tack nails to pound it into the wooden window frame. You want to make sure those glass panes don’t fall out! Hope this helps, let me know what you end up doing.
Melissa
If the old caulk doesn’t come off with the simple use of a flat head screwdriver, is there a caulk removal gel that you recommend using on this kind of caulk
Hi Melissa! I can’t say I’ve tried a caulk removal gel. Even if the caulk is still rubbery instead of old and brittle, you can use a flathead screwdriver and hammer to get a corner of caulk pulled up. Then you can yank the whole strip of caulk up together! Good luck!
Melissa
Melissa,
I came across your post today and really like your ideas and creations.
Just to let you know the stuff that you are removing from the windows is not caulking. It is glazing putty that is made specifically for this use. On your next project consider trying it, it is easier to use than caulking, it doesn’t sag, is sandable and paintable. Dap makes one called # 33 window glazing. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowes etc. there is also a glazier tool that is made for this use.
I use when I repair windows on my property.
Thanks for sharing your projects,
I had no idea! Thanks for sharing that bit of info with me 🙂
Melissa