So glad you shared it with us. Thanks Shirley. Oh my goodness!! We literally just took all the curtain down and are doing fall cleaning.
Perfect timing as it is just starting to get a bit chilly at night with the windows open. The sliding glass door in the kitchen needs this. I love the window tips and all the tips in the comments. As a temporary measure, I tacked a folded king size white sheet around the frame of the window and it seemed to keep the room warmer.
Funny story—my son had been complaining that it was much colder than before so I finally checked the window and it turned out that the lawnmower must have thrown something and busted out a fist size hole one of the upper window panes. Poor kid. I will definitely try your tips.
Those aluminum windows can be really tough to replace. Thank you! This looks great. I have plenty of windows that could use this. Any ideas on how to stop losing heat through the floor?
My home is built on a concrete slab, and my lower level has ceramic tile flooring. I will use it to help them winterize this beautiful if somewhat leaky craftsman located in Sulphur Springs AR. We wonder if it has to do with our unfinished basement underneath those rooms.
Possibly Ashlee. You can add insulation there to prevent drafts from coming upstairs. The whole backside of my house is windows and they definitely need to be insulated. This information will give me the encouragement and help I need to do the job.
May take a while but it will pay off in the months to come. Thank you so much for the help you provide and I plan on checking out your website. Feeling determined. I definitely will be using this on 7 of my windows.
I set the thermostat at 62 at night and when we are not at home and 65 when we are at home. Thank you for the great DIY information. Thanks so much for the great idea — this will be our first winter in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the propane we have been heating with so far is really expensive. It definitely is a great option Sandra. Windows are a great way to bring your 80 year old home up to date.
We have really bad drafty windows in our bedroom in this rental house. I used this plastic shrink with a hairdryer kit before. During the night the wind would blow in, the plastic would bow inward, and the popping off of the tape around the sides would keep me up.
Theres just no tape strong enough that will keep the plastic anchored to the wall or trim. Sounds great. Do you think this would work with windows in summer in Arizona? I am for sure going to try it.
Thanks for the tip! I would use the kit in my basement windows. They are the old kind of windows that drop open with a latch. My house was built 58 years ago. My dogs, Teddy and Chico would like it warmer where they sleep. The floors are freezing so I know I have issues in these older windows.
I am a single but I think I can do this all by myself. I appreciate learning how to do things around the house and feeling accomplished that I can do them. My utilities usually average My dog does not stay outside all of the time, but he does love to go out. He also loves his dog house. I duct taped it where the tarp met the opening. Oh man!! It amazes me how much warmer it is inside since I did this.
With winter approaching, I thought somebody might like to know a way to create an inexpensive insulated dog house.
Lovin this idea! Saw the bubble wrap idea with a little different technique a couple days ago. They said to mist water on the window and then apply it directly to the window. I think I like your method better. This will work great on my north-facing windows that are at times, I think, windows in name only. Several years ago, I learned a trick to stop drafts on windows. Make a curtain for the window, allowing some excess around the sides so it extends over the frame slightly.
Make 2 pieces and sew them together on 3 sides. Insert foam trays like grocery stores put meat on into the curtain and stitch up or pin the last side closed. I made the slot for the curtain rod on one end before inserting the meat trays. Hope this helps somebody! Thank you so much for sharing it. Any tips to help with drafty windows are priceless. As I live in a double wide mobile that was renovated by the previous owner.
Your bubble wrap technique is wonderful that I had not thought about. The inserts of glass cube windows in one bathroom and laundry room is where I will start. And it just may float! I would love to win a window insulation kit- it would really help heat up the bedroom and kitchen! I love the bubble wrap idea-though not on main windows, as it will definitely hamper the view. This kit will be used in my basement apartment.
I live in the far north of Ontario Canada where is not uncommon. Last night it was already with the wind-chill, without. I put plastic on my windows every winter to help cut heat loss. If I was lucky enough to win this I would be putting it on my battery room window which faces North… I live off the grid. I leave my plastic up all year…it even helps to keep the house cooler in the summer, saving on air conditioning bills!
I replace it in the fall when the plastic goes on sale! Have saved hundreds through the years! I am in Wisconsin and plastic my windows for winter as it gets really cold here but this year I had to do one of my doors so I put towels rolled up where the big drafts come through and then put the plastic.
Hopefully it will ward off the high temps as well. Let me know how it works out. Living in a Fema trailer is cold and drafty. I atleast want to do the 3 Windows on the N side. I like the way the light still comes through. I was afraid I was going to live in a dark dungeon this winter. I put a piece of weather stripping where the window meets the sill and seem to cut a draft. I recaulked the outside of the window and also installed thermal curtains to hold back the cold, recommended by my electric company after an energy audit.
I would love to do this! Every time I suggest it he shoots it down. You will be able to stretch that extra double sided tape to more Windows or even different projects.
I have used film fpr years. I would use it on my large picture window on my 50s house. I will use this in my bedroom as I lay there sleeping I can really feel the cold, so I am hoping this will make a difference… Thank you so much.. Wish I would have seen this earlier! I put plastic on the window but it collects so much condensation, her carpet gets wet. Her room is still very cold! Any other suggestions?
I have used these kits for years!! I put one on the inside and one one the outside!! I love that I can still see out the windows unlike regular plastic!!! We need to do this with our enormous picture window in the living room. It is a single pane window, and is larger than three regular sized windows side by side. Plus there are double paned windows on either side of it. All in all, the entire expanse is about eight foot wide by about five foot tall. Try finding a window kit to fit that!
I always try and cover my windows to help keep heat costs down. Never thought about bubble wrap before… Will try very soon. We leave in a mobile need i say more windows are draftey! Window insulation kits cost are overpriced.
I refuse to pay that much for plastic and tape. I can cover MANY windows for a fraction of the cost. Hey I like in Whitehorse Yukon territory and we get down to 40 below of not colder on the odd day….
My bedroom is downstairs and very cold. Cool idea. I need this for my son. They just had a preemie baby who is now home from the hospital, but their bedroom, where the baby also sleeps, is in the cold basement with leaky, cold windows. This would make the basement so much warmer for that sweet baby. This also gives a little privacy plus allows some light to creep into the interior of the van. I would love to be one of the winners of the Window insulation kits. I have used a roll of plastic table covering I had left over from my kids parties.
Down side was the inability to see outside. My bedroom is always at least 20 degrees colder than the rest of the house. For curtains, I use 2 denim shower curtains that I sewed valances to the tops. Still cold. I heard about the bubble wrap, but I have heard 2 different ways to affix it… Bubble side down and bubble side up. I was thinking of using push pins and would love advice on how to keep a peephole so I can look at the full moon without going outside as I walk by in the middle of the night?
Thanks, again! How would you go about getting the tape to properly adhere to the old steel framing on basement windows, or maybe the concrete surrounding? I use bubble wrap on non insulated windows. All I do is cut it to size and wipe the windows with a wet cloth and then place the wrap on the window.
If it starts to loosen after a few weeks I just re-wipe and re-stick. I use bubble wrap that I receive in packages so the whole process is free and it works great. My house can do with new windows that are better insulated this winter. I should get one of these insulation kits now that I know that I can afford to buy one. I want to try this on the shop windows. My husband and I spend a lot of time with projects out there. We have a wood stove for the winter and here in NC it gets really cold.
The windows out there are older and the insulation would help keep it toast. We love DIY and enjoy your great tips. I have a neighbor that burns wood all winter and since my windows are so , so crummy that is a great solution for me. I have to buy a new furnace this year but maybe next year I can do something about the windows.
Thanks for the great tips, Love your site. I am so excited I found this. We are retired and are renting a home that is about 35 years old and the windows are old and leak badly. Last year we had a power bill in excess of If we want the downstairs warm, we bake upstairs in the bedrooms.
Such a difficult time of year for us. Please help us. You could try the plastic film technique this year Katherine. Keeping it warm will also help me medically. We have a wood burning stove so keeping cold drafts out of the whole house wound be great! Gotta keep the kiddos warm!!!
Jeff, the bubble wrap is genius. As is doing the basement windows. I never thought of going that low! Mostly because basements in PA are creepy dungeon type places…would the double sticky tape even attach to cement?
Also, while not a weatherization tip, its a pet tip that helps with weatherization…if you have cats that love being all over your windows no matter the temperature and they find the plastic a direct insult and proceed to shred a window or two every winter, get cheap car floor mats with spikeys on the bottom.
Tack down if necessary. Cats and dogs too hate the feel of the gripper spikeys and will leave the window alone saving your hard work. In this article, they specify to put the bubble side against the window, without the airspace. This doubles the R vue of your window. My house has old roll out windows that do not seal very well at all. I would love to use the window film for both winter and summer.
Keep the drapes closed helps a little, but not enough. I have 4 very old orihinal basement windows that need to be done. Tip insulate between the joists and foundation of the basement.
I use it on every window in my house. I live in a drafty apartment duplex and we have to plastic every year. I love the idea of adding the bubble wrap. A few extra insulation kits would cut down our costs for sure. We do every window in the apartment so it gets costly! Thanks for the great tips. We have an almost year old house in Rochester, Ny and the cold is coming. We have some new window but mostly old one and I look forward to trying this on a bunch of the windows thanks for the great idea.
Thank you for the help. Last year I used just bubble wrap, and it blocked most of the chill. Hopefully adding your second step will stop it all together. We were finally able to replace a few old windows. Our friend, a contractor, installed them. They all leak, lesson learned. Your ideas are so sensible and affordable. Thanks for all the tips and instructions. Surely I can do this. We moved to Colorado this summer and have yet to go through winter. I am going to tackle the basement windows first.
I have taken plastic trash bags or smaller ones from grocery store and roll length or width wise, depending in the size of the space you need to close up.
Even seal the bags in the gaps with packing or masking tape. Doors and Windows. We live in a 40 year old house with original windows so to stop the wind and snow from coming in this is what we always do. Also the electrical outlets on the out side walls need insulating.
Here in Wisconsin we can purchase foam outlet pieces to put behind the outlet and switch covers on the outside walls. I wash it well and soak it in bleach.
We bought a home and it has newer replacement windows in the family room. The windows face the west. And let me tell you the air that leaks in around these windows in the winter is brutal! Our heating bills are outrageous. If you sit on the couch next to the window, you actually feel a breeze coming in. This kit sure would help us trim our bills down and make this room cozier! Thank you for the info!
Looking forward to those colder temps…a little bit more. I also use door strips to prevent drafts. Windows are old and in bad shape. I simply spray water on the window and the bubble wrap sticks. Bubble wrap is cut to fit and stays all winter. Then I remove and roll it up and store it.
I have 25 yr old dual pane aluminium windows. Now if I could figure out how to keep my floors warm. Need to insulate under the floor I guess. Crawl spaces are not my thing. If you have a two car garage and only use one side, use the bubble wrap layers and then the final plastic film over the complete door to keep the draft and cold out. Pick the one with the most draft. I would use them on all of my windows if there was enough.
My biggest problem window is my front window. It leaks so much I can see my curtains moving when it is windy out. To save money I check what the weather is going to be like daily. In the summer if it is cool at night I turn off the air, open all the windows and put fans in three of them throughout the house to rotate the cool air. I make sure to set my alarm for when the air is going to start warming up so I can close all of the windows and curtains.
This really helps to cool the house down and keep it cooler throughout the day. It really cuts down on how much the central air runs. In the winter If it is going to be sunny out I open all of the curtains and let mother natural heat the house for me. If it is cloudy and windy I close all of the curtains. It takes a little planning and a little work but I believe it pays off each month. My girlfriends house has very old windows and very bad insulation.
She has 3 levels and lots of windows so cost will add up but I have to believe the savings in heat escaping will offset it quite a bit! Im doing all our spareroom windows this winter and also making draft busters for door bottoms. Also doing my bedroom windows just to add that extra help. I am starting chemotherapy and am not messing around and trying to be as warm as possible over our long Michigan winter.
It has a window as well as its insulated steel. I would like to use the kits to help out a friend on a VERY fixed income who just moved into an older trailer house in north central Texas. So that it will help keep her heating costs down this winter.
Thanks so much for this information! It gets so cold on that side of the house East facing windows. Being a senior citizen this will be a great idea to help our winter bills. The bedroom and living room is where I would like to use it. I could open the curtains and let sunlight in without nosy neighbors looking in. We have long winters in alaska sometimes so the tape is on a long time. I would first use this in our upstairs bedrooms, sunporch, garage and basement.
These areas allow a lot of cold air into the main areas of our year old rental. I live on a fixed income Social Security and moved into an apartment that has metal-framed windows. All of the windows will benefit from insulation, but previously broken windows have had Plexiglas stuck into them. It has not even been caulked, and when the wind blows, they bow inward.
Although I plan to tape or caulk it myself, I am not impressed with its insulating value…especially since we are predicted to have an extra cold and snowy winter.
Thank you for the information. It will help tremendously! Hope this helps Constance and it should help lower your heating bills.
I would use it on a large picture window in living room. When the wind blows hard you can actually see the curtains move. I know the feeling Phyllis, we have the same issue with the windows on the front of our house. We own an older mobile home in mesa az. And they were NOT built for the weather here. No insulation and the windows are worthless. I try to say money on heating bill in winter, because summer bill is a killer. Hope it helps you with your heating bills. Especially this winter.
This always causes me trouble. If you are not sure if the tape will take the paint off with it, you can put the tape on the outer edge of the windows, next to the wall. It may still take the paint off, but at least you only have to repaint the very edge of the window, not the whole frame.
Thanks for a great giveaway! We have an older mobile home. I would do my bedroom windows and maybe the living room too. I hate drafts and can always feel them. We have a house that is years old!!! Single pane and wavy glass everywhere!
I would love to try the bubblewrap…we live in pennsylvania and heat with coal…. I think that your explanation above and through the video is one of the best. You did not tell us the thickness of the bubble wrap that you chose and you did not tell us if you put the bubble side to the outside or inside to the room.
Did you have to put another section of double tape on the top and bottom ledge to make the overlap of the previous section? I am thinking that the previous piece would have hogged up the double tape and when you went to overlap it would have no place to stick, unless you put a new segment above and below.
You are the first to not put the bubble wrap directly on the window. Which when cutting to the size of each pane, adds a whole volume of possible extra useless effort. Others have also recommended that we search furniture and similar stores for the bubble wrap they get in on their items and before they chuck them.
I look forward to seeing more of your videos and reading your articles. I will look back here to see if you have answered my questions above. Thank-you very much for your help. Please Help: Thank you for your expert advice!! I put water on it and it is not sticking to the window Please advise!
Thank you, Nancy. Just bought a Civil War home! Huge windows and lots of them, Drafty of course. Built in So yes need to do this at once!! You can do the bubble wrap and the plastic like Jeff showed in the video, you can also buy window plastic with the double sided tape for the outside of the Windows and pattio doors.
Works great. You put it on just like you do the inside Windows. Every little bit helps when trying to keep costs down. The bubble wrap tip is ingenious! Will a hair dryer take it off of the wall as well. I made a blackout panel for the bedroom window and used it this summer between the shade and the drape to keep the heat out. So many nice patterns or even different colors if you wish. Cuz we live in a rental house.
We moved into a very old duplex a few months ago. How much is the window cover cost. Do I have to wash the widows first. The woodwork to. I guess I should. Can I just cover the window screen with plastic film? I dont want to cover the whole window. Great tips here. Definitely going to use the bubble wrap idea! One thing to note, i believe the Frost King kits are a one time use only. Wasteful and not cost effective. I went and bought a roll of very heavy clear plastic.
It can be used season after season. Is there something to use under the tape that will make it easy to take off without messing up the window frame? Would glue work and would it stay invisible or would it turn yellow after awhile? We cover half the window with it and then the other half with the clear.
We also wrap our front porch in the clear plastic and keep our plants out there in the winter. It creates a greenhouse on the front door and eliminates any cold air coming in around the front door and the 2 Windows on that porch.
I hope that this helps some one else. I have a 54 year old home and had the windows upstairs all replaced with dual pane gas filled windows with vinyl frames five years ago. They were installed into my older single pane frames. But my older steel framed basement windows were never updated. Then I assemble the building, do any cleanup brush painting, and add detail parts like air conditioners or fire escapes. It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Paul 12, posts. Posted by wjstix on Friday, November 3, AM. If you're not going to do an interior you can fog the windows by spraying the windows with Dullcote on the INSIDE of the "glass" so the outside part is still shiny. However, it might be better to install clear glass after dullcoting and then tape something like wax paper over the inside of the window to "fog" it. That way, if you decide later to add an interior later, you can just remove the wax paper, instead of having to replace all the windows.
Posted by jacon12 on Friday, November 3, AM. Anyway, thanks! Member since January From: Memphis posts. If I am not doing interior details, I use a light coat of Floquil dust on the inside of the windows.
I find that the effect is realistic, does not destroy the outside glass effect and hides the lack of interior detail. Peter Smith, Memphis. Users Online. Search the Community. Model Railroader Newsletter See all. Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!
Sign up. Model Railroader Newsletter Sign up! They simply need a little tender loving care to provide efficient, trouble-free service for another half century or so. Cleaning off old paint drips and tightening up the stops works miracles, but adding efficient, top-of-the-line weather strips can make your windows competitive with the best of replacement systems and helps with sash window repair.
First, take time to assess the working condition of your windows. Before examining the window itself, look for drafts with the time-honored smoke test—that is, on a windy day, pass a smoke source a cigarette, incense stick, or candle around the frame and see if you can pinpoint any conspicuous air leaks. Next, operate your lower sashes. Do they neatly glide up and down, or do they stick or wobble from side-to-side?
Ideally, the sashes should travel easily but snugly in their channels. If not, investigate why. The biggest impediment to fluid movement is usually sloppy accumulations of paint at the sash stops, sash stiles and rails, and sash channels. Ideally, the sash stop moldings just inside the window should be constructed with screws or slotted hardware that permits adjusting for a snug sash in winter.
To clean off this paint, remove the stops and sash and place them on sawhorses or a stable work table. On the faces of the stops that contact the sash, remove thick paint with a paint scraper or sander, clamping the stops to your work platform to keep them steady. Next, remove heavy or bumpy accumulations of paint on the sash rails and stiles with a sander or, if exceptionally heavy, a heat tool. Also check the edge of the stool that drops to the sill.
Before reinstalling the sash, scrape off any paint accumulation along the parting stops also called beads and sand them smooth. I find that rubbing a little floor wax along these working surfaces also helps the sash move smoothly. Illustration: Rob Leanna. Sash stops—the two vertical moldings just inside the window—serve two functions: They hold the sash in place, but they also adjust to secure the sash against wind infiltration.
When sash stops are attached with nails, they cannot be adjusted, so their initial placement must be a careful balance—not too tight and not too loose.
Normally, the sash side of the stop is flush with the stool edge; this way the stop guides the sash smoothly to the sill. Properly adjusting the bottom range of the stops, however, is most important for smooth operation and thermal efficiency. In a basic installation, bronze V weatherstrip is nailed across the bottom and up the channels where the lower sash rides. The flexible flange of the strip faces the exterior and is cut at an angle where it meets the sill.
Note there are no nails over the weight pocket door. The most versatile method for adjusting stops uses screws and washers or stop adjuster hardware made for this purpose. Stop adjusters are brass or chrome washers that fit holes bored in your stops, usually five in the average-height window or three in a short kitchen or bath window.
The adjuster hole that accepts the screw is actually a slot that allows the stop to be moved in and out. Bore oversized holes larger than the diameter of your screws in the stops that the washer will cover. Then screw the stops on and adjust them as desired.
For symmetry, position every screw at the same height as its mate on the opposing stop in every window throughout the room. Do not caulk the sash stops to the frame; it renders the adjusters useless.
A final recommendation for tightening up loose windows without major surgery is to install cam locks Ives Side Window Locks are one brand. Sometimes called banjo fasteners, these are small, lever-actuated brakes that, when mounted on each stop, push the sash into the parting bead as tightly as possible. When upgrading historic windows in cold climates, combining weatherstrips with the above mentioned tune-ups creates the most energy efficient installation.
Although there are many methods and materials used to weatherstrip windows, I generally choose durable metal weatherstrips. When pliable weather strips are called for, I use only EPDM rubber because it lasts longer than inexpensive vinyl alternatives and is not vulnerable to temperature changes.
Bronze V -Type Weatherstrip. To install the sash channel strips, take a pair of tin snips and cut two pieces slightly longer than the distance from the sill to the top of the meeting rails. Note that the apex of the V should face the interior of the house.
Next, cut the sill end at a slight angle that conforms to the to degree slope of the sill, cutting from the strip apex down. On the opposite end, cut the strips even with or slightly below the top of the meeting rail. Round off the sharp edges at the top of the weatherstrips to prevent them from snagging on the sash.
Then taper the angle back on the loose side of the sill end. Cut the side strips from the fold outward to match the sill angle. To attach the strips, you need only a few brads.
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