100 yr. old stained glass sash window

Debra
by Debra
I need help with a window that my sister-in-law wants me to strip down to the natural wood color. I have never done this before and I am worried about the glass coming out. I only need to do the wood part. It is very old and I do not want to damage it in any way. Can some please give me some advise as to how to approach this project. I know there are some great wood workers out there. Should I try to sand it first or should I apply a stripper and them sand it? Please help.
Thank you
Sincerely
Debbie
daubin56@yahoo.com
  4 answers
  • Diane Sterling Diane Sterling on Jul 25, 2013
    I assume that since you want to strip it down to natural wood that it is painted. I assume a window that old has several layers of old paint. Your bigger problem is lead paint in one or all of the layers. You should call in a specialist to handle the job of taking it down to bare wood due to the hazards of the lead paint then you can reglaze the window. Lead paint is very bad stuff...
  • Debra Debra on Jul 25, 2013
    Yes I did think about it having lead paint and thought that I would wear a mask. My sister-in-law has asked me to do this and I really want to help her. So I am going to try to find out the best way to approach this on my own. Thank you for your comment. If you know how I can do this without any damage I would appreciate your advice. Best regards Debbie
  • Bonnie D Bonnie D on Jul 27, 2013
    If I were you, I would contact a local stained glass artist about precautions to take to protect the glass. Have a local community college with an art department? We redid one at church and they were thrilled to help. You should be able to take the glass out of the frame so you won't damage it. Just make sure you take care with the lead paint.
  • Debra Debra on Jul 28, 2013
    thank you for the advise, the school art dept. sounds like a good idea